List of Norfolk airfields

This is a list of current or former military airfields within the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. They may have been used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), Royal Air Force (RAF), Army Air Corps (AAC), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) or the United States Air Force (USAF).

For a list of current RAF stations in the UK and abroad, see List of Royal Air Force stations and for former stations see List of former Royal Air Force stations.

Name	Alt Name	Used by	Dates	Current use	Notes
RAF Attlebridge	USAAF Station 120 (Eighth Air Force)	RAF, USAAF	June 1941 – 5 August 1956	Farmland	[1]
RAF Bacton	RNAS Bacton	RNAS, RAF	1915 – March 1919	Farmland	First World War Landing Ground.[2]
RAF Barton Bendish		RAF	September 1939 – October 1942	Farmland	Second World War Landing Ground (satellite to Marham).[3]
RAF Bircham Newton		RAF, FAA	May 1918 – December 1962	Now a training establishment to the civil Construction Industry Training Board	Second World War Landing Ground.[4]
RAF Bodney	USAAF Station 141 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	March 1940 – November 1945	Farmland	Second World War Landing Ground.[5]
RAF Burgh Castle	RNAS Burgh Castle	RNAS, RAF	1915–1919	Open Land	First World War Landing Ground.[6]
RAF Bylaugh Hall		RAF	1943–1945	Private ownership	Headquarters of No. 100 Group RAF.
RAF Coltishall	USAAF Station 355 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	May 1940 – November 2006	HMP Bure	The last operational WW2 airfield, closed in 2006, known as MoD Coltishall until its disposal.[7]
RAF Deopham Green	USAAF Station 142 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	January 1944 – January 1948	Farmland	Second World War Landing Ground.[8]
RAF Docking		RAF	July 1940 – September 1946	Farmland	[9]
RAF Downham Market		RAF	1942 – October 1946	Bexwell Industrial Estate	[10]
RAF East Wretham	USAAF Station 133 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1940 – July 1948	British Army use	[11]
RAF Feltwell		RFC, RAF, USAF	November 1917 – Present	Housing and education for USAF personnel	[12]
RAF Fersfield	USAAF Station 140 / 554 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1944 – March 1946	Farmland	[13]
RAF Foulsham		RAF	May 1942 – June 1962	Farmland/Industry	[14]
RAF Great Massingham		RAF	July 1940 – November 1950 (closed to flying)	Farmland/Limited Flying	Bomber station.[15]
RAF Great Yarmouth	RNAS Great Yarmouth[16]	RNAS, RAF	April 1913 – November 1920	Camp Site[17]	Land and seaplane base during WWI.[18] In WW2 used by No. 16 Recruits Centre from 1941–1946 (AIR 29/504)[19]
RAF Hardwick	USAAF Station 104 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	September 1942 – August 1946	Farmland/Limited Flying	[20]
RAF Harling Road	RFC Harling Road	RFC, RAF	December 1916 – March 1920	Industry	First World War.[21]
RAF Hethel	USAAF Station 114 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1942 – June 1948	Lotus Cars/Hethel Engineering Centre	[22]
RNAS Hickling Broads		RAF	August 1918 – September 1919	Moorings	[23]
RAF Hingham	RFC Hingham	RFC, RAF	1916–1919	Farmland	First World War Landing Ground.[24]
RAF Holt	RNAS Holt	RNAS, RAF	November 1915 – 1920s	Farming/ Open land	First World War Landing Ground.[25]
RAF Horsham St Faith	USAAF Station 123 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1940–1967.[26]	Norwich International Airport	[27]
RAF Knettishall	USAAF Station 136 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	January 1943 – 1957	Farmland	[28]
RAF Langham		RAF, FAA	1940–1961	Turkey farm/Heritage site	Joint Fleet Air Arm/RAF.[29]
RAF Little Snoring		RAF	1943–1958	Private airfield	Bomber station.[30]
RAF Ludham	RNAS Ludham (HMS Flycatcher)	RAF, RNAS	November 1941 – April 1946	Farmland/housing/landing strip	Allocated to US 8th AF as Station 177, but not used.[31][32]
RAF Marham	RFC Marham	RFC, RAF	1916–1919, 1935–present	Current home to the Panavia Tornado GR4	[33]
RAF Matlaske	USAAF Station 178 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1940–1946	Farmland	[34]
RAF Mattishall	RFC Mattishall	RFC, RAF	November 1915 – May 1919	Farmland	First World War.[35]
RAF Methwold		RAF	1938–1958	Farmland/industry	[36]
RAF Mousehold Heath	RFC Mousehold Heath, Norwich Municipal Airport	RFC, Civil, RAF	1914–1933	Housing Estate & Light Industry	[37]
RAF Narborough	RNAS Narborough, RFC Narborough	RNAS, RFC, RAF	August 1915 – December 1919	Farmland	[38]
RAF North Creake	Code Name: WORKER	RAF (No. 100 Group, 199 & 171 Sqns)	1943–1947	Farmland/housing/industry	The Control Tower is now a bed and breakfast,[39] with the rest of the site in agricultural use with some light industry in the former airfield buildings.[40]
RAF North Pickenham	USAAF Station 143	RAF, USAAF	1944–1963	Runways used by Bernard Matthews as bases for turkey sheds. Thor IRBM site now used by Anglia Karting.	Thor IBRM station 1958–1963.[41]
RAF Old Buckenham	USAAF Station 144 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1943–1960	Old Buckenham Airport	[42]
RAF Oulton		RAF	July 1940 – August 1952	Farmland	[43]
RAF Pulham	RNAS Pulham	RNAS, RAF	1915–1948	Farmland	Used for the development of British airships between the wars, hangar moved to Cardington (Bedfordshire), used as crashed aircraft dump in WW2.[44]
RAF Rackheath	USAAF Station 145 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1944–1945	Farmland/industrial	[45]
RAF Sculthorpe		RAF, USAAF, USAF	January 1943 – October 1992	Housing/industry/MoD training area	[46]
RAF Sedgeford	RNAS Sedgeford, RFC Sedgeford	RNAS, RFC, RAF	1915–1919, 1940–1944	Farmland	Used as decoy airfield during WWII.[47]
RAF Seething	USAAF Station 146 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1943–1945	Seething Airfield	[48]
RAF Shipdham	USAAF Station 115 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1942–1957	Shipdham Airfield	[49]
RAF Snetterton Heath	USAAF Station 138 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1943–1952	Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit	[50]
RAF Swannington		RAF	April 1944 – November 1947	Farmland/industry	[51]
RAF Swanton Morley	Robertson Barracks	RAF, Army	1940–present	Robertson Barracks	[52]
RAF Thetford	RFC Thetford	RFC, RAF	1915–1920, 1940–1942	Farmland	Used as decoy airfield during WWII.[53]
RAF Thorpe Abbotts	USAAF Station 139 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1943–1956	Farmland/civil aviation	Home of 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum.[54]
RAF Tibenham	RFC Tibenham, USAAF Station 124 (8th AF)	RFC, RAF, USAAF	1916–1920, 1942–1959	Airfield	Now owned by Norfolk Gliding Club.[55]
RAF Watton	USAAF Station 376 / 505	RAF, USAAF	1939–1992	Housing/civil aviation/army training/HM Prison Wayland	[56]
RAF Wendling	USAAF Station 118 (8th AF)	RAF, USAAF	1943–1961	Farmland	[57]
RAF West Raynham		RAF, FAA	May 1939 – June 1994	Farmland/housing	[58]

References

1. "Attlebridge". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
2. "Bacton". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
3. "Barton Bendish". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
4. "Bircham Newton". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
5. "Bodney". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
6. "Burgh Castle". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
7. "Coltishall". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
8. "Deopham Green". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
9. "Docking". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
10. "Downham Market (Bexwell)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
11. "East Wretham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
12. "Feltwell". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
13. "Fersfield (Winfarthing)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
14. "Foulsham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
15. "Great Massingham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
16. This aerodrome is usually known as South Denes Royal Naval Air Service aerodrome or RNAS South Denes
17. Great Yarmouth’s air aces who took on the Zeppelins; Trevor Heaton; Article in the Eastern Daily Press; 16 december 2017
18. "Great Yarmouth I (South Denes) (Yarmouth)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
19. "AIR 29/504". The National Archives. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
20. "Hardwick, Norfolk". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
21. "Harling Road (Roudham)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
22. "Hethel". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
23. "Hickling Broad". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
24. "Hingham – an airfield fallen into obscurity". Aviation Trails. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
25. "Holt". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
26. "RAF Horsham St Faith airfield". Control Towers. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
27. "Horsham St Faith (Norwich)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
28. "Knettishall". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
29. "Langham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
30. "About the Airfield". McAully Flying Group. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
31. "Ludham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
32. "Ludham, Norfolk". The MONAB Story. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
33. "RAF Marham". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
34. "Matlaske". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
35. "Mattishall". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
36. "Methwold". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
37. "Mousehold Heath". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
38. "Narborough Aerodrome". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
39. "The Control Tower History". Control Tower Stays. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
40. "North Creake". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
41. "North Pickenham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
42. "Old Buckenham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
43. "Oulton". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
44. "Pulham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
45. "Rackheath". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
46. "Sculthorpe". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
47. "Sedgeford". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
48. "About Seething Airfield". Seething Flying Club. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
49. "Shipdham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
50. "Snetterton Heath". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
51. "Swannington". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
52. "Swanton Morley". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
53. "Thetford (Snarehill)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
54. "Thorpe Abbotts". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
55. "About Tibenham Airfield". Norfolk Gliding Club. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
56. "Watton". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
57. "Wendling". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
58. "West Raynham". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 November 2016.

External links

• Royal Air Force official website
• Control Towers website
• USAAF bases
• Airfields tours and map, British Tours