RAF Oakington
Encyclopedia
RAF Oakington was an RAF
base situated in Cambridgeshire
, England
.
Construction was started in 1939, but was affected by the outbreak of war, the original plan called for Type C hangars two type J were erected instead. It was used by No. 2 Group
in July 1940 for No. 218 Squadron
which had recently returned from France
. In September, Oakington was passed on for the No. 2 Group which stationed the first Short Stirling
Squadron No. 7
. The newly formed No. 3 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit started to use RAF Oakington to conduct high altitude work for Bomber Command's targets however there were poor surface conditions at RAF Oakington so No. 3 PRU often operated from RAF Alconbury
.
The base contracted after the war, and much evidence of this is visible in farmland surrounding the current perimeter. During the 1950s RAF Oakington was an Advanced Flying Training School (No. 5 FTS), converting trainee pilots to jets on Vampires and in the 1960s and 1970s it was used for flight training, operating Vickers Varsity
aircraft. When the need for training on piston engined aircraft reduced it was closed, becoming a British Army
barracks
.
In 2000 the station domestic area was leased to the Home Office
, and converted to an Immigration Reception Centre
.
Since 2007 plans have been developed to build Northstowe
, a new settlement of 9,500 houses on the site. Demolition of parts of the site commenced in late January 2011 by the contractor Sovereign Plant Ltd.
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...
base situated in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, 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...
.
Construction was started in 1939, but was affected by the outbreak of war, the original plan called for Type C hangars two type J were erected instead. It was used by No. 2 Group
No. 2 Group RAF
Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command....
in July 1940 for No. 218 Squadron
No. 218 Squadron RAF
No. 218 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No 218 Squadron after the Governor of the Gold Coast and people of the Gold Coast officially adopted the squadron.-World War I:...
which had recently returned from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In September, Oakington was passed on for the No. 2 Group which stationed the first Short Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
Squadron No. 7
No. 7 Squadron RAF
No. 7 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC.2 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire.-Formation and early years:No. 7 Squadron was formed at Farnborough Airfield on 1 May 1914 as the last squadron of the RFC to be formed before the First World War, but has been disbanded and reformed...
. The newly formed No. 3 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit started to use RAF Oakington to conduct high altitude work for Bomber Command's targets however there were poor surface conditions at RAF Oakington so No. 3 PRU often operated from RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
.
The base contracted after the war, and much evidence of this is visible in farmland surrounding the current perimeter. During the 1950s RAF Oakington was an Advanced Flying Training School (No. 5 FTS), converting trainee pilots to jets on Vampires and in the 1960s and 1970s it was used for flight training, operating Vickers Varsity
Vickers Varsity
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.* Ellis, Ken. Wrecks & Relics. Manchester, UK: Crecy Publishing, 21st edition, 2008. ISBN 9-780859-791342....
aircraft. When the need for training on piston engined aircraft reduced it was closed, becoming a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
.
In 2000 the station domestic area was leased to the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, and converted to an Immigration Reception Centre
Oakington Immigration Reception Centre
Oakington Immigration Reception Centre was a UK Home Office immigration detention centre located in Cambridgeshire, England.Originally a World War II airfield, RAF Oakington, during the war it was used for Short Stirling bomber forces, as well as other assorted units...
.
Since 2007 plans have been developed to build Northstowe
Northstowe
Northstowe is a proposed new town of 9,500 houses in Cambridgeshire, UK. It is expected to be "an exemplar of sustainability in the use of renewable energy resources and reducing carbon emissions"...
, a new settlement of 9,500 houses on the site. Demolition of parts of the site commenced in late January 2011 by the contractor Sovereign Plant Ltd.