First World War The aerodrome was founded in 1917 for use by the
Royal Flying Corps as a training base. In August 1918 it was sold to the US Government and turned over to the
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps (USSC) as a training ground for US-built
Handley-Page O/400 biplane bombers, although almost none were completed by the time of the
Armistice. The Aviation Section of the
American Expeditionary Forces (ASAEF) agreed to improve the airfield and constructed further hangars. Additional units:
Interwar years Responsibility for the
Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) passed from the
War Department to the
Air Ministry, and Tangmere, in its finished state, was one of the first airfields to be re-activated. By the end of 1923 it was re-purchased by the Crown and in 1925 the station re-opened to serve the RAF's new fighter capability. They were joined by a nucleus of officers from
1 Squadron and a friendly rivalry grew up between the two squadrons., The first, and worst, enemy raid on the station came on 16 August 1940 when hundreds of
Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka)
dive bombers and fighters crossed the English coast and attacked Tangmere. There was extensive damage to buildings and aircraft on the ground and 14 ground staff and six civilians were killed. However the station was kept in service and brought back into full operation. Throughout the war, the station was used by the
Royal Air Force Special Duty Service when
161 (Special Duty) Squadron's Westland Lysander flight came down to do their insertion and pick-up operations into occupied Europe. The
SOE used Tangmere Cottage, opposite the main entrance to the base to house and receive their agents. Johnson went on to become the highest scoring
Western Allied fighter ace against the Luftwaffe. For
D-Day, the RAF created Airfield Headquarters units which transformed into wings to control multiple similar squadrons for offensive actions for eventual use in mainland Europe. ; the large tombstone is a memorial to pilots lost at sea. Many of those killed at the base, from both sides in conflict, are buried in the cemetery at
St Andrew's Church, Tangmere, today tended by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission. United American RAF pilot
Billy Fiske who died at Tangmere in 1940 was one of the first American aviators to die during the
Second World War.
Postwar Towards the end of the war, the
Central Fighter Establishment arrived from
RAF Wittering on 27 February 1945 with the station being renamed as
CFE Tangmere. The RAF High Speed Flight was re-formed here on 14 June 1946 and in September 1946, a world air speed record of 616 mph (991 km/h) was set by Group Captain
Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson in a
Gloster Meteor F.4; after his death in 1992, he was buried in St Andrew's Church. In September 1953, Squadron Leader
Neville Duke became holder of the world air speed record when he flew a modified
Hawker Hunter prototype at 727.63 mph (1,170 km/h) – the 50th anniversary of this event was commemorated in 2003. A number of units associated with the CFE also arrived including: •
Day Fighter Leaders School (1945) part of CFE •
Enemy Aircraft Flight RAF (1945) part of CFE •
Fighter Interception Development Squadron RAF (1945) part of CFE •
Night Fighter Development Wing RAF (1945) part of CFE •
Night Fighter Training Squadron RAF (1945) part of CFE •
787 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm (1945) connection to CFE The unit moved to
RAF West Raynham on 1 October 1945, while
No. 85 Squadron RAF arrived on 11 October 1945 with the de Havilland Mosquito XXX. It upgraded to the Mosquito NF.36 from January 1946. The unit deployed to
RAF Lubeck and
RAF Acklington for varying periods of time, until finally leaving Tangmere on 16 April 1947, for
RAF West Malling.
No. 1 Squadron RAF returned on 30 April 1946 from their previous base of
RAF Hutton Cranswick with the Supermarine Spitfire F.21; the unit deployed to Acklington and Lubeck at various times. From October 1946 the Gloster Meteor F.3 was introduced but was replaced by the Harvard T.2b and Oxford T.2 from August 1947, in preparation for conversion to the Meteor F.4 which arrived during June 1948. This was replaced by the F.8 during August 1950 and this in turn was replaced by the Hawker Hunter F.5 in September 1958. The squadron was disbanded on 1 July 1958.
No. 222 (Natal) Squadron RAF arrived on 2 October 1946 from
RAF Weston Zoyland. They were already operating the Meteor F.3 and converted to the newer F.4 during the first few months of 1948, before moving to RAF Lubeck on 1 May 1948. On 1 June 1950, a Gloster Meteor flying eastwards over
Portsmouth reported a UFO at 20,000 ft. It was also seen by the radar at
RAF Wartling, and was described as ''Britain's first flying saucer'', and led to the
Flying Saucer Working Party later that year.
No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF arrived on 16 April 1947 from
RAF Wattisham with the Meteor F.3, replacing No. 85 Squadron RAF. No. 266 Squadron upgraded to the Meteor F.4 from February 1948, with the squadron deploying to Lubeck and Acklington during its stay. 266 was disbanded on 11 February 1949 and renumbered as
No. 43 Squadron RAF The Meteor F.8 was introduced from September 1950 and the squadron moved to
RAF Leuchars on 11 November 1950. On 25 November 1950
No. 29 Squadron RAF arrived from
RAF West Malling with the Mosquito NF.30, converting to the Meteor NF.11 from July 1951. The squadron moved to RAF Acklington on 14 January 1957 where it eventually re-equipped with the
Gloster Javelin FAW.6. On 1 August 1954
No. 34 Squadron RAF was re-formed here with the Meteor F.8, upgrading to the Hunter F.5 from October 1955 before being disbanded on 15 January 1958. On 30 September 1957
No. 25 Squadron RAF arrived from RAF West Malling, flying the Meteor NF.12 & NF.14 until 1 July 1958 when the squadron was disbanded.
No. 164 (Argentine–British) Squadron RAF arrived from
RAF Turnhouse on 25 March 1946 with the Spitfire IX, staying until 26 April 1946 when the squadron moved to
RAF Middle Wallop.
No. 587 Squadron RAF arrived from
RAF Weston Zoyland on 1 June 1946 with the Spitfire XVI, for two weeks before being disbanded.
No. 69 Squadron RAF arrived on 19 April 1947 from
RAF Wahn during a break from West Germany. It used the Mosquito B.16 until 16 May 1947 when it moved back to Wahn. On 1 July 1950
No. 74 (Trinidad) Squadron RAF, with its Meteor F.4s, arrived from
RAF Horsham St Faith, on deployment for 8 days. In the late 1950s flying was reduced to ground radar calibration under RAF Signals Command, upon the arrival of
No. 115 Squadron RAF on 25 August 1958 from
RAF Watton, with the Varsity T.1. The Valetta C.1 was introduced from August 1963 but the squadron moved back to Watton on 1 October 1963.
No. 245 Squadron RAF arrived on 25 August 1958 from Watton. The squadron was equipped with the Canberra B.2 but was disbanded on 19 April 1963, to become No. 98 Squadron.
No. 98 Squadron RAF used the Canberra B.2 until 1 October 1963 when it moved to RAF Watton. Between January and March 1958 a detachment of
No. 208 Squadron RAF operated here, training crews on the new Hunter F.6. The Joint Services Language School moved here and in 1960 the station was granted the "freedom of the City of
Chichester", the event being marked by a march through the town and service in the Cathedral. No. 38 Group
Tactical Communications Wing RAF and 244 Signal Squadron (Air Support) were the last units to leave the base, relocating to
RAF Benson. Some of the last flying units to be based at the station included: Units: In 1963–64 the last flying units left. However the station continued to be used for several years and, in 1968,
Prince Charles took his first flying lesson at Tangmere. The station finally closed on 16 October 1970; a single Spitfire flew over the airfield as the RAF ensign was lowered for the last time. == Present use ==