Royal Air Force Coltishall more commonly known as RAF Coltishall is a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

located north-north-east of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, in the English

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

, which operated from 1939 to 2006. It was a fighter airfield in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and afterwards, a station for night fighters, then ground attack aircraft until closure. After longstanding speculation, the future of the station was sealed once the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

announced that the

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Syste ...

, a rolling replacement aircraft, displacing the ageing

SEPECAT Jaguar The SEPECAT Jaguar is a British-French supersonic jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. As of 2025, the Jaguar remains in service with the ...

, would not be located there. The last of the Jaguar squadrons left on 1 April 2006, and the station finally closed, one month early and £10 million under budget, on . The station

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

was ''Aggressive in Defence''. The station badge was a stone tower surmounted by a mailed fist grasping three bind-bolts (blunt arrows), which symbolised a position of strength in defence of the homeland, indicative of the aggressive spirit which Coltishall fighter aircraft were prepared to shoot down the enemy.

History

Second World War

Work on RAF Coltishall was started in . The airfield, then known as

Scottow Scottow is a village and civil parish in the England, English county of Norfolk. It is located some 2.5 miles north of Coltishall and 5 miles south of North Walsham. The villages name means 'Scots' hill-spur'. The civil parish has an area of ...

Aerodrome, was initially built as a

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

station, on land near Scottow Hall. Following the established tradition, the station would have been named after the nearest

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

, which would have made it RAF Buxton, but to avoid possible confusion with the town of

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, it was named after the local

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Coltishall Coltishall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads, north-west of Wroxham and north-east of Norwich. Etymology Coltishall's name is of Old Engli ...

instead. The airfield was completed and entered service in as a fighter base. The first

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

movement at Coltishall was a

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...

IV L7835 flown by

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

RG Bales and Sergeant Barnes. During the

, Coltishall operated the

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

. A notable Coltishall fighter pilot was

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

, appointed as leader of No. 242 Squadron, a mainly Canadian Hurricane squadron. They had suffered significant losses in the recent

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

, and he was credited with restoring their morale. Coltishall later became home to

night fighter A night fighter (later known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor post-Second World War) is a largely historical term for a fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft adapted or designed for effective use at night, during pe ...

s. At the same time, the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

operated aircraft from RAF Coltishall over the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. From 10 February to 7 April 1945, it was the airfield for No. 124 Squadron, at that time a fighter-bomber squadron flying

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

IX.HF's, whilst the squadron was bombing

V-2 The V2 (), with the technical name '' Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the Second World War in Nazi Germany as a " ven ...

launch sites in the Netherlands. At the end of the war, Coltishall was briefly given over to

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

squadrons until they returned home.

Cold War

In the 1950s, RAF Coltishall was a designated a 'V-bomber dispersal airfield', which

V bomber The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom, United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Mai ...

s tasked with delivery of the British nuclear deterrent; the

Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...

Handley Page Victor The Handley Page Victor was a British jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by Handley Page during the Cold War. It was the third and final ''V bomber'' to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Vickers ...

, and

Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's " V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in respon ...

, could use in the event of their home station being damaged by enemy action.

Postwar A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

, the station was home to a variety of units and aircraft, including

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its airframe was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or " ...

Gloster Javelin The Gloster Javelin is a twin-engined all-weather interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the Gloster Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s and was the final aircraft design to b ...

s and, from 1963, the Historic Aircraft Flight (now known as the

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force Flight (military unit), flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber and two fighters, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurr ...

or BBMF). RAF Coltishall became home to the RAF's first

English Electric Lightning The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It is capable of a top speed above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured ...

F.1s when No. 74 (Fighter) Squadron began to receive the jet in June 1960, after arriving the year before. No. 74 (F) Squadron relocated to

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or more simply RAF Leuchars is a former Royal Air Force station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northe ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

on 2 March 1964. No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) arrived at the base on 12 April 1964, tasked with training new pilots how to fly the Lightning. The last Lightnings left Coltishall in September 1974 when No. 266 OCU departed. The Lightnings were replaced by the Anglo-French

GR.1, with the first Jaguar unit, No. 54 (F) Squadron, arriving at Coltishall on 8 August 1974. They were soon joined by No. 6 Squadron who arrived at the base in November 1974, making the station exclusively home to the Jaguar in terms of fixed wing aircraft. No. 41 (Designate) Squadron formed at RAF Coltishall on 1 October 1976, and worked up as a Jaguar unit until officially standing up on 1 April 1977, when the No. 41 Squadron operating the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 at

RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and h ...

disbanded the previous day. In 1991, elements of all three based Jaguar units; Nos. 6, 41 and 54 Squadrons, along with associated support personnel deployed to

Muharraq Airfield Muharraq Airfield is a military base located adjacent to Bahrain International Airport. It is run by the United States Navy (USN) and usually ships supplies in and out of the airport with many of them from other countries as well. The USN, the Uni ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, in preparation for Operation Granby due to

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the Kuwait, State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country fo ...

. Coltishall played host to several

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Coronet deployments during the Cold War: *Coronet Heron – 12 to 23 June 1978 saw the deployment of 12 McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom IIs from the 62nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. *Coronet Joust – 23 June to 7 July 1983 saw the deployment of 12 RF-4C Phantom IIs from the 106th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (

Alabama Air National Guard The Alabama Air National Guard (AL ANG) is the aerial militia of the Alabama, State of Alabama, United States, United States of America. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard. As state milit ...

). *Coronet Mobile – 13 to 26 September 1986 saw the deployment of 11 RF-4C Phantom IIs from the 106th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Alabama Air National Guard).

1991 to closure

The Jaguars deployed again, this time to

Incirlik Air Base Incirlik Air Base () is a Republic of Turkey, Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of the city ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, to participate in Operation Warden which set up a

no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's terri ...

over

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Between 1993 and 1995, the Jaguars deployed to Gioia del Colle Air Base,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, as part of

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the ...

to enforce a no-fly zone over the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. In 1997, No. 54 Squadron deployed to Italy once more in support of Operation Deliberate Guard. No. 6 Squadron deployed once again to Incirlik in 1998 as part of Operation Resinate. On 21 July 2000, No. 16 (Reserve) Squadron, the Jaguar OCU, arrived at RAF Coltishall from

RAF Lossiemouth Royal Air Force Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland. Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest fast-jet stations in the ...

, Scotland. In December 2000, five Jaguars from No. 41 (F) Squadron deployed to

Luleå Airport Luleå Airport is located about 7 km (4.3 mi) south-southeast of Luleå, Sweden, near the village of Kallax. The official name according to the Swedish Aeronautical Information Publication is Luleå/Kallax Airport. The airport handled ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, to train alongside

Saab 37 Viggen The Saab 37 Viggen (''The Tufted Duck'', ambiguous with ''The Thunderbolt'') is a single-seat, single-engine multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab AB, Saab. It was the first Canard (aeronautic ...

s of the

Norrbotten Wing Norrbotten Wing (), also F 21 Luleå, or simply F 21, is a Swedish Air Force wing (air force unit), wing with the main base located in Luleå Airport in northern Sweden. It is one of the three remaining wings in Sweden and currently has two Squa ...

. Coltishall was also home to the yellow

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

(SAR) helicopters of No. 202 Squadron tasked with conducting

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

operations (

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome eng ...

), and latterly No. 22 Squadron (

Westland Wessex The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34. It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main changes from Sikorsky's H-34 was the rep ...

), but under subsequent reorganisation, the SAR operations were moved to

RAF Wattisham Royal Air Force Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham was, between 1939 and 1993, the name of a Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold W ...

, in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

where they remained until 15 July 2015, following the privatisation (and thus disbandment) of the entire UK military search and rescue operations. Coltishall eventually became the last surviving operational RAF fighter airfield involved in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

(other than

RAF Northolt Royal Air Force Northolt or more simply RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station in South Ruislip, from Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, western Greater London, England, approximately north of ...

), and a visible remnant in the form of a Second World War

revetment A revetment in stream restoration, river engineering or coastal engineering is a facing of impact-resistant material (such as stone, concrete, sandbags, or wooden piles) applied to a bank or wall in order to absorb the energy of incoming water an ...

still stands adjacent to the north-west

taxiway A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with Airport apron, aprons, hangars, Airport terminal, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as Asphalt concrete, asphalt or concrete, although sma ...

and, together with one of the two sets of 1950s Cold War blast walls, is now a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. With the anticipated arrival of the

in the RAF, the gradual retirement of the Jaguar force began. Coltishall was not chosen as a future Typhoon airfield for a number of reasons, and so, with no future RAF role for Coltishall, the station was earmarked for closure. The UK's

, in the '

Delivering Security in a Changing World Delivery may refer to: Biology and medicine *Childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vagi ...

' review, announced that the station would close by December 2006. The first two Jaguar squadrons to disband, No. 16 (R) Squadron and No. 54 (F) Squadron, did so on 11 March 2005. The final Jaguar squadrons departed on 1 April 2006, when No. 6 Squadron transferred to RAF Coningsby, however, this was subsequently disbanded on 31 May 2007 (to await delivery of the

at RAF Leuchars), and No. 41 (F) Squadron transferred to RAF Coningsby in OCU role. The final front line RAF movement from the station was by Jaguar XZ112, piloted by Jim Luke, on 3 April 2006. Of the final

gate guardian A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece, or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main ...

s, the replica Hawker Hurricane (dedicated to Douglas Bader) was transferred to

RAF High Wycombe Royal Air Force High Wycombe or more simply RAF High Wycombe is a Royal Air Force station, situated in the village of Walters Ash, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. It houses Headquarters Air Command, and was originally designed ...

, and the Jaguar was formally named the ''Spirit of Coltishall'', and was subsequently transferred to the grounds of

Norfolk County Council Norfolk County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for Norfolk, England. Below it there are seven second-tier district councils: Breckland District, Breckland, Broadland, Borough of Great Yarmouth, Great Yarmo ...

where she is dedicated to the memory of all those who served at Coltishall. RAF Coltishall is commemorated at the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum at Neatishead (which Coltishall formerly parented). Some limited flying from light aircraft, including those of the Coltishall Flying Club, did continue after the end of RAF flying operations, until October 2006. While 1 April 2006 saw the disbandment

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

for the station, it did not actually disband and finally close until 30 November 2006. Associated facilities such as the Douglas Bader

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

for military dependents were also closed. On the final day of the station, the gates were opened to the public; anybody with photographic ID was welcomed onto the station to have a look around and view the final closing ceremony and parade, which saw a

flypast ''FlyPast'' is an aircraft magazine, published monthly, edited by Tom Allett, Steve Beebee and Jamie Ewan. History and profile The magazine started as a bi-monthly edition in May/June 1981 and its first editor was the late Mike Twite. It is ow ...

by four RAF Jaguars, and a solitary

from the

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford, also known as IWM Duxford or simply Duxford, is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Duxford, Britain's largest aviation museum, houses exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraf ...

. On 30 November 2006, RAF Coltishall was officially handed over to

Defence Estates Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is an operating arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the United Kingdom, which is responsible for the built and rural estate. Its chief executive is Mike Green. History The DIO was formed in 2011 in ...

(the then MoD agency responsible for all UK Military sites) who were to handle the disposal of the site; it was then formally known as MoD Coltishall until its ultimate disposal. The site was sold to

for £4 million.

Station commanders

:Note: The ranks shown are the ranks held at the time of holding the appointment of ''

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

, Royal Air Force Coltishall''.

Coltishall squadrons

No. 1 Squadron RAF Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. The squadron motto, ' ...

; Spitfire LFIXb, F21 * No. 6 Squadron RAF; Jaguar GR1/1A/1B, T2/T2A, GR3/3A, T4/T4A (November 1974 – April 2006) * No. 16 Squadron RAF (? – March 2005) (Squadron Standard now laid up in Notre-Dame Cathedral

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) * No. 22 Squadron RAF; Beaufort I, II, Whirlwind HAR2, HAR10, Wessex HAR2 *

No. 23 Squadron RAF Number 23 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force responsible for 'day-to-day space operations', having been reformed in January 2021, as the first "space squadron". Up until its disbandment in October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry ...

; Mosquito NF36, Vampire NF10, Venom NF2, NF3, Javelin FAW4, FAW7, FAW9R *

No. 25 Squadron RAF Number 25 (Fighter) Squadron (alternatively Number XXV (F) Squadron) is a squadron of the Royal Air Force having reformed on 8 September 2018. During the First World War, No. 25 Squadron operated as a fighter-reconnaissance unit and later as a ...

; Mosquito VI, XVII, NFXXX * No. 26 Squadron RAF * No. 29 Squadron RAF; Beaufighter IF, VIF * No. 41 Squadron RAF; Javelin FAW4, Jaguar GR1/1A/1B, T2/T2A, GR3/3A, T4/T4A (1976 – April 2006) * No. 42 Squadron RAF; Beaufort I, II * No. 54 Squadron RAF; Jaguar GR1/1A/1B, T2/T2A, GR3/3A, T4/T4A (August 1974 – March 2005) (Squadron Standard now laid up in

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

) * No. 64 Squadron RAF; Spitfire I, Vb, LEVc *

No. 66 Squadron RAF No. 66 Squadron was a Royal Flying Corps and eventually Royal Air Force aircraft squadron. History World War I The squadron was first formed at RAF Filton, Bristol, on 30 June 1916 as a training squadron equipped with Royal Aircraft Factor ...

; Spitfire I *

No. 68 Squadron RAF The name No. 68 Squadron has been used for two quite different units, only one of which was strictly a unit of the Royal Air Force. "No. 68 Squadron RFC" was for a time the official British military designation for No. 2 Squadron Australian Fly ...

; Beaufighter IF, VI, Mosquito XVII, XIX, XXX * No. 72 Squadron RAF; Spitfire I * No. 74 Squadron RAF 'Tigers'; Spitfire IIa, Hunter F6, Lightning F1, F3 (1940, 1960–1966) * No. 80 Squadron RAF; Tempest V * No. 93 Squadron RAF; Havoc I * No. 109 Squadron RAF * No. 118 Squadron RAF; Spitfire Vb * No. 124 Squadron RAF; Spitfire XI * No. 125 Squadron RAF; Mosquito XIV, XXX *

No. 133 Squadron RAF 133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle Squadrons formed from American volunteers serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. History 133 Squadron was first formed in 1918 at RAF Ternhill. It was a training unit fo ...

; one of the American-piloted

Eagle Squadron The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (1940), prior to the United States' entry into the war in December 1941. ...

s formed 1941, Hurricane IIb * No. 137 Squadron RAF; Whirlwind I * No. 141 Squadron RAF; Mosquito NF36, Meteor NF11, Venom NF3, Javelin FAW4 * No. 151 Squadron RAF; Hurricane I, IIb, IIc, Defiant I * No. 152 Squadron RAF; Spitfire IIa * No. 154 Squadron RAF; Spitfire Va, Vb * No. 195 Squadron RAF; Typhoon Ib * No. 202 Squadron RAF; Whirlwind HAR10, Sea King HAR3 * No. 222 Squadron RAF; Spitfire Ia, IIa, IIb *

No. 226 Squadron RAF No. 226 Squadron RAF was a unit of the British Royal Air Force that existed as a bomber squadron during the First and Second World Wars, and as part of the UK's nuclear ballistic missile force in the early 1960s. Squadron history First formed o ...

OCU; Lightning F1, F1A, F3, T4, T5, T55 * No. 228 Squadron RAF; Whirlwind HAR10 * No. 228 Squadron RAF OCU; Mosquito (various), Meteor (various) *

No. 229 Squadron RAF No. 229 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is an officially accredited Battle of Britain Squadron. It became No. 603 Squadron RAF in January 1945. History Formation and World War I No. 229 Squadron RAF was formed on 20 ...

; Spitfire XI, XVI * No. 234 Squadron RAF; Spitfire Vb, Vc *

No. 242 Squadron RAF No. 242 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron. It flew in many roles during the First World War, Second World War and Cold War. During the Second World War, the squadron was notable for (firstly) having many pilots who were either ...

; Hurricane I * No. 255 Squadron RAF; Beaufighter IIF * No. 257 Squadron RAF; Hurricane I, IIa, IIb, IIc * No. 264 Squadron RAF; Mosquito NF36 * No. 266 Squadron RAF; Typhoon Ia, Ib * No. 274 Squadron RAF; Tempest V * No. 275 Squadron RAF; Sycamore HR13, HR14 * No. 278 Squadron RAF; Lysander IIa, Walrus I, II, Anson I * No. 288 Squadron RAF; Hurricane I, Defiant TT II/III *

No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 303 Squadron RAF, also known as the 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron, was one of two Polish squadrons that fought during the Battle of Britain along with No. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons during the Second ...

; Spitfire IX, Mustang IV (1944, 1945) * No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron; Mustang III *

No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron No. 307 (Polish) Squadron, also known as No. 307 (City of Lwów) Squadron () was a Polish squadron (aviation), squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was ...

; Mosquito XXX * No. 309 (Polish) Squadron; Mustang III, IV *

No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF No. 312 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovak-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. History The squadron was formed at Duxford on 29 August 1940. It was crewed mostly by escaped Czechoslovak pilots, but its first ...

; Spitfire XI * No. 315 (Polish) Squadron; Mustang III * No. 316 (Polish) Squadron; Mustang III * No. 318 (Polish) Squadron RAF; Spitfire IX * No. 409 Squadron RCAF; Beaufighter VI * No. 453 Squadron RAAF; Spitfire IX * No. 488 Squadron RNZAF; Beaufighter II *

No. 602 Squadron RAF 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron. Originally formed in 1925 as a light bomber squadron, its role changed in 1938 to army co-operation and in 1939 to that of a fighter squadron. During the Second World War, ...

; Spitfire IX, XVI *

No. 603 Squadron RAF No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. On reforming on 1 October 1999, the primary role of 603 Squadron was as a ''Survive to Operate'' squadron, a ...

; Spitfire XVI (1945) *

No. 604 Squadron RAF No. 604 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force noted for its pioneering role the development of radar-controlled night-fighter operations. The squadron was established in March 1930 at RAF Hendon as a day-bomber squadron of the Roy ...

; Beaufighter I * No. 610 Squadron RAF; Spitfire Vb, Vc * No. 611 Squadron RAF; Spitfire IX * No. 616 Squadron RAF; Spitfire I * 809 Naval Air Squadron,

; Sea Hornet F20, NF21 *

819 Naval Air Squadron 819 Naval Air Squadron (819 NAS), also known as 819 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated Westland Sea King between February 1971 and November 2001. Establish ...

, Fleet Air Arm; * 841 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm; Albacore I, Swordfish I, II *

849 Naval Air Squadron 849 Naval Air Squadron (849 NAS), also referred to as 849 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Merlin HM2 from February until April 2020. It was formed ...

, Fleet Air Arm; Gannett AEW3, COD4, T5

Units

The following units were here at some point:

Redevelopment

The former married quarters were transferred to the MoD's preferred property agents,

Annington Homes Annington Homes is a provider of privately rented homes in the United Kingdom, specialising in converting former Ministry of Defence (MoD) housing for the general public since 1996. Since 2012, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of T ...

, who started a lengthy process of upgrading the former military housing into civilian houses for sale on the open market. During January 2007, the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

expressed an interest in the site, and in early February earmarked it for potential use as an immigration detention facility, but this was subsequently ruled out. In July 2007, a petition was set up on the

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

website to campaign for Coltishall to be reopened as a civil airfield. In December 2007, fresh reports in the media suggested the site would be used as a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

, but this angered local residents who had not been informed of the disposal progress. In January 2009, plans to build a Category C prison at the site was approved by

North Norfolk District Council North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

(NNDC). The entire technical site then became under the control of the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

(MoJ), and building works to convert all of the former male single-persons living accommodation H-blocks and the Junior Ranks Mess and

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the United Kingdom, British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their fam ...

social club, along with the completion of the dual perimeter fences, and a new access road began in 2009. This new establishment became known as HM Prison Bure, named after the nearby

River Bure The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in the Broads.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS Explorer Map OL40 - The Broads''. . The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of ...

, can house over 500 male sex offenders. On 19 July 2010, North Norfolk District Council proposed that the entire site should be designated as a

conservation area (United Kingdom) In the United Kingdom, the term conservation area almost always applies to an area (usually urban or the core of a village) of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which is considered worthy of preservation or enhancemen ...

because of its historical and architectural interest. In 2013, the remainder of the former RAF Coltishall technical site became known as the Scottow Enterprise Park, taking up approximately 600 acres of the former RAF base. Its repurposed military buildings are now home to tenants in industries from construction to film. In April 2015, Scottow Moor Solar Limited built a

solar farm A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building ...

on the site. In April 2016, another of solar panels were added, bringing the solar farm's total capacity to . In June 2019, a British aircraft manufacturer became established at the airfield.

Swift Aircraft Swift Aircraft Limited is a Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom, British aerospace manufacturer that designs the Swift II aerobatic training aircraft. Swift II The Swift II is a side-by-side, two-seat Training aircraft, training and aer ...

have been allowed to produce up to 98 aircraft a year, and use its

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

for up to eight flights per day by the local government. This will employ roughly 100 local people. The main guardroom has been turned into a Heritage Centre documenting the history of the site.

Heritage

Station badge and motto

RAF Coltishall's

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fir ...

, awarded in January 1953, features a

fortified tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of ...

with a clenched gauntlet holding three blue

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

s (bind bolts). The tower relates to the strength in defence of the station. The gauntlet and arrows represent the fighter aircraft based at the station and their aggressive nature. The station's

is 'Aggressive in Defence'.

Gate guardians

Norwich County Hall Archive Centre - geograph

Prior to closure, Coltishall had two

s. The first (on display outside the main gate and security fence) was a

Jaguar S Jaguar R and R-S/SVR models are a range of Performance car, high performance versions of certain car models from the British automotive marque Jaguar Cars, part of parent business Jaguar Land Rover. These cars primarily focus on enhanced "sports ...

which was an airframe formed from various Jaguars, including the front fuselage of XW563. It arrived from RAF Brüggen in 2001 and was on display at the main gate until February 2007 when it was relocated to

County Hall. A replica

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

Hawker Hurricane was on display on the roundabout in front of Station Headquarters from 1989, until it was relocated to

in October 2006.

Built heritage

In September 2010, the former RAF Coltishall site was designated as a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

and Broadland District Council. Parts of the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

were designated as

s in March 2008. The designation covers a single Second World War era aircraft dispersal point (labeled as a 'fighter pen') and eight pairs of Cold War era dispersal

blast walls dating from the 1950s.

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

describes the blast walls as rare and outstandingly well preserved. The former

Officers' Mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

was designated as a

grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in October 2017. The neo-Georgian style building was built between 1939 and 1940. On July 18, 2024, Jaguar XZ384 left storage RAF Cosford arriving on July 19 at the former RAF Coltishall, where it has been placed as an exhibit next to the Java Bean Cafe and Coffee Roasters on site. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/jaguar/survivor.php?id=1096

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * *.

External links

*
RAF Coltishall – A Photographic Characterisation by English HeritageRAF Coltishall – Conservation Area AppraisalThe Spirit of Coltishall Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coltishall Military units and formations established in 1940 Royal Air Force stations in Norfolk Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom Airports in England Military units and formations disestablished in 2006