RAF Zeals
Encyclopedia
RAF Zeals was a wartime Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire
.
The station was sited to the north of the village of Zeals
, next to the village of Stourton
and the Stourhead estate
.
The station was only in operation from 1942 to 1946. In that time it was successively occupied by the Royal Air Force
, the United States Air Force
and the Royal Navy
.
From opening until August 1943 the site was used by the RAF as a base for Hawker Hurricane
and Supermarine Spitfire
fighters.
In August 1943 it was transferred to the United States Army Air Force with the intention of using the airfield for maintenance of C-47 Skytrain
transport aircraft. However, the damp conditions prevented the operation of heavy aircraft so P-47 Thunderbolt
fighters were flown from Zeals instead.
From March 1944, it returned to the RAF who used it as a base for de Havilland Mosquito
fighters against German bombers.
Following D-Day
, the RAF used the airfield for military glider
training in preparation for action against Japan
. In April 1945 the base was taken over by the Royal Navy (as HMS Hummingbird or RNAS Zeals) who used the airfield for aircraft carrier
training.
The site was closed down from January 1946 and in June it was returned to farmland. As of 2006, the control tower, now a private house, remains on Bells Lane in Zeals.
A memorial stands at nearby Beech Knoll in Stourton to mark the site where a Dakota transport plane crashed in February 1945, killing more than twenty people. The aircraft had taken off from Zeals airfield to return to Lincolnshire
after two weeks of glider training and flew into some cloud-covered beech trees on the knoll.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
The station was sited to the north of the village of Zeals
Zeals
Zeals is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is next to the A303 road between Wincanton and Mere, and adjoins the villages of Bourton, Dorset and Penselwood, Somerset....
, next to the village of Stourton
Stourton, Wiltshire
Stourton is a village in Wiltshire, England, at . The village is close to the county boundary with Somerset and about south of the Somerset market town of Frome.Stourton is part of the Stourhead estate, now in the ownership of the National Trust....
and the Stourhead estate
Stourhead
Stourhead is a 2,650 acre estate at the source of the River Stour near Mere, Wiltshire, England. The estate includes a Palladian mansion, the village of Stourton, gardens, farmland, and woodland...
.
The station was only in operation from 1942 to 1946. In that time it was successively occupied by the 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...
, the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
From opening until August 1943 the site was used by the RAF as a base for Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
and Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
fighters.
In August 1943 it was transferred to the United States Army Air Force with the intention of using the airfield for maintenance of C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
transport aircraft. However, the damp conditions prevented the operation of heavy aircraft so P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
fighters were flown from Zeals instead.
From March 1944, it returned to the RAF who used it as a base for de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
fighters against German bombers.
Following D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, the RAF used the airfield for military glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
training in preparation for action against Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In April 1945 the base was taken over by the Royal Navy (as HMS Hummingbird or RNAS Zeals) who used the airfield for aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
training.
The site was closed down from January 1946 and in June it was returned to farmland. As of 2006, the control tower, now a private house, remains on Bells Lane in Zeals.
A memorial stands at nearby Beech Knoll in Stourton to mark the site where a Dakota transport plane crashed in February 1945, killing more than twenty people. The aircraft had taken off from Zeals airfield to return to Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
after two weeks of glider training and flew into some cloud-covered beech trees on the knoll.
Squadrons operating
- No. 66 Squadron RAFNo. 66 Squadron RAFNo. 66 Squadron was a Royal Flying Corps and eventually Royal Air Force aircraft squadron.-In World War I:It was first formed at Filton on 30 June 1916 as a Training Squadron equipped with BE2c,d & e, BE12 and Avroe 504A machines. The squadron received its first Sopwith Pup on 3 February 1917,...
- No. 118 Squadron RAFNo. 118 Squadron RAFFormed at Catterick, North Yorkshire, on 1 January 1918 as a heavy night bomber unit, No. 118 Squadron never saw service in World War I and was disbanded again on 7 September 1918....
- No. 132 Squadron RAFNo. 132 Squadron RAFNo. 132 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
- No. 174 Squadron RAFNo. 174 Squadron RAFNo. 174 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a fighter-bomber unit in World War II.-Formation in World War II:The squadron formed in 2 March 1942 at RAF Manston and equipped with Hurricanes and then rocket armed Typhoons in April 1943. It was involved in attacks on shipping and...
- No. 184 Squadron RAFNo. 184 Squadron RAF-History:No.184 Squadron was formed at RAF Colerne on 1 December 1942, as a fighter bomber unit equipped with the Hawker Hurricane. Initially, Mark IIDs with 40 mm anti-tank cannon were received and the squadron trained with the Army in ground attack practice guns, bombs and rockets, replaced...
- No. 263 Squadron RAFNo. 263 Squadron RAFNo 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...
- No. 286 Squadron RAFNo. 286 Squadron RAFNo. 286 Squadron RAF was a non-operational Second World War Royal Air Force squadron that operated a variety of aircraft to provide targets for anti-aircraft gun practice in the west country of England.-History:...
- No. 410 Squadron RAF
- No. 421 Squadron RAF
- No. 488 Squadron RAF
- No. 604 Squadron RAFNo. 604 Squadron RAFNo. 604 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force notable for its pioneering role the development of radar-controlled night-fighter operations. The squadron was established in March 1930 at RAF Hendon as a day-bombing squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. In July 1934, the squadron...