Second World War s were used by squadrons
101 and
114, both based at RAF West Raynham during the Second World War. night fighters were based at RAF West Raynham from 1943. Built between 1938 and 1939, RAF West Raynham was an expansion scheme airfield. The grass landing area was aligned roughly north-east to south-west. The main camp, with housing and headquarters, was located immediately west of the landing area. To the south-east were bomb stores. The airfield was originally equipped with a Watch Office with Tower (Fort Type), of pattern 207/36 (made from concrete), although the original control room was later removed and new larger control room built to pattern 4698/43. The newer VHB type control tower was a post war addition.
101 Squadron – a detachment of
Bristol Blenheim which was part of
2 Group – were moved to West Raynham in May 1939. The only squadron based at RAF West Raynham, 101 Squadron were held in reserve by 2 Group until they were used as
target tugs in February 1940. In 1940, RAF West Raynham also acted as a temporary base for
18 and
139 squadrons after they suffered losses in the
Blitzkrieg. A second support airfield,
RAF Sculthorpe, was built to the north. On 4 July 1940, 101 Squadron saw action for the first time. Individual aircraft attacked oil tanks in German ports. This went on for over a year, and during this time the squadron lost 15 Blenheims across 610 missions. No. 101 Squadron was transferred to
3 Group and consequently left West Raynham. They were replaced at West Raynham by
114 Squadron, another detachment of Blenheims. They were stationed at West Rayham for over a year before they were despatched to North Africa as part of "
Operation Torch". The squadron converted to Blenheim Mk Vs in August 1942, in preparation for combat in Africa.
No. 18 Squadron also went to RAF West Raynham to be refitted with Mk Vs. At this time, squadrons
180 and
342 were formed at West Raynham. 180 Squadron was equipped with
North American B-25 Mitchells and based at RAF Great Massingham which was associated with RAF West Raynham. 342 Squadron was provided with
Douglas Bostons crewed by Frenchmen in early 1943, and was later relocated to RAF Sculthorpe. In December 1943, the station was taken over by
100 Group, who brought
141 and
239 squadrons to RAF West Raynham. They were equipped with
de Havilland Mosquito, fighter aircraft which provided support to bomber sorties in enemy air space. They were based at West Raynham until the end of the war; their duties involved flying
Serrate patrols and "Ranger sorties" (seek and destroy enemy fighters in the air and on the ground). During the war, squadrons stationed at RAF West Raynham lost 56 Blenheims, 29 Mosquitos, and a
Bristol Beaufighter. In 1964 a tripartite squadron, comprising members of the
British,
American and
German armed forces, was formed at West Raynham to evaluate the
Hawker P.1127 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) strike fighter aircraft. In 1964, the East side of the airfield was developed as a SAM site, equipped with the
Bristol Bloodhound Mk2 and its associated radars. The resident unit was
No. 41 Squadron RAF. Some of the radars, launch control units, and launchers were air portable for deployment elsewhere if required. Between 28 and 31 March 1967 Hawker Hunters from West Raynham were involved in Operation Mop Up. This operation saw repeated attacks by Hunters from Raynham and
RAF Chivenor, along with aircraft of the
Fleet Air Arm, dropping aviation fuel and
napalm on an oil slick being released from the wreck of the
supertanker which had run aground on
Seven Stones reef, near
Lands End. On 9 June 1967 a
Handley Page Hastings C2, registration WD491, was written off at Raynham when a tyre burst during landing. In 1968 a Hunter from RAF West Raynham was used by Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock, a flight commander in
No. 1 Squadron RAF, to unofficially mark the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force. This event is commonly referred to as the
Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident. On 19 December 1975,
85 Squadron, which had been stationed at the base flying the Gloster Javelin and Gloster Meteor in the early 1960s, made their headquarters at West Raynham after being reformed as a
Bristol Bloodhound Mark II
surface-to-air missile unit. 85 Squadron remained at West Raynham until it was disbanded on 10 July 1991, with the Standard bearing the squadrons battle honours placed in the safe keeping of
Ely Cathedral. In 1963, 1971, 1980, 1981 and 1982, RAF West Raynham was the location of the
Royal Observer Corps annual summer training camps for eight weeks when up to 500 observers attended each week for technical training sessions. Other ranks were accommodated in spare barrack blocks and officers in the officers' mess. In 1980 the start of the camps coincided with a no notice station three-day Tactical Evaluation (TACEVAL) inspection by
RAF Strike Command and much consternation was caused when a full-time ROC officer arrived at the main gate in a car loaded with radioactive sources needed for an ROC training session. With the arrival obviously not expected by the TACEVAL directing staff the vehicle was placed under armed guard and the ROC officer bundled into the station guardroom where he remained locked up for several hours until the senior ROC officer was located to vouch for him.
Closure and redevelopment In 1994, RAF West Raynham was shut down by the Ministry of Defence. The airfield and technical site remained the property of the MoD but the site was disused and its houses left empty and falling into disrepair. In 2002
Norman Lamb,
Member of Parliament for
North Norfolk, labelled the situation a "scandal" as at the time there was a shortage of affordable housing in the region. Though empty, the MoD had retained RAF West Raynham as a strategic reserve, however in 2004 it was decided that the base would play no future role in the defence of the country. Lamb campaigned for the houses to be turned over for civilian use, and it was announced in October 2004 that 170 homes at RAF West Raynham would be sold. In December 2005 it was announced that the whole site would be sold by tender. The site was purchased from Defence Estates by Roger Byron-Collins' company the Welbeck Estate Group on 7th April 2006, then resold it on 25th July 2008, as they had been unable to install the necessary infrastructure as was standard procedure with their previous MOD acquisitions including nearby RAF Sculthorpe. It was sold to Tamarix Investments; they planned to build new homes on the site and a hotel, as well as renovate the standing houses. The plans included turning the site into an eco-village, with a
biomass generator to supply power. The 170 houses at RAF West Raynham will be repaired and 40 more homes added to the site. In 2008, planning permission was granted for the construction of 58 properties and for the conversion of the hangars into twenty loft style holiday
apartments. A Large part of the remaining hard standing and hangars 3 and 4 have been purchased by Norfolk Oak, previously from Anmer Hall. ==Heritage==