RAF Bradwell Bay
RAF Bradwell Bay ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
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![]() RCAF Douglas Boston Mk III taxiing at RAF Bradwell Bay in 1942 | |||||||||||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex | ||||||||||||||||||
Built | 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||
In use | 1941-1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 30 ft / 9 m | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 51°44′07″N 000°54′06″E / 51.73528°N 0.90167°E | ||||||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() RAF Bradwell Bay Location in Essex | |||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/RAF_Bradwell_Bay%2C_memorial%2C_from_south.jpg/220px-RAF_Bradwell_Bay%2C_memorial%2C_from_south.jpg)
RAF Bradwell Bay is a former Royal Air Force station located 9.5 miles (15.3 km) east of Maldon, Essex, England and 3.1 miles (5 km) south west of West Mersea, Essex.
History[]
The central area of the current airfield was first laid down before WW2 as a grass-surfaced landing ground for the nearby Dengie firing ranges off the coast before being rebuilt from 1940 onwards as an enlarged RAF station with concrete runways, hangars and ancillary buildings.[1] The station is unique as it was the only fighter station where the Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) was used.[2]
Based units[]
- No. 418 Squadron RCAF[3]
- No. 23 Squadron RAF[4]
- No. 29 Squadron RAF[5]
- No. 157 Squadron RAF[6]
- No. 247 Squadron RAF[7]
- No. 56 Squadron RAF[8]
- No. 198 Squadron RAF[9]
- No. 488 Squadron RAF[10]
- No. 605 Squadron RAF[11]
- No. 219 Squadron RAF[12]
- No. 278 Squadron RAF[13]
- No. 124 Squadron RAF[14]
- No. 501 Squadron RAF[15]
- No. 151 Squadron RAF[16]
- No. 287 Squadron RAF[17]
- No. 2 Armament Practice Station[18]
- No. 3 Fighter Command Servicing Unit[18]
- No. 5 Fighter Command Servicing Unit[18]
- [18] (as a transport one)
- [18] (as a fighter one)
- No. 150 Airfield[18]
- No. 2727 Squadron RAF Regiment[18]
- No. 2730 Squadron RAF Regiment[18]
- No. 2739 Squadron RAF Regiment[18]
- No. 2831 Squadron RAF Regiment[18]
- No. 2840 Squadron RAF Regiment[18]
Current use[]
An area of the northern part of the site is occupied by the remains of the Bradwell nuclear power station, the Magnox element of which is currently being decommissioned. Several of the hangars are still used as storage by the local farmers and the control tower is now a private house. Agricultural buildings, built in the '70s and '80s on runways one and two, are now home to several local businesses. [19]
See also[]
References[]
Citations[]
- ^ "RAF Bradwell Bay airfield". Control Towers. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ "RAF Bradwell Bay". Wartime Memories. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 91.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 32.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 34.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 63.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 77.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 42.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 67.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 99.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 72.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 82.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 58.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 95.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 62.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 83.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Bradwell Bay". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ "RAF Bradwell Bay". English Heritage - Pastscape. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
Bibliography[]
- Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6. OCLC 17981231.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Bradwell Bay. |
- Defunct airports in England
- Royal Air Force stations in Essex
- Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom