RAF Roborough

RAF Roborough is a former Royal Air Force station in Roborough located 3.8 miles (6.1 km) north of Plymouth, Devon which used Plymouth City Airport as their base.

RAF Roborough

Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorRoyal Navy (RN) as RNAS Roborough
Royal Air Force (RAF) as RAF Roborough
LocationRoborough, Devon
Built1920
In use1929-1941 RN use
1941-1950's RAF use
Elevation AMSL464 ft / 143 m
Coordinates50°25′20″N 004°06′32″W
Map
RAF Roborough
Location in Devon
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
00/00 0 0 Asphalt
00/00 0 0 Asphalt

History

RAF Roborough began when the Air Ministry started to use Plymouth City Airport for exercises between the RAF, Royal Navy and the British Army. The Royal Navy started to use the airport in the late 1930s and was renamed RNAS Roborough however on 1 May 1942 the site was taken over by the Air Ministry for Royal Air Force use primarily for RAF Coastal Command.[1]

RNAS Roborough

The Admiralty used the airfield for various duties also the airfield played an important role during the Battle of Britain coming under partial control of the No. 10 Group RAF headquarters at RAF Box and had RAF Middle Wallop as their sector station. The first squadron to use the airfield was No. 247 Squadron RAF between 1 August 1940 and 10 February 1941 flying the Gloster Gladiator II before moving to RAF St Eval on 10 February 1941 however after seven days the squadron moved back to Roborough flying the Hawker Hurricane I before moving out for the last time on 10 May 1941 when the squadron went to RAF Portreath.[2]

RAF Roborough

In 1942 the site was taken over by the Royal Air Force for Coastal Command Duties with No. 691 Squadron RAF forming at the airfield on 1 December 1943 flying Hurricane I's, Boulton Paul Defiant I's, Airspeed Oxford I's and Fairey Barracuda II's before leaving on 21 February 1945 moving to RAF Harrowbeer.[3]

Later use
Main article: Plymouth City Airport

In the 1950s the Royal Air Force left and the site became Plymouth City Airport.[4]

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See also

References

Citations
  1. Moseley, Brian (April 2014). "Airport". The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  2. Halley 1988, p. 316.
  3. Halley 1988, p. 457.
  4. Moseley, Brian (August 2011). "Royal Air Force Roborough". The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

Bibliography
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1981-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
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