All Change for RAF West Raynham

And of course the station was home to the first military Jet VTOL unit in the World, the UK/USA/FRG Tripartite Evaluation Squadron operating 9 Hawker Kestrel FGA 1, the forerunner to the Harrier.

Looks like it was Blenheims and Mosquitos for the most part. More here:

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s32.html

Amongst others, Blenheims mainly until ’41 when the first few RAF B-17s started operating out of there (mostly on trials). B-25s and then 100 group Mossies and Beaus until the CFE moved in with many interesting types, including captured Luftwaffe aircraft. Some of the old boys I know have some cracking stories to tell of those times in the neighbourhood.

Tom

what was based here during the war and taking up space in those lovely hangars? wellingtons? lancs?

I’m told that most of the southerly end of the airfield is now sold, I’d love to see the place come alive again as I grew up but a mile or so from there and seeing it stagnant for so long was a tad sickening.

Tom

I think I will wait until I can land my flexwing before I try any photographs!! Anyway we cant do any money making flights. I can manage big wing drops though!!

http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/property_sale/property_e/E_Jan_06.pdf

I always find the defence estates website depressing reading. It seems from the above that the technical site is going through the process of sale but there’s a hiatus over the airfield site as the former owners would like it back, please, if the government has finished with it.

How did you take a vertical picture, was the C150 doing a tight turn or were you hanging out the open door?

COLD WAR WEST RAYNHAM

Damien

Bids closed on the sale offer early March but not yet heard the outcome.

The dome trainer you highlight was put in during the 1980s for use by the Rapier Training Unit when training RAF Regiment gunners in the fine art of surface-to-air missile systems. It is not an original wartime building.

Regards

Spot on AgCat 🙂 , the Dome trainer was used for Rapier Field Standard B(1M) (known as the Bimberly) operator training (i.e. mostly baby Rockape Gunners straight out of Cattarick). The kit (I think it was called the AT4) was located next to No 4 hanger which was the home of 66 Squadron RAF Regiment (one of the 3 USAF funded Rapier Squadrons of 6 Wing, RAF Regiment who’s HQ was based in No 2 hanger along with the Rapier Training Unit). 2 Squadrons of Rockapes made life interesting for the RAF Police and the Kestrel Club (NAFFI) Duty Committee Member while trying to close the place on the Friday night Disco back in the mid 1980’s. The other two hangers were No 1 hanger (left of shot) which actually had aircraft in it during the 1980’s. The OC Eng Wing had a light aircraft (cannot remember what type) which lived there and on a couple of occasions some Tornado GR1’s out of Marham over-nighted there as part of an exercise in the use of West Ranyham as a dispersal airfield during 1987/88. No 3 Hanger was used as the Radar Maintenance Facility for the Bloodhound 2 Target Illuminating Radars.

DOME TRAINER

Damien

Bids closed on the sale offer early March but not yet heard the outcome.

The dome trainer you highlight was put in during the 1980s for use by the Rapier Training Unit when training RAF Regiment gunners in the fine art of surface-to-air missile systems. It is not an original wartime building.

Regards

Its a fascinating place – I did a trackday there back in April and although we werent allowed to look around it was possible to see some of the hangars and other buildings on the way in. To give you an idea, there is one photo here of a hangar and the old control tower

They dont want anything listed as it detracts heavily from the asking price – sod history, how much will it make!
West Raynham is not the only site that the MoD cannot seem to quite get around to with regard to having buildings listed.