The site spans three parishes: the hangars and grassland in the north and west lie in Hullavington parish, while other hangars, most of the runways and the northern part of the barracks are in
St Paul Malmesbury Without. The rest of the barracks are in
Stanton St Quintin parish and are near the small village of Lower Stanton St Quintin and the
A429 Chippenham-
Malmesbury road. The airfield was opened on 14 June 1937 with No 9 Flying Training School arriving from
RAF Thornaby on 10 July.
Leonard Cheshire V.C. trained here in 1939. With the beginning of the
Second World War, top officers from allied nations came to Hullavington to share ideas and methods. Ten
Blenheims from No 114 Squadron arrived at the base on 1 September 1939, and were later joined by seven from No 139 Squadron. This was a safety move as a sustained attack was expected at the East Anglian bomber bases on the announcement of war. As this didn't happen, all the Blenheims departed Hullavington by 16 September 1939. An effective Met. Office was also stationed at Hullavington, and an aircraft left every day at dawn to gather weather data at various altitudes. In 1970, RAF Hullavington hosted the World Aerobatic Championships. In 1992, the entire airfield was designated a
conservation area. English Heritage (now
Historic England) later stated that "It embodies, to a unique degree, the improved architectural quality associated with the post-1934 expansion of the RAF. Most of the original buildings have survived and form a particularly coherent and well-ordered ensemble."
Grade II listed buildings include the officers' mess and the church. In 1993, a Senior Aircraftman was convicted of arson and sent to jail for 5 years and his accomplice received a fine of £1000. The hangar was the location of all the parachutes for the armed services, and the damage and loss of stock affected morale at the base.
Units posted to the station The station has performed many roles, summarised with dates below.
Royal Air Force • No. 9 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit RAF between June 1937 and July 1942. •
No. 9 Maintenance Unit RAF between 8 July 1938 and 31 December 1959 (renamed No. 10 MU during February 1939) and used multiple aircraft types. • No. 88 Gliding School disbanded here during May 1948. •
No. 114 Squadron RAF was reformed here on 20 November 1958 with the
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 and stayed until 15 December 1958 when the squadron moved to
RAF Nicosia. •
No. 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) between 1993 and 2015, when it transferred to
RAF Little Rissington. • No. 625
Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) between 1992 and 2013. • No. 1532 BAT Flight.
Royal Air Force Regiment • No. 5 Wing
RAF Regiment between 1982 and 1990. •
No. II Squadron RAF Regiment between 1981 and 1996. •
No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment from 1983 until RAF Hullavington was closed to the RAF in 1996.
Air Transport Auxiliary • No. 8 Ferry Pilot Pool between November 1940 and March 1941. • No. 1427 (Ferry Training) Flight between 18 May and 5 September 1942.
Defence Codification Data Centre The Defence Codification Data Centre (DCDC) lodged in a purpose-built computer suite at RAF Hullavington from its establishment in 1966 until its dispersal to Glasgow in 1986, where it merged with its parent body, the Defence Codification Authority. ==Closure and post RAF use==