RAF Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

RAF · Oxfordshire · England · United Kingdom

RAF Chipping Norton

Opened as an RLG (Relief Landing Ground).
15 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) arrived by July 1940 and reequipped with North American Harvard's. 20 Harvard's & 27 Airspeed Oxfords.
By November 1941 Chipping Norton came under 6 SFTS , which changed to 6 (P) AFU. (P standing for 'Pilot'). The airfield closed to flying in 1945 and was disposed of in 1950, thereafter returning to agricultural use. Part of the perimeter track still remains and on our visits 2009, as did the firing range, two M&E plinths, some airfield buildings and two air raid shelters.
6 SFTS started life at RAF Netheravon.

RAF Chipping Norton

5 x Blister hangars.
2 x Bellman hangars.
2 x grass/Sommerfeld Track runways.
Over 1000 RAF personnel and 187 WAAF.

Plan

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Opposite this gate is a very good car park for dog walkers, convenient.

15 February 2009

There would have been a Picket Post here to sign in and out of the camp, also a sort of police post.

Bedford Queen Mary would have come in and out of this gate, with bringing new aircraft and taking away damaged planes..

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site

08 March 2009

A Tilly, these were a great utility vehicles and would have been driving all over the airfield.

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site 32 Man blast shelter.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield Site.
A - Control Tower.
B - Twin Turret trainer.
C - Sub-site 5 (domestic).
D - 5 x Blister hangars (Extra Over type 69ft), the southerly one is an Over Blister 65ft).
E - 2 x Bellman Hangars.
F - 25yd Machine Gun Butts.

Link trainer, designed in America in the 1920's by an organ manufacturer.

Triple Link trainer building plan 4188/42.

Main site where the control tower and most of the class rooms and training rooms. There would have been possibly a triple Link trainer building, to train pilots, night flying skills.

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site
Static water supply.
These were filled with water and a mobile fire pump could be brought up and immediately start pumping water on a fire.

08 March 2009

A concrete static tank at RNAS Charlton Horethorne.

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Unknown object??

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site There were two Romney huts here, one the main store and the other the main workshops.

08 March 2009

Romney hut from Pete Dorward's website, now unfortunately closed down..

WAAF's in the main store dishing out the goods.

Inside a Romney hut at RAF Chilbolton. it to was used as a store..

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Romney huts, tubing supports run over in a half loop and are supported on the foundations with washers screwed to the concrete. Then wooden stringer run the full length and the corrugated sheets are screwed to the wood.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site The site of the two Romney huts.

15 February 2009 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 March 2009

The actual two Romney huts in situ, I managed to save this and few more from a website that no longer exists.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site M&E Plinth.

15 February 2009

Technical Site
M&E Plinth.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site M&E plinth. The soil pipe was used to take electrical cable down underground.

08 March 2009

Entrance where there would have been a steel gate. Single or double whichever was needed.

08 march 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Air raid shelter entrance.

15 February 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 February 2009

Air raid shelter entrance

15 february 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Inside the air raid shelter, unsure of the type, its not a Stanton! Inside with small brick piles to take a bench for sitting on when inside under a sustained bombing attack. The airfield was attacked several times in 1940.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Rubble of some lost building.

15 February 2009 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 February 2009

Rubble of some lost building.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site More brick rubble, a bit of wall.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site A second air raid shelter.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Site of two Bellman hangars.
The Bellman was extensively used just before the war, it was a fully transportable hangar. Meaning it could be assembled and if needed dis-assembled and re built in another airfield. Ideal for a training station, not high or wide enough for heavy bombers. It had one more problem and that was. It was not as strong as it could be in high winds and snow. Although many still remain to this day. Later it was superseded by the T2 hangar.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Technical Site Aircraft servicing/refueling area.
There were two of these areas.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield Site Perimeter track.

08 March 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

25yd Machine gun butte 127/41.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

25yd Machine gun butte 127/41.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield Two grass runways with Sommerfeld tracking overlay, making a very cheap harder surace runway.

15 February 2009

Remains of Sommerfeld tracking at RAF Southrop.

Sommerfeld tracking being used on Omaha Beach.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Petrol Instillation (Aviation) 24,000gal.
It looks like a 15425/40 at RAF Bibury.

15 February 2009

15425/40 which is RAF Bibury with a concrete plinth for the pump..

RAF Chipping Norton

Perimeter track tarmac.

15 February 2009

Water stand pipe.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

More airfield, this would have been buzzing with noisy Harvard's and lumbering Oxfords. The Harvard has a distinctive noise from its propeller blade tips. Like nothing else.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Flying the North American Harvard II (T-6G Texan)

RAF Chipping Norton

M&E plinth.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site The perimeter track to the control tower, or where it was.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Perimeter track.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site A nice aerial view of the airfield,

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Watch Office for Bomber Stations and OTU's 13726/41 built 1941/42. Terry Halford gave me three pictures of the tower many years ago. Thank you Terry.

Terry Halford

The website is now closed but I managed to get to it on WayBackmachine.

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site A few years ago this was a watch office 13726/41. It still has the ladder, I am sure somebody from could put it back together.

15 February 2009

Reinforcement rods showing through.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Side view of the watch office 13726/41.

Terry Halford

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site The course could last approximately 16 weeks. Students began with 8 weeks of intermediate flying sessions. It was followed by advanced training, including night flying training in a flight simulator called the Link trainer.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Double turret instruction building. This is a double turret instructional building 10833/42, page 70, British Airfield Buildings Second World War has one very like it.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Double turret instruction building.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Double turret instruction building

15 February 2009

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site Double turret instruction building. The water tank came from one of the ablutions, latrine or bathhouses.

15 February 2009

Painted blue wall.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Airfield site 1941/2 the whole airfield was up graded with a new watch office, instructional site and dispersed accommodation. The hangars were also added.

15 February 2009

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Site No.5 A temporary brick barrack hut. This site is not on the 2298/50 plan.

15 February 2009

RAF Chipping Norton

Drawing No.2 Chipping Norton.

Plan

RAF Chipping Norton

Communal Site.
150 - Officers Mess - ????/42
151 - Officers Bath House - ???4/42 .
152 - Sergeants Mess - ????/??.
153 - Sergeants Ablutions - ????/??
154 - Dining Hall (for (for 729) - ????/??
155 - Ration Store - ????/??.
156 - NAAFI - ????/??.
157 - Grocery & Local Produce & PO - ????/??.
158 - Airmens Ablutions - ????/??.
159 - Airmens Latrines - ????/??.
160 - Decontamination Centre - 13842/40.
161 - Fuel Compound - 675/41.
162 - Standby Set House - 10883/41.
163 - Airmens Latrine - 10077/42.
164 - 30,000 gal HL Tank 20/41.
165 - Static Tank EWS
166 - Static Tank EWS
167 - Airmens Ablutions & Gas Decontaminations - 649?/42.

The plan is a very bad print from Hendon and this is the best so far I can get out of it.

Works Directorate 2298/50 Air Ministry

Sick Quarters.
190 - Sick Quarters - 11567/42.
191 - Sick Quarters Annexe - 3938/42.

192 - Ambulance Garage & Mortuary - 660/42.

193 - Orderlies Quarters - 2965/42.
194 - Orderlies Abl & Lats Drying room - 9226/41.
230 - Picket Post - 1580/41. — Sick Quarters. 190 - Sick Quarters - 11567/42. 191 - Sick Quarters Annexe - 3938/42. 192 - Ambulance Garage & Mortuary - 660/42. 193 - Orderlies Quarters - 2965/42. 194 - Orderlies Abl & Lats Drying room - 9226/41. 230 - Picket Post - 1580/41.

WAAF Site.
300 - WAAF Off Mess - 3674/2.
301 - Sick Qts - ?
302 - Dinning Room - 12602/41.
304
- Sgts & Airwom - 9278/42.

305 - Sgts A/wmns Lats - 927/42.
306 - Fuel Compound - 9103/41. — WAAF Site. 300 - WAAF Off Mess - 3674/2. 301 - Sick Qts - ? 302 - Dinning Room - 12602/41. 304 - Sgts & Airwom - 9278/42. 305 - Sgts A/wmns Lats - 927/42. 306 - Fuel Compound - 9103/41.

Site1.
200a - Off Qtrs - 668/41.
201a - Off Lats - 669/41.
210a(to)c - Sgt Qtrs
- 668/41.
213a - Sgt Lats - 669/41.
220a(to)e - Amn Barracks -
668/41.
222a - Amn
Lats - 669/41.
230 - Picket Post - 669-41

. — Site1. 200a - Off Qtrs - 668/41. 201a - Off Lats - 669/41. 210a(to)c - Sgt Qtrs - 668/41. 213a - Sgt Lats - 669/41. 220a(to)e - Amn Barracks - 668/41. 222a - Amn Lats - 669/41. 230 - Picket Post - 669-41 .

RAF Chipping Norton

15 February 2009