RAF Weston-on-the-Green
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What can be found :
The whole airfield is intact and can be viewed safely without needing to enter the site. Three good places are the south and north side and also a lay-by on the
B430. There are many WW2 buildings extant, a nice T2 hangar several Temporary (TB) Brick huts, a perimeter track, the sites north side and south side where at least one Blister hangar was placed and flight offices. WW1 there is what I feel is a Main Store and an Officers Mess building. There maybe more to find.
What was there :
Opened - 1918.
6 x GS sheds (General Service).
1 x ARS (Aircraft Repair Shed).
2 x Aeroplane stores.
61 TS, 70 TS, 28 TDS, 2 Squadron, 18 Squadron. (TS - Training Squadron, TDS - Training Depot Station.)
WW2 -
2 x 12bay
Bessonneau hangars.
1 x T2 hangar.
4 x Double 69´ Blister hangars.
6 x Single 69´ Blister hangars.
697 x Officers, SNCO´s & O.R., SNCO´s & O.R´s.
134 x WAAF´s.
By 1921 the camp went very quite and became a satellite to RAF Brize Norton and by WW2 it became training station for new pilots. Later it was found that pilots could be trained in the US, Canada, Southern Africa and it went over to glider and parachute training. It is still in RAF service and used as a DZ for Joint Services Parachute Centre. Used as flying training,
GS shed.
Double GS shed RAF Old Sarum.
The layout of a standard RFC/RAF air station would look with six GS sheds and 1 ARS shed and a mix of offices, class room’s, etc.
Over Blister hangar.
Over Blister hangar.
Possible WW1 Main Store.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
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RAF Weston-on-the-Green
20 March 1951
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A 1951 air photo of the complete airfield.
Tiger Moth and trainee pilot.
Tiger Moth.
Trainees and instructor.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
20 March 1951
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Inside is the airfield site where all the work was carried out. Outside the accommodation and stores site.
The two round shapes on the south side are hard stands for barrage balloons used for parachuting. Balloons were used as a way of getting a parachutist through his/her course quite quickly and cheaply. You only need to fill with a stick of parachutists, raise, drop them, lower and start all over again.
Parachuting from a balloon.
Barrage Balloon and its winch lorry.
Lowering and raising balloons.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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South side a crash gate on to the airfield where a large concrete hard stand for a Blister hangar and a flight hut for training aircraft to work from.
Plan.
Blister hangar with a Spitfire outside.
Blister hangar with curtains. Heavy canvas curtains shut off the front and rear of the hangar.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Site of the Blister hangar.
Blister hangar and flight hut.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Hold fast and pins to hold the door curtains down for the hangar.
Curtain rail at another site..
Construction of a Blister hangar.
Frame work of a Blister hangar.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Left side is an Anson then several Hawker Hart/Hind type glider tugs.
On the right about eleven Hotspur training gliders.
In the far distance you can just see another Blister hangar.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Hotspur training glider landing.
Whitley glider tug landing.
Hotspur´s.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Flight office base.
Plan
Flight hut at RAF Biggin Hill.
Flight office inside.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Perimeter track looking west.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Perimeter looking east. This is a standard perimeter track for fighter and training stations and not used for moving aircraft around unlike the 50ft perimeter tracks on bomber and bomber training stations.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Airfield site.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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T2 hangar. As WW2 started hangars were called the old name of Sheds. With an American influence and a modernising of names the word hangar (French) became used.
T2.
T2 under construction.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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This T2 hangar has been split between an aircraft hangar for their parachute plane and the other end a parachute training area where the teaching of packing and using parachutes.
Plan of this T2 hangar.
Parachute packing.
WW2 training of the use of parachuting.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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This very odd designed domed building is the new control tower for the airfield. I am presuming the dome is so there is a 360° horizontal view and a full view of the skies above to watch for parachutes.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green watch office.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green watch office.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Another view of the control tower and the NFE (Night Flying Equipment) store. This store would be full of night time landing aids, as there was usually no electricity on the flying area, lights were needed to show the wind direction when landing at night and also a line of Goose necked flares to make up runway lights.
Details2
Goose necked flair.
Floodlight and trailer.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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A standard TB hut could have originally been a class room for pilot training.
TB design.
TB design with brick piers. .
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Airfield site from the lay-by.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Another double aspect TB hut, this may have been the operations hut where operations would be planned and pilots and crews briefed.
Operations in a hut.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Double aspect TB hut.
How the hut would have looked inside with steel joists used in the roof.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
03 March 2013
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Double aspect TB hut.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Main entrance.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green.
No1 Parachute Training School.
Prohibitions.
Skydive Weston.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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The old road barrier.
Road barrier.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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An interesting hut it is a Hall Hut.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Hall Hut.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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This picture was taken inside a Hall hut at RAF Weston-on-the-Green and has the same dimensions and roof joists that the earlier hut has so maybe the same hut??
Hall Hut as a crew room..
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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The large TB hut.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Emergency Water Supply (EWS) in case of fire.
Static Water Tank about 60,000gal 511/41.
Plan.
RAF Fire tender.
Small RAF Fire tender.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Ready Use Pyrotechnic Store 2647/37.
To store any flairs etc. that have to be removed from planes being repaired in the hangar.
Flairs.
1941 British No3 mk1 Very light.
Ready Use Pyrotechnic Store 2847/37.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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T2 hangar.
Plan of this hangar.
T2 structure.
The way to recognise a T2 hangar is the tell tail upper door runners.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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T2 hangar. The rear side has been sealed up and used to train parachutists.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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The second entrance. Most military establishments had two entrances.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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The view from the north.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Oxford Gliding Club´s new hangar.
Plan.
Air-Britain collection.
Oxford Gliding Club.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Back to the B430 looking due south and on the right is what I feel is the WW1 RFC/RAF Officers Mess.
Royal Flying Corps.
RAF Badge.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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The Officers Mess would be accommodation, rest room and Mess. Each Officer would have either a room to himself or share with one other. They would have a servant to polish boots, clean his brass and wake him in the morning with a cup of tea. A different world.
Plan of the Officers Mess.
RFC Officer.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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The Officers Mess.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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WW2 parachute training over the camp, the Officers mess and the T2 hangar show up very well. Several Romney Huts.
Control tower/watch office in front of the hangar.
A landing paratrooper.
Romney Hut.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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I think this is the WW1 Main Store. It has innumerable rooms, large sliding doors all around the side and rear.
.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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WW1 Main Store front view.
Plan.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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WW1 Main Store looks like the offices.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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WW1 Main Store the side.
Plan of the main store.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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WW1 Main Store the rear.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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Force Development Training Centre.
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
25 April 2010
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