RAF Long Newnton, Wiltshire Airfield Site

RAF Long Newnton is located north of the B4014 Malmesbury to Tetbury road.

On the 27 June 2015 I had a very lucky chance of flying from RAF Kemble in a light airplane and we passed over Long Newnton. Three large Solar farms have been placed over most of its surface. But for that it has kept its original shape and can be seen very clearly.

Pillbox defence This was not part of RAF Long Newnton defences but the Green Stop Line.

Brick built hexagonal shape. Inside a blast wall.

Pillbox defence.

Inside with about five embrasures all slightly different and they were not finished properly by the builders. Some still have the wooden shuttering in place. Several have a small well to catch bullet casings in after they have been fired.

Pillbox defence.

Where the Bren may have sat.

Follow the Roman Road south

History :

RAF Long Newnton started life in WW1 as a aerial gunnery range by the RAAF from Minchinhampton.

At the start of WW2 No.11 MU Chilmark used the farm for ammunition storage.

A post war photo showing the landing ground used as storage for RAF Maintenance Unit for redundant bomb storage.

So many bombs and shells were left over and had to be dealt with and first stored on disused airfields. Then sorted and disposed. Many went into the sea in deeps off the Atlantic coast.

It does show the airfield and its buildings very well.

2 Steel Matting (Sommerfeld Tracking) runways.
Accommodation Temporary
1 x T1 hangar.
10 x Blisters hangars 69ft & 65ft type.
RAF Officers x 83, SNCO's x 100, O. R's x 360.
WAAF Officers x 3, O. R's 140.
Parent airfield was RAF Babdown Farm.

Airfield looking south.

History :

After the ammunition had been removed it became a Q site for RAF Kemble. Expecting attacks by the German Luftwaffe on RAF airfields, the Air Ministry implemented a plan for decoy airfields at the onset of World War II. In 1939 designated "Q" sites were secret decoy airfield sites for night use. The decoy "Q" site consisted of adjustable intensity electric night landing lights to simulate from the air a runway flare path as well as other elaborate runway lighting schemes, obstruction lights were also installed to stop RAF aircraft mistakenly landing on the decoy dummy airfield. (Wikipedia)

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

History :

Sept to Nov 1940 it becomes an RLG (Relief Landing Ground) for No.9 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) at RAF Hullavington.

The Link trainer & Edmond's trainer building and housed up to three trainers, they were used as ground training for pilots in the basics of flying and hone their skills of already qualified pilots.

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

The easy way to recognize a Link trainer building is by the side extensions and a boiler room between bay 2 & 3.

History :

1941 and RAF South Cerney started to use the airfield as an RLG for their Airspeed Oxfords.

Link trainer hut.

Inside the hut that would have been segmented to make three rooms and the three Link trainers would have sat in the middle of the room with a desk for the instructor.

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

Link trainer hut.

The three small extensions and the heating room.

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

History:

No.14 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) RAF Lyneham.

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

Original doors. Internal doors to the small extension.

Link Trainer Hut [71] 4188/42.

Boiler house.

The a gap in the hedge to allow aircraft to get from the airfield to the T1 hangar. An air photo dated 1942 shows four Blister hangars built off the airfield but none on the airfield and also the T1 hangar had not at that time, been built. Green lines were painted onto the airfield to look like hedges as camouflage.

The Roman Road.

History :

The last flying unit to use Long Newnton was No.15 (P) AFU ([Pilot] Advanced Flying Unit), RAF Andover.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

Temporary half brick construction and a cement asbestos roof.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

History:

15Fts was the first to use the airfield coming over from RAF Kiddlington, Oxford with Harvard's.

Parachute Store.

The roof had hooks and parachutes could be hauled up to dry and also to let the strings hang down to be untangled. Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

On the side wall are the original chalk boards where the parachute state would be written up.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

Chalk board.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

Chalk board.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42.

Chalk board.

Parachute Store [73] 10825/42 .

Looking out.

Lubricant & Inflammables Store TB (6) 664/41.

Air-Raid Blast Shelter for 50men 2360/41.

Under attack you could get inside by one of two entrances or just run up the grass covered walls and jump in.

The owners farm house and the Control Tower on the right.

Call into the farm for permission to enter.

Perimeter track probably its original width.

MT Shed 2bay (1 with inspection pit) TB (64) 12775/41.

MT Shed 2bay (1 with inspection pit) TB (64) 12775/41.

The doors were originally made of wood.

Instructional Operations Room (68) TB 13432/42.

Control Tower (Watch Office) PB (67) 13726/41 : 15370/41 Doubling up the instructional room could also be used as an operations room.

Instructional Operations Room (68) TB 13432/42.

This hut would have been used a lot at the height of it use, tor plan flying for the next day and then instructional courses.

Instructional Operations Room (68) TB 13432/42.

The paintwork could be original. Either blue/cream or two shades of green.

Control Tower 13726/41

The ground floor at the front was the Watch Office, Met Office, toilets (Officers & Men's), flag store, cable connection room (access from outside).
The first floor at the front, the Control Room, Signals Office.

Control Tower PB (67) 13726/41 : 15370/41.

Watch office at the bottom and Control room above.

Remains of the signal square.

42ft x 42ft, a square where signs could be placed to inform pilots wind direction, runway in use and all sorts of other information.

Control Tower (Watch Office) PB (67) 13726/41 : 15370/41.

How it may have looked.

Control Tower (Watch Office) PB (67) 13726/41 : 15370/41.

Fire Tender & Ambulance shed (70) 5352/42.

Control Tower (Watch Office) PB (67) 13726/41 : 15370/41.

Fire Tender shed (70) 5352/42.

Instructional Operations Room (68) TB 13432/42.

Floodlight Trailer & Tractor Shed (69) 12411/41.

This is a drive through shed with doors either end.

Turret instructional Building (98) TB no number 10833/42.

This un numbered building looks as though its a later Turret Instructional Buildings were based on this design. TB 10833/42 looks very like this one.

Main Workshop (75) R 11279/42.

'R' = Romney Hut.

Continuing on .

All day and probably all night there would have been a stream of bicycles, airmen and WAAF's and the odd officer in a car moving from the dispersed sites to the airfield.

Sewage Site.

A very important place. Set halfway between the airfield and the communal sites.