RAF Bibury RLG

All the dispersed sites were on the left now in woodland, in fact one wood is named after the cinema? which was actually the WAAF site.

There were :
4 - double Blister hangars.
1 - Single Blister hangar.
1 - T1 Hangar.

1 T1 & 2 Blister remain.

The first building you see on the airfield itself is a picket post. The track leads onto the airfield.
230 - Picket Post - TB - 34544/41.


History : Bibury was selected as a landing ground in April 1939. This was for 3 Service Flying Training School. By 1940 3 SFTS moved in and night flying was carried out. In the daytime 2 SFTS still used Bibury as a RLG for aircraft from

The first building you see on the airfield itself is this picket post. The track leads onto the airfield.
230 Picket Post - TB - 158?/42.

History : change again in August 1940 when A Flight 87 Sqn RAF arrived from RAF Exeter with Hurricane's. They were replaced by the middle of August with 92 Sqn Spitfires. This moving of fighter units in and out continued for some time.

A lovely little building in the sunlight.
230 Picket Post - TB - 158?/42.

Inside and the concrete sink supports still there on the floor.
230 Picket Post - TB - 158?/42.

230 Picket Post - TB - 158?/42.

230 Picket Post - TB - 158?/42.

B.A.T. Site & Sub-Site 2.

B.A.T. Site
Beam Approach Training flight.
To train aircrew how to land safely in poor weather using a standard radio beam approach system. Pilots followed two audio signals (dots and dashes) to "ride the beam" along the runway centre line. Primarily twin-engined Airspeed Oxford trainers, often painted with distinctive yellow triangles on the fuselage to warn other aircraft to keep clear while the student flew under a hooded cockpit.
No.1539 B.A.T. Flight.

116 - Administrative Office Workshop & Signals - S - BY343.
117 - Crew Instructional Hut - S - BY343.

Sub-Site 2.
131 - Flight Office, Rest & Locker Room - S (Special)? - 2/3.
132 - Drying Room - TB - 9272/42.
133 - Ground Staff, Stores, Servicing Sqn Office -S - 9977/42.
134 - Technical Latrine RAF - TB - 9026/41.
135 - Ground Staff, Stores, Servicing Sqn Office -S - ??????/42
230 Picket Post - TB - 158?/42.

TB - Temporary Brick.
S - Seco.

From https://masterbombercraig.wordpress.com/raf-volunteer-reserve-40-41/raf-volunteer-reserve-1940/ showing how the Beam Approach worked.

Second entrance to B.A.T. Site now covered in trees.

116 - Administrative Office Workshop & Signals - S - BY343.
A rather long hut that would have been sectioned off with many rooms.

This MkIII plan is for Emergency Temporary Bungalow and the MkI & MkII were very similar. So if the RAF wanted a building, they would ask Seco for a MkI plan No. BY343 in the length they wanted. A lorry would arrive with all the panels needed and could be built over the concrete base.

The opposite side of the road from the T1 hangar.

In the woods to the right, is the MT section.

Technical Site.
1 - Station HQ Offices - L - 3438/41.
2 - Guard & Fire Party House - L 3435/41.
8 - Officers, Sergeants & Airmen's Ablutions - TB - 1033/41:1683/41.
11 - Fuel Compound.
15 - Armoury - TB - 10080/42&3439/41
17 - Technical Latrine - TB - 3454/41.
19 - Petrol Instillation (MT) 1,000Gal - 489/41.
20 - Bulk Oil Compound (2No. 500gal tanks) - 2634/41.
21 - MT Stnding.
25 - Crew Lecture Room - L - 3455/41.
25a - AMDW Store Room.
26 - Service Sqn Office - L -10080/42.
37 - Officers Latrines - TB.
41 - Works Service Hut - N - 7393/41.
42 - Speech Broadcasting Building - PB - 10786/41.
101 - Gas Clothing & Respirator Store - TB - 12409/41.
102 - Technical Latrine - TB - 9026/41.
105 - MT Shed 3No. Bays - TB - 12775/41.
106 - MT Offices - S.
111 Parachute Stores - TB - 10825/41.
112m - Link Trainer 2No. - TB - 4188/42.
113 - Gas Chamber - TB - 12411/41.
118 - Flight Office - S.
4 x Blast Shelers.
3 x Stanton type Air-Rad Shelters.
1 x EWT 20,000gal.

AMWD - Air Ministry Works Department.
EWT - Emergency Water Tank.
L - Laing.
PB - Permanent Brick.
N - Nissen.

Left:
2 - Guard & Fire Party House - L 3435/41.
111 - Parachute Stores - TB - 10825/41.
Right:
1 - Station HQ Offices - L - 3438/41.
MT shed in the distance.

105 - MT Shed 3No. Bays - TB - 12775/41.
One bay has a servicing inspection pit.

History : November 1943 Bibury was made a full satellite airfield. By November 1944 all flying ceased and the station was taken over by 7 MU who used it until 1945 and then it was closed.

105 - MT Shed 3No. Bays - TB - 12775/41.
Servicing inspection pit.

105 - MT Shed 3No. Bays - TB - 12775/41.
I have walked all the woodland here and found nothing, there were many buildings about 40 from lecture rooms, station HQ, main store, parachute store, etc.

The roadway running through the tree, you can see the curb stone edges.

This could be, 42 - Speech Broadcasting Building - PB - 10786/41. Although Speech Broadcast Buildings are usually well defined with blast wall protection?

This could be, 42 - Speech Broadcasting Building - PB - 10786/41. Although Speech Broadcast Buildings are usually well defined with blast wall protection? This would have had a double door and it may have been a slatted type.

This could be, 42 - Speech Broadcasting Building - PB - 10786/41. Although Speech Broadcast Buildings are usually well defined with blast wall protection?

Inside electrical insulators and fittings on the wall., if it is the Speech Broadcasting Building, then it would be connected to most of the buildings in and around the airfield. Where the HQ offices could keep in contact.

They don't grow Cannabis up here only Nettles.

Instructional Site.
3to6 - Defence Unit Barrack hut for 22men & NCO's - L - 3453/41.
7 - Officers, Sergeants & Airmen's Ablutions - TB - 1033/41:1683/41.
9&10 - Airmen's Latrines& Drying Roo, - TB - 1033/41:1683/41.
27 - Defence Unit Officers Quarters - L - 3455/41.
28 - Latrines - TB - 3455/41.
140 - Intelligence Library - S - 3915/42.
141 - Recognition & Gun Assessment Rook - S - 3915/42.
142 - Photographic Block - S - 4781/42.
143 - Hunt Recognition Range - 661/42.
146 - Armament Lecture Room - S - 9377/42.
147 - Armament Instruction Office - By13.
148 - AM Bombing Teacher 1No. - PB - 6301/42.
150 - Senior Navigation Instructors Office - S - 9977/42.
153 - Instrument Store - Navigation - S - By13.
154 - PR Instructor RT Trainer & Morse Lecture Rm. - TB - 9979/42.
155 - Technical Latrine - TB - 9026-42.

2 x Air-Raid Shelters.
1 - Sceptic Tank.

Possibly 6 or 7.
3to6 - Defence Unit Barrack hut for 22men & NCO's - L - 3453/41.
7 - Officers, Sergeants & Airmen's Ablutions - TB - 1033/41:1683/41.
The steel roof trusses were still there.

Asbestos roof sheets.

Roof vents.

148 - AM Bombing Teacher 1No. - PB - 6301/42.
This is how an AM Bombing Teacher 1No. - PB - 6301/42 looked.
This one was used by Americans.

WAAF Site.
230 - Picket Post (Type B) - TB - 1580/42.
352 - Sgts & Airwomen's Decontamination - TB - 9278/42.
353 - Sgts & Airwomen's Abl & Lats .
354ato355d - Women's Barracks - S.
356 - Fuel Compound 72'x54' - 9108/41.
350 - Officers Mess & Quarters for 3 - H.

H - Handcraft.

Entrance into the WAAF Site.
230 - Picket Post (Type B) - TB - 1580/42 to the right of the track in.

Technical Site.
13 - Watch Office (Disused) - TB - 10078/41&3435/41.
30 - Rest Room - Nissen - 3454/41.
38 - 'A' Flight Office - N - 3454/41.
39 - 'B' Flight Office - N - 3454/41.
47 - Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.
48 - Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.
100 - Aircraft Shed T1 14bay - Steel - 9659/4?.
107 - Control Tower Watch Office - PB - 13728/41.
109 - F.L. Trailer & Tractor Shed - TB - 12411/41.
110 - Fire Tender Shed - TB - 5352/42.
114 - Main Workshop - R - 11278/42.
115 - Main Store - R - 11279/42.
118 - Flight Office - S.

114 - Main Workshop - R - 11278/42.
Two pictures of the Main Workshops, left as it is and right as it may have looked. A large Romney hut with two end opening doors.

115 - Main Store - R - 11279/42 on this side.

100 - Aircraft Shed T1 14bay - Steel - 9659/4?.
9659/4? the /4? was the date of the design and on the site plan I cannot read the last number, it could be 41 or 42.
T1 is a smaller version of the T2 designed by the Tees Side Bridge and Engineering Works, Middlesbrough. The T1 hangar was lower and had 3/4 size doors to the T1.

100 - Aircraft Shed T1 14bay - Steel - 9659/4?.
Showing the roof structure.

48 - Double Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.
There are two Double Over Blister hangars here still in use. This is the farmers with grain storage and farm equipment.

48 - Double Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.
It would be open both ends and instead of doors, two large canvas curtains were used and the fitted to a steel tube runner that went all the way over the arch.48 - Double

48 - Double Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.

48 - Double Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.
The fittings for a curtain rail.

The floor area here has been tiled over with clay Danger Electric tiles. These were used to cover cables that ran from building to building and can be fund on most airfields.

Blister hangar plan and in yellow where the curtains went.

Perimeter track is not a full circle but about half the N & N/W side. Here by the hangars its quite wide where small scale servicing and refuelling would take place.

On the left the airfield and to the right the sites of the Control Tower and older (disused) Watch office.

Left:
A 13726/41 type that may have looked like the tower here.

Right:
A 17658/40 & 177655/40 early fighter satellite watch office.

47 - Blister Hangar (Over Type) - 12532/41.
The second double Blister hangar.

This hangar is now a motor emporium.
The Classic Motor Hub.

Sub Site 1

18 - Petrol Instillation (Aviation) 24,000gals - 15425/40.
29 - Locker & Drying Room - N - 3454/41.
31 - Servicing Squadron Office - N - 3454/41.
32 - Ground Staff Room - N - 3454/41.
33 - Barrack Hut - L - 3454/41.
34 - Airmen's Latrines - TB - 3454/41.
40 - Barrack Hut - L - 3454/41
48 - Blister Hangar - 12532/41.
48 - Double Blister Hangar - 12532/41.
122 - MG Range 25yds 2 points - TB - 147/41
123 - Technical Latrines RAF - 9026/41.

The airfield was all grass and instead of laying out concrete runways, Sommerfeld matting was laid.

Perimeter track to theSub Site 1.

The second servicing platform where aircraft could pull over on and change pilot & instructor and the ground crew could check/service the aircraft, re fuel for a new crew to continue training. The training regime was usually, one flight flew in the mornings and the other flight used the class rooms and in the afternoon, they changed around.

18 - Petrol Instillation (Aviation) 24,000gals - 15425/40.
Underground would be a large tank, in the pump house was a pump and gauges to see how much fuel was being used.

Elevation of 15425/40 pump house.

18 - Petrol Instillation (Aviation) 24,000gals - 15425/40.
Inside.

122 - MG Range 25yds 2 points - TB - 147/41.
The wall is still there and with its sand, the covered firing points have been removed.

122 - MG Range 25yds 2 points - TB - 147/41.
All airmen were trained to shoot a .303 Lee Enfield rifle so they could be well trained for airfield defence if they were needed. Also the aircraft machine guns as in turret guns, could be tested out of the planes.

I believe this is an above ground air-raid shelter not on the plan.
32 - Ground Staff Room - N - 3454/41.
33 - Barrack Hut - L - 3454/41.
34 - Airmen's Latrines - TB - 3454/41.
40 - Barrack Hut - L - 3454/41.

N - Nissen.
L - Laing.

I believe this is an above ground air-raid shelter not on the plan.
Totally empty inside.

Bases of:
32 - Ground Staff Room - N - 3454/41.
33 - Barrack Hut - L - 3454/41.
34 - Airmen's Latrines - TB - 3454/41.
40 - Barrack Hut - L - 3454/41.

Hurricanes of 87 Squadron and the Spitfires of 92 Squadron, both of which used the airfield at RAF Bibury for periods during the battle. of 87 Squadron and the Spitfires of 92 Squadron, both of which used the airfield at RAF Bibury for periods during the battle and on at least one day the Germans hit back.
The Hurricanes of 87 Squadron were replaced by a detachment of Spitfires from Wales in August 1940. Just two hours after they had arrived a German bomb was dropped killing an airman and destroying one of the aircraft.

A delayed action bomb explodes near what was then the dispersal of 92 Squadron’s ‘A’ Flight on 19 August 1940. (Martin Mace).

Here are two Nissen huts, I am unsure exactly where this was taken
29 - Locker & Drying Room - N.
30 - Rest Room - N.

Captured in the picture as well as the explosion is this Brockhouse fuel bowser trainer.

There is a book about this incident Dilip Sarkar MBE.

That rounds off the airfield site at RAF Bibury.