RAF Portreath

The lower reaches of Cornwall. Portreath was opened in March 1941 as a fighter station. Nine fighter blast pens were placed around the airfield. 8 extra over Blister hangars and 4 Teesside hangars were erected. Later a T2 hangar was added. Spitfires of 152 Sqn then arrived. From October 1941 it became a ferry stop-over for aircraft bound to/from North Africa and the Middle East, as a temporary stop-over for USAAF units, and then as a Coastal Command station.

8 x Blister hangars extra over type. (B). 4 x Teesside hangers. (T). 1 x T2 hangar. 1 x Small Arms Ammunition store. 1 x Main Store. (MS). 1 x Main Workshops). (MW). 6 x Fighter Pens. (FP). 2 x Communal sites. (Officers, Sergeants, Airman's Mess's). 7 x Dispersed accommodation sites. (Dis Sites). 1 x Control Tower. (CT)

1944 Air photo.

Portreath beach looking up the hill with the airfield beyond.

Portreath, south side and military buildings on the hill side.

Picket Post base. Entrance to Small Arms Ammunition store. (SAA).

SAA store.

SAA store.

SAA store. The passageways through the stores used as blast walls. There may have been earth berm's surrounding each building. There is a block of four and another of eight rooms.

SAA store. Inside, quite large rooms.

Looking down the line. These would have been full of .303, 20mm & 30mm cannon ammunition

Danger sign on the wall.

Just off the airfield, now a new housing estate.

Dispersed accommodation.

Dispersed accommodation site. Then and Now.

Yellow square looks like a 10562-42 Sergeants mess.

The eastern gate with a modern Yarnold Sangar pillbox defence and official official signage.

This Picket Post looks lost at the eastern entrance.

Main Camp Southern side

Mosquito FB MK. XVIII NT225 ‘O’ of 248 Sqn. based at RAF Portreath, Cornwall, around D-Day on fighter bomber sweeps over France.

Centre

159 Sqn Liberator Mk. II being re fueled at Salbani, India. On 6 November we flew a Liberator to Lyneham, Wiltshire, in southern England, and stayed there until 20 November at which time we went to Portreath. "At 9.35 p.m. on 21 November 1942 we left for Egypt again. This time it was a direct flight via the Bay of Biscay, over southern France, Sardinia, and Sicily to Egypt. After flying 12 hours, 35 minutes, we landed in Mersa Matruh, west of El Alamein. The next day we flew to Cairo." From "My experiences" RCAF observer AS 'Sam' Bourque. Just another aircraft that passed through Portreath. Before leaving, they would need. Re-fueling, re-arming, checking over, food and accommodation for the crew, food and drink for the flight. A full operations room to help them with planning for the flight, etc.

T2 hangar.

Another Ferry Flight to Gibraltar. “Come on – we’re going on a pub crawl!. He assured me that he had spoken to the Met Office and that there was no chance whatsoever of having a favorable Wind in the morning. So, several of us all went out – on this great big pub crawl, all around Cornwall. Jolly good! Got back to the Mess. We played snooker, and drank pints of Pimms & after a bellyful of Beer! when the Barman couldn’t stay up any longer, he left the Bottle. Instead of having them filled up with lemonade, we were pouring neat Pimm's into our pint mugs! I’ll tell you what, trying to play Snooker – I couldn’t see which ball was which! Nor could anybody else! I thought, well, never mind I’ll have all day tomorrow to recover. So I went and found my Tent, got into Bed, and got called the next morning. I thought, right, I’ll slip along to briefing, and be back here in about 15-mins. Then I’ll see what I can do about getting rid of the most diabolical Hangover ; the worst I’ve ever had. So I went along to briefing and, of course, you can guess what’s coming! The Met Officer said, “Good news chaps – the Wind’s just right – you’re off!”. I thought, Oh God, I could only just stand! " Wing Commander TG 'Jeff' Jefferson, DSO AFC AE. Blenheim needed an extra fuel tank of 100gal in the bomb bay and a 30MPH wind on your quarter.

Type 101 Radar inside a dome. Portreath now is equipped with BAE Systems’ AR-327 Commander S-band (2.3-2.5/2.7-3.7GHz) ground-based air surveillance radar, which also has a circa 250nm range. .

Illogan Parish Church. In the village of Illogan is the parish church where a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery is situated. Most of the graves are from airman who died whilst flying from RAF Portreath.

Illogan Parish Church.

Illogan Parish Church. Flight Sergeant Stanislav HALAMA (788017) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 310 (Czechoslovak) Sqn., who died on 12 April 1942 He died during a combat training exercise using on-board cine cameras with six other 310 Squadron Spitfires near Perranporth.

Illogan Parish Church. Just a Lovely Stone