RAF Stoke Orchard
Encyclopedia
RAF Stoke Orchard was a Royal Air Force
station near the village of Stoke Orchard
, north west of Cheltenham
, Gloucestershire
during World War II
.
The airfield was developed in 1940-41, originally as a Relief Landing Ground. In September 1941 it became a training airfield for No.10 Elementary Flying Training School with 50 Tiger Moths were based there. From July 1942 to January 1945 the airfield specialised in the training of glider pilots and instructors with No.3 Glider Training School (3 GTS).
It was also home to a Ministry for Aircraft Production shadow factory run by the Gloster Aircraft Company
at Brockworth. There were two large buildings, one for production and one flight shed. This site became the Coal Research Establishment of the National Coal Board
following the war.
Today the airfield has been returned to agriculture.
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 near the village of Stoke Orchard
Stoke Orchard
Stoke Orchard is a village or hamlet north-west of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. Locally the village is often known as 'Stoke'.Stoke Orchard is in the borough of Tewkesbury, the Cheltenham post town, and on the Coombe Hill, Cheltenham, telephone exchange. Stoke Orchard neighbours...
, north west of Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
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...
.
The airfield was developed in 1940-41, originally as a Relief Landing Ground. In September 1941 it became a training airfield for No.10 Elementary Flying Training School with 50 Tiger Moths were based there. From July 1942 to January 1945 the airfield specialised in the training of glider pilots and instructors with No.3 Glider Training School (3 GTS).
It was also home to a Ministry for Aircraft Production shadow factory run by the Gloster Aircraft Company
Gloster Aircraft Company
The Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited, known locally as GAC, was a British aircraft manufacturer. The company produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force : the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor and Javelin. It also produced the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon for the parent company...
at Brockworth. There were two large buildings, one for production and one flight shed. This site became the Coal Research Establishment of the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
following the war.
Today the airfield has been returned to agriculture.