Summary
Royal Air Force Chedburgh or more simply RAF Chedburgh is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. The Bury Road Business Park is now located on the site, a principal enterprise being Yara UK Limited's liquid fertilizer production plant.[2]
RAF Chedburgh | |||||||||||
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| Chedburgh in England | |||||||||||
  RAF Chedburgh Shown within Suffolk | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°10′49″N 000°37′15″E / 52.18028°N 0.62083°E | ||||||||||
| Type | Satellite station 1942-43 31 Base Substation 1943- | ||||||||||
| Code | CU[1] | ||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Bomber Command * No. 3 Group RAF * No. 7 (T) Group RAF[1] | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1941/42 | ||||||||||
| Built by | John Laing & Son Ltd | ||||||||||
| In use | September 1942 - October 1952 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 125 metres (410 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
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History edit
Murray Peden, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, recounts in his memoirs[3] flying on his first attack on Germany, from RAF Chedburgh in September 1943. The target was Hanover. He was a new member of No. 214 Squadron RAF, which was equipped with four-engine Stirlings. He describes the long line of aircraft taxiing "ponderously" along a: "...perimeter track [which] ran within a hundred yards of Chedburgh's pub, before which the locals . . . had assembled for their nightly show." In 2018, the pub building still stood, near the northwest corner of the old airfield.[4]
The following units were here at some point:[2]
- No. 23 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section of No. 2 Heavy Glider Maintenance Unit (? - March 1944)[5]
- No. 214 Squadron RAF (1942-43)
- No. 218 Squadron RAF (1944-45)
- No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
- No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron
- No. 620 Squadron RAF (1943)
- No. 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF (November 1943 - November 1944)[6]
References edit
Citations edit
- ^ a b c Falconer 2012, p. 63.
- ^ a b "Chedburgh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Peden, Murray, "A Thousand Shall Fall," Dundurn (April 1, 2003), p 244
- ^ Google Earth latitude/longitude of pub: 52°11'15.06"N 0°36'53.39"E ; by 2018, the pub had closed and its future was in doubt. See for example: Michael Steward, "Campaign to Save Village Pub Gains Support," East Anglian Daily Times 23 May 2018 https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/campaign-to-save-village-pub-in-chedburgh-near-bury-st-edmunds-gains-support-1-5530587
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 191.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 100.