Richard C. Smith - RAF Duxford: A History in Photographs from 1917 to the Present Day

This book is dedicated to the thousands of British, Commonwealth, Czechoslovakian and American personnel who served at Duxford during two world wars and those who sacrificed their lives to keep the world free.

Also dedicated to my mother Muriel, my wife Kim and mother-in-law Doris

Richard C. Smith

GRUB STREET LONDON

Grub Street Publishing
4 Rainham Close
London
SW11 6SS

Copyright 2006 Grub Street, London
Text copyright 2006 Richard C. Smith

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Smith, Richard

RAF Duxford : a history in photographs from 1917 to the present day
1.Duxford Airfield (Great Britain) - History - Pictorial works
I.Title
358.4'17'0942657

ISBN 9781909166752 (epub)

ISBN 9781909166752 (prc)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Typeset and designed by Roy Platten, Eclipse
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Ltd, Cornwall

The author would like to thank the following men, women, museums and institutions listed below, for without their help this book would not have been possible.

Mr Ashley Arbon MBE

Mr Peter Arnold

Mr John Beynon

The late Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry

Broadhurst GCB, KBE, DSO, DFC

Squadron Leader Peter Brown AFC

Mr Gerry Bye, University of Cambridge

Library

Mr John Cook (USA)

Mrs Diane Crain

Ron Dupas

Mr Jim Garlinge, Old Duxford Association

Mr Alec Gray

Mr Colin Griffiths

The late Flight Lieutenant Leslie Harvey

Squadron Leader Iain Hutchinson TD

Flight Lieutenant Richard Jones

Mr Edward McManus, Battle of Britain

Historical Society

Mr John Munro

Mr James Munro

Ms Yvonne Oliver IWM

Group Captain Herbert Pinfold

Mr Peter Pool

Mr Peter Randall, 8th American Air Force

Little Friends website

The late Robert Rudhall

Mr Andy Saunders

Mr Stephen Saunders (ASA Productions

[UK] Ltd)

Mr Martin Sheldrick

Mr Peter Silver

Colin & Rose Smith (Vector Fine Art)

Mr Tom Stevens (ex 19 Squadron)

Mrs Edith Thomas

Jacques Trempe

Johan Visschedijek

The Photographic Archive of Imperial War

Museum, London

The University of Cambridge Library,

Image Service

The National Archive, Kew

The Old Duxford Association

The Battle of Britain Fighter Association

The Battle of Britain Historical Society

The Air Historical Branch, Bentley Priory

Thanks also to all my family, friends and aviation associates.To all those members of the public who continue to support my research, books, DVDs etc. To Vector Fine Art for their outstanding book launches and hospitality.

And finally to John Davies, Anne Dolamore and the staff at Grub Street for their continued support of my work.

The following books and documents are of interest to those wishing to know more about the history of RAF Duxford.

National Archive Documents

No. 19 Squadron Operations Book Air 27/252

No. 242 Squadron Operations Book Air 27/1471

No. 310 Squadron Operations Book Air 27/1680

Battle of Britain Then & Now,Winston Ramsey, After the Battle, 1980

One of the Few, G/Capt John. A. Kent DFC, AFC, William Kimber & Co Ltd 1971

Flying Colours,The Douglas Bader Story, G/Capt P. B. Lucas, CBE, DSO, DFC, Hutchinson & Co Ltd, 1981

Honour Restored, S/Ldr Peter Brown AFC, Spellmount Publishing Ltd, 2005

Fighter Squadrons of the RAF, John Rawlings, MacDonald & Co, 1969

Airfield Focus Volume 1, Andrew Height, GMS Enterprises, 1982

Duxford Diary, USAAF, W.Heffer & Sons Limited, 1945

T oday the name of Duxford is immediately recognisable to many as the home of the largest collection of war and peacetime vintage aircraft on show to the public in Europe. It is also renowned for its annual air shows held throughout the year, which bring enthusiasts from all over the world to marvel at the flying aircraft dating from over seventy years ago.

Most people already know of Duxfords role during the Battle of Britain, when it served as the main aerodrome in 12 Group. However, this pictorial book tells of the aerodromes ninety-year history dating back to the First World War and also of its sister aerodrome at Fowlmere, just a few miles away which was used as a satellite during WW2.

Duxford was an important base through the 1920s, when the Royal Air Force began to expand and the 1930s when the aerodrome was at the forefront of aviation technology, with aircraft changing from biplanes to the new RAF monoplane eight-gun fighters. Indeed, squadrons based at Duxford received the first Spitfires to go into service with the RAF. Its pivotal role during Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain is also covered as is the period during 194142, when it was base to the Air Fighting Development Establishment and Air Gun Mounting Establishment who were testing many new aircraft and weapons.

Between 19431945, Duxford became home to the American 8th Army Air Forces 78th Fighter Group, who flew missions escorting and protecting the massive daylight raids against the German industrial installations of the Ruhr.

After the Second World War had ended the Royal Air Force returned to reclaim the aerodrome and it was used as a jet fighter base throughout the late 1940s and through the 1950s until its final closure in 1961, when the RAF finally moved out.

Saved from destruction during the late 1960s, the aerodrome was used as a storage facility by the Imperial War Museum, who laid plans for expansion of the site. In 1967 it was used famously for filming the war movie epic The Battle of Britain. Since first opening again to the public in 1976, thousands upon thousands have visited Duxford and continue to do so.

The photographs in this tome have been drawn from various sources, some official, others from private albums, taken by pilots, ground crews and WAAFs. All are equally important images showing the Duxford of yesteryear and today. May its future be secure.

Richard C. Smith

June 2006