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Royal Air Force Barford St John or RAF Barford St John is a Royal Air Force station just north of the village of Barford St. John, Oxfordshire, England. It is now a non-flying facility, operated by the United States Air Force as a communications centre with many large communications aerials, and is a satellite of RAF Croughton.

RAF Barford St John
Near Bloxham, Oxfordshire in England
Aerial view of RAF Barford St John during 2011
RAF Barford St John
Shown within Oxfordshire
Coordinates52°00′13″N 001°21′36″W
TypeRoyal Air Force station (US Visiting Forces)
CodeBJ[1]
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorUnited States Air Force
Controlled byUS Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa
Formerly
RAF Flying Training Command
RAF Bomber Command
* No. 92 (OTU) Group RAF
ConditionOperational
Site history
Built1941 (1941)
In use1941 – 1946 (Royal Air Force)
1951 – present (US Air Force)
Airfield information
Elevation120 metres (394 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
09/27 1,670 metres (5,479 ft) Asphalt
16/34 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) Asphalt
02/20 1,210 metres (3,970 ft) Asphalt
Notes: Flying ceased in 1946

History



RAF use


RAF Barford St John was opened on 30 July 1941 as a training facility for RAF Flying Training Command. It had three grass runways, used primarily by Airspeed Oxfords of No. 15 Service Flying Training School RAF from RAF Kidlington.[2] The airfield was rebuilt as an RAF Bomber Command airfield with paved runways and night operations equipment and reopened as a satellite for RAF Upper Heyford in December 1942.[2] In 1943 the station served as flight test centre for its Gloster E.28/39 and Gloster Meteor jet aircraft.[3] Bomber Command and No. 16 Operational Training Unit was stationed there with Vickers Wellingtons until December 1944.[2] No. 1655 Mosquito Training Unit RAF replaced the Wellingtons at that time.[2] After the war the airfield was closed in 1946 and placed into care and maintenance.[2]

The site was used for some background filming for the 1949 film Twelve O'Clock High.[4]

The following units were also there at some point:[5]


USAF use


In 1951 the United States Air Force opened a communications (transmitter) centre on the airfield.[3] The site has a Scope Signal III installation which was used to modernize "Giant Talk", Strategic Air Command's world-wide command and controls network, which operates from RAF Croughton.[10]


See also



References



Citations


  1. Falconer 2012, p. 46.
  2. "Barford St John Airfield". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  3. Crossley, William (20 September 2011). "Base's special place in aviation history". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. "Twelve O'Clock High". Movie Locations. 1949. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  5. "Barford St John". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. Jefford 1988, p. 24.
  7. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 190.
  8. Jefford 1988, p. 169.
  9. Jefford 1988, p. 65.
  10. Duke 1989, p. 314.

Bibliography



На других языках


[de] RAF Barford St John

Die Royal Air Force Station Barford St John, kurz RAF Barford St John, ist ein von den United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) genutzter Militärflugplatz im Vereinigten Königreich, nördlich von Barford St John zwischen Banbury und Bicester in der Grafschaft Oxfordshire, South East England. Flugbetrieb findet hier nicht mehr statt, die Basis dient insbesondere als Kommunikationsstützpunkt und ist ein Satellitenstützpunkt von RAF Croughton.
- [en] RAF Barford St John



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