RAF Windrush
Encyclopedia
RAF Windrush was a World War II
Royal Air Force
station near Windrush, Gloucestershire. It was opened in 1940 and closed on 12th July 1945. Initially it was a Relief Landing Ground for RAF Chipping Norton
, later coming under the control of RAF Little Rissington
.
The airfield consisted of two Sommerfeld Tracking
runways, a concrete perimeter track, 1 T1 building and 8 Blister Hangars. Most of this infrastructure was added in 1942. Some of the original buildings remain in situ though the site has been returned to agricultural use. The control tower has been preserved.
A memorial at the church in Windrush village describes Sgt Pilot Bruce Hancock RAFVR who died on 18th August 1940 when downing a German Heinkel bomber by ramming it with his unarmed training Avro Anson
aircraft.
Following closure in 1945 the airfield remained active with a local flying club and for parachuting until 1997.
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...
Royal Air Force
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 Windrush, Gloucestershire. It was opened in 1940 and closed on 12th July 1945. Initially it was a Relief Landing Ground for RAF Chipping Norton
RAF Chipping Norton
RAF Chipping Norton was a World War II Royal Air Force station near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. It was operational from 10 July 1940 to 1945 and returned to agricultural use when disposed of in 1950....
, later coming under the control of RAF Little Rissington
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Little Rissington is an RAF aerodrome and former RAF station in Gloucestershire, England. It was once home to the Central Flying School, the Vintage Pair and the Red Arrows.Built during the 1930s, the station was opened in 1938 and closed in 1994...
.
The airfield consisted of two Sommerfeld Tracking
Sommerfeld Tracking
Sommerfeld Tracking, named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld, then living in England, was a lightweight wire mesh type of prefabricated airfield surface. First put into use by the British in 1941, it was a wire netting stiffened laterally by steel rods...
runways, a concrete perimeter track, 1 T1 building and 8 Blister Hangars. Most of this infrastructure was added in 1942. Some of the original buildings remain in situ though the site has been returned to agricultural use. The control tower has been preserved.
A memorial at the church in Windrush village describes Sgt Pilot Bruce Hancock RAFVR who died on 18th August 1940 when downing a German Heinkel bomber by ramming it with his unarmed training Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
aircraft.
Following closure in 1945 the airfield remained active with a local flying club and for parachuting until 1997.