Culham Airfield

I noticed a couple of posts where the poster was using CU. Thanks for pointing that out as, although I remember Culham as an operational station, I never knew what the station code was. When it was operational I was too young to take any notice of such mundane information, I just wanted to see aircraft.

I think there is some confusion over the use of CU as a location designator as that was the fin marking on the aircraft based at Culdrose.

Where did ‘CU’ creep into the debate? The aircraft are coded ‘CH’ which was Culham’s station code.

The photo was, as has already been determined by Pagen, taken on the north eastern dispersal area. The line of three Fromsons and two Pentads to the west was the Receipt and Despatch Unit (RDU). When I last visited in the late 1990s the skeletal frames of the Fromsons were still there, as were both Pentads. Sadly one of the latter had been badly damaged by a fire and I see that it has now been pulled down. I didn’t attempt to get any further along from that enclave probably due to time restraints but I cannot recall if you could actually get through that far. The whole hangarage areas to the west are accessible as they form an industrial unit.

The Swordfish mentioned earlier was, of course, LS326 (now RNHF) which was used by the Station as a communications aircraft.

I think there is some confusion over the use of CU as a location designator as that was the fin marking on the aircraft based at Culdrose.

Welcome Chris.

I hope you get a good response.

Moggy

New to the Forum. I am the head of communications at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy – the research lab on the site of RNAS Culham / HMS Hornbill. I am fascinated by the previous activities here when it was an operational airfield – and would love to hear from anyone who served here, has any memorabilia (photos etc) …

Thanks

Chris

RNAS Cukham was in Berkshire until the 1974 county boundary changes an yes it did have hard runways.

Adam,

George never returned to the forum after his single contribution, but if you left click on his user name you will find an option to contact him by email.

Hello All,

I’m new to this Forum and thread, but wanted to ask for your assistance in tracking down any surviving members of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm who served at RNAS Culham from 1945/6 onwards. My late grandfather, John F Kearslake was stationed at Culham and from his log books I can see exactly what he flew and when he flew it, together with some notes referring to the odd emergency landing at nearby RAF Benson etc! In January this year, my family and I moved to Culham and whilst I adore the wartime aircraft anyway, my goal is to either find someone that knew my grandfather (!), speak to a surviving member of the Fleet Air Arm who was based at RNAS Culham or simply to speak to someone who can tell me more about life at RNAS Culham in the mid to late 1940s. Can anyone help or offer some advice?! Thank you very much.

George; I have read with great interest you comment above from October 2012 (above)! It would be great to potentially speak with you about your time at Culham (?)

Adam.

Yes i did wonder that too, but the clincher for me is the little approach road off the end of the runway that i have red arrowed, as it shows on both photos and not on the end of any other runway at that angle.

Rob

Nice photo. I’m presuming the end of the runway shown bottom left is the same as the one middle left in pagen01 (James’) photo?

Rob

..yes, I think

….or, the wooded area to the top of Pagen’s photo is to the left in mine, just below the ‘GoPro’ video camera rig suspended from the balloon….:)

Nice photo. I’m presuming the end of the runway shown bottom left is the same as the one middle left in pagen01 (James’) photo?

Rob

Here’s a fairly recent shot from the south taken by me last May, we had just taken off in my nephews balloon from the edge of the airfield….

Great thread guys. And well done James for nailing the location.

NickB – would love to see some then and now pics when you get the chance.

Dr John Smith – interesting write up on the fate of WV381. A very lucky pilot indeed.

Rob

Culham Airfield

I visited Culham in the late 1970’s on business and noted the rear fuselage of a Hunter stored inside one of the buildings.

The Hunter in question was GA.11 WV381 ‘732’. There is a 2007 thread about it on this very forum at http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=71728

source http://www.flickr.com/photos/egwu/5334043512/

“On 1st November 1972 while taking off from RNAS Lee-on-Solent having visited there for the fitting of a Harley light to the nose, the pilot aborted his take-off (due to an instrument malfunction) and then ejected when he realized he was going to overrun the runway end – the aircraft went through the fence, over a road and beach and ended up in the sea.

The pilot thankfully survived despite the seat being used out of its guaranteed performance envelope (Hunter seats are not zero/zero models). The airframe was recovered from the sea two days later but her flying days were over and she ended up with the UKAEA Lightning Studies Unit at Culham (as a fuselage only), being used to study the effects of lightning strikes on aircraft and suffered further as a result.

Her new owner, David Webb, removed the nose from the remainder of the fuselage and has spent 30 months restoring it with the help of a small team of helpers. It is currently lodging at RAF Benson but can be seen at occasional local events”

source http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/hunter/survivor.php?id=644

Very relevant to this thread IMO, as WV381 was the last aircraft to be “based” at Culham…and even more appropriately, it was a Royal Navy aircraft.

No shortage of hangarage on that airfield. Been to the motocross track nearby a couple of times but didn’t really pay too much attention to the airfield.

Is the third Seafire a MkXVII?

Yes it is.

Mark

No shortage of hangarage on that airfield. Been to the motocross track nearby a couple of times but didn’t really pay too much attention to the airfield.

Is the third Seafire a MkXVII?

Hi Nick, not sure how much you can walk around the site, but would be interesting to see a now and then treatment.

Re your St Merryn pics there is a recent good thread here somewhere by Wyvernfan covering comparative now and then airfield pics.
Edit, here, http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=121733&highlight=st+mawgan

Thanks James – I think you might be on to something there 😉

Makes sense actually as I assume those hangars belong to 1832(R) Sqn – if that can be proven I reckon it’s conclusive.

Thanks for going to the effort to do this – when the weather improves I might take a bimble up there to lookie see…

This is just my take on location, and orientation of, of the photo.
Orange dashed lines field of vision, red ‘X’s the Seafires, and black ‘X’ the Firefly.

RNAS Culham / HMS Hornbil 1946 by jamtey71, on Flickr

RNAS Culham / HMS Hornbil 1946 by jamtey71, on Flickr

Apologies, I don’t know the source of the aerial photo.

You might enjoy this ‘Flight’ article about 1832 RNVR at Culham,
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%200259.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%200260.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%200261.html

Thanks James.

Given that article, it’s got to be Culham hasn’t it?
They must have added another hard standing though… will check again tonight.

Tantalising that this is about 15 miles from where I am sat right now… what must have been flying over here 60 years ago…