RAF Newton
Encyclopedia
RAF Newton was a Royal Air Force
station, 7 miles east of Nottingham
, England
. It was used briefly as a bomber base and then as a flying training school during World War II
.
Built on the site of a pre-war civil airfield, Newton was assigned to No 1 Group
in June 1940, when Nos 103
and 150
squadrons returned from France. These squadrons were re-equipped with Vickers Wellington
s in October 1940 but moved on to more suitable bomber airfields in July 1941.
Newton then became a training base, and for the next five years No. 16 (Polish)
Service Flying Training School provided basic and advanced training for Polish airmen serving with the RAF, using RAF Tollerton
as a satellite landing ground.
The station became the headquarters of No 12 Group
, Fighter Command
from 1946 until 1958, when Technical Training Command
took over the station for electronic fitters courses.
Later the station became the home of the RAF School of Education, who moved from RAF Upwood
in 1972, and the RAF Police Training School, who moved from RAF Debden
in 1973 bringing their gate guardian
- a Hawker Hunter
F1, WT694 (now at Caernarfon Air World
) - with them. Both of these units transferred to RAF Halton
in the 1990s.
Also in its history, the station has been home to the Head Quarters Air Training Corps
, which later moved to RAF Cranwell
in 1995, the same year, the RAF Police Dog School based there since 1975 was amalgamated with the RAVC to form the Defence Animal Centre (DAC) at Melton Mowbray.
The station had also became the home of the newly formed Nottingham University College Air Squadron in 1941, providing newly trained pilots for the RAF. During the 1960s Newton was home to Air Experience Flight
s of Chipmunk
aircraft which were used by local squadrons of the Air Training Corps
. The East Midlands University Air Squadron
continued flying at Newton, with Bulldog
aircraft, until moving its flying activities to RAF Cranwell
in 2001. In the latter years, civilian-operated Slingsby Fireflies
were also based at Newton for basic military training on behalf of RAF Cranwell.
Today the site is a private industrial estate and the buildings are being converted into offices and storage space. The old control tower
still stands and is being renovated into offices; the grass airfield has reverted to agriculture. Nottinghamshire Police
use parts of the site for public order, method of entry and police dog training.
Just outside the main gate, the old NAAFI
building is currently the home to 1936 (Newton) Squadron of the Air Training Corps, a continuing RAF presence on the site.
The station badge featured the Polish Eagle holding a flaming torch in each talon with the motto "Docemus et Discimus" which translates as "We teach and we learn", reflecting the Polish training role in the Second World War.
The abandoned houses on the base were used to film scenes from the film This is England
. It has also been used for the series Robot Wars
after it transferred to the commercial UK channel Five TV.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station, 7 miles east of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was used briefly as a bomber base and then as a flying training school during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Built on the site of a pre-war civil airfield, Newton was assigned to No 1 Group
No. 1 Group RAF
Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an...
in June 1940, when Nos 103
No. 103 Squadron RAF
No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.-Formation in World War I:...
and 150
No. 150 Squadron RAF
No. 150 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during both World War I and World War II.The squadron was reformed - as 150 Sqn. - on 8 January 1959 as one of 20 Strategic Missile squadrons associated with Project Emily...
squadrons returned from France. These squadrons were re-equipped with Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
s in October 1940 but moved on to more suitable bomber airfields in July 1941.
Newton then became a training base, and for the next five years No. 16 (Polish)
Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain
The Polish Air Forces was a name of Polish Air Forces formed in France and the United Kingdom during World War II. The core of the Polish air units fighting alongside the allies were experienced veterans of Invasion of Poland of 1939 and they contributed to Allied victory in the Battle of Britain...
Service Flying Training School provided basic and advanced training for Polish airmen serving with the RAF, using RAF Tollerton
Nottingham Airport
Nottingham Airport is located in Tollerton, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated south east of Nottingham City Centre, and signposted on the A52 at Trent Bridge and on the A606—this makes it one of the closest airports to a city centre in the UK...
as a satellite landing ground.
The station became the headquarters of No 12 Group
No. 12 Group RAF
No. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force was a command organization that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I when it had a training function and from just prior to World War II until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.No. 12 Group was first formed...
, Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
from 1946 until 1958, when Technical Training Command
RAF Technical Training Command
Technical Training Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force which controlled units responsible for delivering aircraft maintenance training and other non-flying training, initially in Berkshire then in Cambridgeshire.-History:...
took over the station for electronic fitters courses.
Later the station became the home of the RAF School of Education, who moved from RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States...
in 1972, and the RAF Police Training School, who moved from RAF Debden
RAF Debden
RAF Debden is a former RAF airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles SE of Saffron Walden and approximately 1 mile north of the village of Debden in North Essex.-RAF Fighter Command:...
in 1973 bringing their gate guardian
Gate guardian
A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main entrance to somewhere, especially a military base...
- a Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
F1, WT694 (now at Caernarfon Air World
Caernarfon Airport
Caernarfon Airport is located southwest of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales.Caernarfon Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee...
) - with them. Both of these units transferred to RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
in the 1990s.
Also in its history, the station has been home to the Head Quarters Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
, which later moved to RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
in 1995, the same year, the RAF Police Dog School based there since 1975 was amalgamated with the RAVC to form the Defence Animal Centre (DAC) at Melton Mowbray.
The station had also became the home of the newly formed Nottingham University College Air Squadron in 1941, providing newly trained pilots for the RAF. During the 1960s Newton was home to Air Experience Flight
Air Experience Flight
An Air Experience Flight is a training unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve whose main purpose is to give introductory flying experience to Air Cadets or the RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force...
s of Chipmunk
De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk
The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft which was the standard primary trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force and several other air forces through much of the post-Second World War years...
aircraft which were used by local squadrons of the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
. The East Midlands University Air Squadron
University Air Squadron
University Air Squadrons are training units of the Royal Air Force which primarily provide basic flying training, force development and adventurous training to undergraduate students at British universities...
continued flying at Newton, with Bulldog
Scottish Aviation Bulldog
|-See also:-External links:...
aircraft, until moving its flying activities to RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
in 2001. In the latter years, civilian-operated Slingsby Fireflies
Slingsby T-67 Firefly
The Slingsby T67 Firefly, originally produced as the Fournier RF-6, is a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft, built by Slingsby Aviation in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, England...
were also based at Newton for basic military training on behalf of RAF Cranwell.
Today the site is a private industrial estate and the buildings are being converted into offices and storage space. The old control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
still stands and is being renovated into offices; the grass airfield has reverted to agriculture. Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the shire county of Nottinghamshire and the unitary authority of Nottingham in the East Midlands of England. The area has a population of just over 1 million....
use parts of the site for public order, method of entry and police dog training.
Just outside the main gate, the old NAAFI
Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes is an organisation created by the British government in 1921 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families...
building is currently the home to 1936 (Newton) Squadron of the Air Training Corps, a continuing RAF presence on the site.
The station badge featured the Polish Eagle holding a flaming torch in each talon with the motto "Docemus et Discimus" which translates as "We teach and we learn", reflecting the Polish training role in the Second World War.
The abandoned houses on the base were used to film scenes from the film This is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
. It has also been used for the series Robot Wars
Robot Wars (TV series)
Robot Wars is a British game show modelled on a US-based competition of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 1998 until 2003, with its final series broadcast on Five in 2003 and 2004. Additional series were filmed for specific sectors of the global market, including two series of Robot...
after it transferred to the commercial UK channel Five TV.