RAF Chedburgh

RAF Chedburgh
RAF Chedburgh
Chedburgh in England
	RAF Chedburgh Shown within Suffolk
Coordinates	52°10′49″N 000°37′15″E / 52.18028°N 0.62083°E
Type	Satellite station 1942-43; 31 Base Substation 1943-
Code	CU
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command; * No. 3 Group RAF; * No. 7 (T) Group RAF
Site history
Built	1941/42
Built by	John Laing & Son Ltd
In use	September 1942 - October 1952
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	125 metres (410 ft) AMSL
Runways
00/00	Concrete
00/00	Concrete
00/00	Concrete

Royal Air Force Chedburgh or more simply RAF Chedburgh is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. The Bury Road Business Park is now located on the site, a principal enterprise being Yara UK Limited's liquid fertilizer production plant.^[2]

History

Murray Peden, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, recounts in his memoirs^[3] flying on his first attack on Germany, from RAF Chedburgh in September 1943. The target was Hanover. He was a new member of No. 214 Squadron RAF, which was equipped with four-engine Stirlings. He describes the long line of aircraft taxiing "ponderously" along a: "...perimeter track [which] ran within a hundred yards of Chedburgh's pub, before which the locals . . . had assembled for their nightly show." In 2018, the pub building still stood, near the northwest corner of the old airfield.^[4]

The following units were here at some point:^[2]

No. 23 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section of No. 2 Heavy Glider Maintenance Unit (? - March 1944)^[5]
No. 214 Squadron RAF (1942–43)
No. 218 Squadron RAF (1944–45)
No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 620 Squadron RAF (1943)
No. 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF (November 1943 - November 1944)^[6]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c Falconer 2012, p. 63.
^ ^a ^b "Chedburgh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
^ Peden, Murray, "A Thousand Shall Fall," Dundurn (April 1, 2003), p 244
^ Google Earth latitude/longitude of pub: 52°11'15.06"N 0°36'53.39"E ; by 2018, the pub had closed and its future was in doubt. See for example: Michael Steward, "Campaign to Save Village Pub Gains Support," East Anglian Daily Times 23 May 2018 https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/campaign-to-save-village-pub-in-chedburgh-near-bury-st-edmunds-gains-support-1-5530587
^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 191.
^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 100.

Bibliography

Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

[FOOTNOTEFalconer201263-1] Falconer 2012, p. 63.

[ABCT-2] "Chedburgh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 August 2018.

[3] Peden, Murray, "A Thousand Shall Fall," Dundurn (April 1, 2003), p 244

[4] Google Earth latitude/longitude of pub: 52°11'15.06"N 0°36'53.39"E ; by 2018, the pub had closed and its future was in doubt. See for example: Michael Steward, "Campaign to Save Village Pub Gains Support," East Anglian Daily Times 23 May 2018 https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/campaign-to-save-village-pub-in-chedburgh-near-bury-st-edmunds-gains-support-1-5530587

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997191-5] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 191.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997100-6] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 100.

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