Starveall Farm, Oxfordshire SLG

RAF · Oxfordshire · England · United Kingdom

Starveall Farm SLG

Starveall Farm a Satellite Landing Ground (SLG) set in lovely Oxfordshire countryside. Situated south of RAF Enstone. Starvale Farm No.1 Satellite Landing Ground came under RAF Colerne 39 MU.

Starveall Farm SLG

The entrance into Starveall Farm with the hangar behind the farm buildings.

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15 February 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

1 x Super Robins hangar. 1 x cannon stop Cannon stop butts. Several Orlit huts, pre stressed concrete construction.

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Starveall Farm SLG

Technical area
Starveall Farm was established because the Spitfires that were being repaired at number 1 Civilian Repair Unit (CRU) at Cowley (Morris motors) Could not be fitted with guns or radios, so they flew the 10 miles to Starveall farm, an RAF unit, where they fitted guns, aligned them in the gun butts and radios, before sending them off to squadron.

Following the outbreak of World War II, on 11 September 1939 the No.1 Civilian Repair Unit (CRU) was established at the Cowley works of Morris Motors, to be staffed by civilians under the management of the Air Ministry. On 6 October 1939, Sir Kingsley Wood (the Secretary of State for Air) officially appointed William Morris (Lord Nuffield) as Director General (Maintenance), to organise and manage the Civilian Repair Organisation (CRO), to control the CRU and participating civilian firms. (Wiki).

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Super Robins Hangar These hangars were used at Aircraft Service Units ASU's at dispersed storage and here at SLG MU, they were double length and used for preparation & servicing prior to delivery.

15 February 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Landing ground

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Orlit hut We found the remains of two groups of two Orlit huts here. I think these were the storage buildings for the site and not a barrack site.

15 February 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Orlit Hut There are two types of Orlit hutting, this one with a flat concrete roof (very rare) or a pitched roof of reinforced concrete . This one has two rooms, windows fitted into the wall panels, one single & one double door, concrete panels on outside walls and hollow brick tiles inside. There is also a concrete shelf on both sides of the internal adjoining wall.

15 February 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Orlit Hut Original paint on the wall These may have been administrative huts. Note the green painted shelf.

15 February 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Orlit Hut These may have been administrative huts. Note the green painted shelf.

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Orlit Hut This one just has the base and a few uprights with the rest removed.

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

A single toilet. I think these were wooden Elsan type toilets with a bucket.

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Orlit Hut

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Rear of the Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts

08 March 2009

Trestle under the rear tail making the plane level, ready to test the guns.

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts Hard standing for the planes to sit on.

08 March 2009

This is a machine gunned Spitfire and not a cannon armed version. But the same principal applied. There would be a set range that the guns harmonized to, in front of the plane.

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts Side view aircraft test butts There is a small two roomed lean too on the side.

08 March 2009

Targets in the sand would be used to align the guns and small adjustment i=on the gun mountings would move the gun to it correct trajectory.

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts The view inside looking at the roof with very heavy concrete blocks covering three holes in the roof?? and two doors in the upper wall.

08 March 2009

Mk V Hispano cannon fitted to a Spitfire Mk21.

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts

08 March 2009

My plan of how they would have worked.

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts inside the butts where sand would be piled up to absorb the cannon & machine gun bullets. This sand would be cleared out and sifted to remove the bullets for re cycling and the sand put back.

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Aircraft harmonizing cannon test butts How it may have looked. Spitfires would have left here with their war load, radios, guns, etc. Straight to front line Squadrons and ready to fight from day 1.

08 March 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Looking at the hangar from the cannon butts side.

15 February 2009

Starveall Farm SLG

Now back to some more huts.

08 March 2009

The huts are in the yellow area, behind the butts area..

Starveall Farm SLG

The next two Orlit huts These two are very complete except for some of the glass is broken. On the door of one is the sign, CLEANSING AREA. I wonder what they cleansed?

08 March 2009