Swansea Airport on Fairwood Common - geograph

Royal Air Force Fairwood Common, or more simply RAF Fairwood Common, 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 ...

sector station located on

Fairwood Common Fairwood Common is a large area of barely populated common land in the heart of the Gower Peninsula, south Wales. It forms part of the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Swansea Airport is located in the middle of the common. This was d ...

, on the

Gower Peninsula The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards th ...

, to the west of

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

. It is now the location of

Swansea Airport Swansea Airport () is located in the middle of Fairwood Common on the Gower Peninsula to the west of Swansea, Wales. Operations Swansea Airport has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P867) (currently suspended) that allows flights for the publ ...

History

Station design

The airfield had six pens for single-

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

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 ...

, two aircraft to a pen, and nine pens for twin-engined aircraft along its western and southern sides, and the perimeter track had hard-standing for twenty nine fighter aircraft. It was constructed with three

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, ...

s; 23/05 northeast-southeast 1463 m (4800 ft) long; 29/11 west-east 1249 m (4100 ft) long; and 33/15 northwest-southeast 1249 m (4100 ft) long. It had an extensive system of

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 ...

s running parallel to and interconnecting with, the runways. The airfield had three

Bellman hangar The Bellman Hangar was designed in the United Kingdom in 1936 by the Directorate of Works structural engineer, N. S. Bellman, as a temporary aircraft hangar capable of being erected or dismantled by unskilled labour with simple equipment and to b ...

s and eight

Blister hangar A blister hangar is a type of arched, portable aircraft hangar. It was designed by Graham Dawbarn, who also designed buildings at a number of airports, and was patented by Miskins and Sons in 1939. It was originally made of wooden ribs clad with ...

RAF Fighter Command

Taking a year to construct and using a large amount of industrial spoil to level and stabilise what was a

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

, RAF Fairwood Common opened under No. 10 Group RAF, on the 15 June 1941. Built as a day and night fighter station elements of the first day fighter squadron arrived on 14 June 1941 ( 79 Squadron equipped with

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 ...

aircraft), shortly followed by the first night fighter squadron (a flight of 600 Squadron equipped with

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufor ...

Mk.II aircraft) and by the end of June 1941 a second Hurricane equipped day fighter squadron arrived (

No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 317 "City of Wilno" Polish Fighter Squadron () was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941. It was one of 15 squadrons of the Polish Ai ...

). On the 25 October 1941 RAF Fairwood Common became a sector station. All aspects of the air defence of

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

was covered by the Fairwood Sector. From December 1941 the forward airfield

RAF Angle Royal Air Force Angle or more commonly RAF Angle, is a former Royal Air Force station located on the Angle Peninsula Coast, west of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was operational from 1 June 1941 to 11 July 1946, having been used by both th ...

became part of the sector. On 23 January 1942, No. 615 Squadron (County of Surrey) Auxiliary Air Force, arrived from

, equipped with Hawker Hurricane fighters, operating there until 17 March when the squadron moved by train to

Liverpool Docks The Port of Liverpool is the enclosed Dock (maritime), dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, Merseyside, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Great Float, Birkenhead Docks betwee ...

, boarding the

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (; 14 September 1547 – 13 May 1619), Lord of the manor, Heer van Berkel en Rodenrijs (1600), Gunterstein (1611) and Bakkum (1613), was a Dutch statesman and revolutionary who played an important role in the Dutch rev ...

. On 20 March the ship moved to the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

and then, filled with Army and RAF personnel, on 23 March it sailed in convoy to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. In November 1943 No. 456 Squadron RAAF arrived from

RAF Colerne Royal Air Force Colerne or more simply RAF Colerne is a former Royal Air Force station which was on the outskirts of the village of Colerne in Wiltshire, England, and was in use from 1939 to 1976. The site is now known as Azimghur Barracks a ...

, equipped with a mix of

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 " ...

II and VI aircraft. On 29 January 1944 it re-equipped with Mosquito NF XVII, but by the end of February the squadron had moved to

RAF Ford HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex, England, near Arundel and Littlehampton. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Air Force and Navy use B ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

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 ...

then arrived which was notably the last squadron in the UK to be equipped with

night fighter aircraft. The squadron left RAF Fairwood Common in June 1944 and the airfield ceased to be an operational base. RAF Fairwood Common carried out the function of Armament Practice Camp, for the squadrons of

No. 83 Group RAF No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group is a group within the Royal Air Force, currently based at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Originally formed in 1943, during the Second World War it formed part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force (2TAF) and was known as No ...

and

No. 84 Group RAF No. 84 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force RAF Second Tactical Air Force, Second Tactical Air Force which was operational during the Second World War It was formed at Cowley Barracks, Oxford on 15 July 1943. By 24 July 1944 a Rear Headqu ...

of the

RAF Second Tactical Air Force The Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the World War II, Second World War. It was made up of Squadron (aviation), squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other Co ...

, when in October 1943, No. 11 Armament Practice Camp (APC) was formed at the airbase. In August 1944 it was joined by No. 18 Armament Practice Camp. In July 1945 they joined to become No. 1 Armament Practice Station which remained until the spring of 1946. During this period a large number of different aircraft types visited RAF Fairwood Common, with around forty squadrons taking part in firing practice between 1943 and 1946. RAF Fairwood Common was targeted by the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

''. The worst raid was on the 16 February 1943 when eleven ''Luftwaffe'' bombers attacked and bombed the airfield. Unfortunately three female auxiliary of the British Royal Air Force (WAAF) were killed. Two ''Luftwaffe''

Dornier Do 217 The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. It was a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937-38 as a heavy bomber ...

bomber aircraft were shot down by a

of No. 125 Squadron RAF. No. 595 Squadron RAF, an anti-aircraft co-operation unit with duties over central and southern

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, became a permanent resident at RAF Fairwood Common from 27 April 1946. The unit was equipped with

Miles Martinet The Miles M.25 Martinet was a target tug aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA) that was in service during the Second World War. It was the first British aircraft to be designed specifically for target towing. Work on t ...

I, a

target tug A target tug is an aircraft which tows an unmanned drone, a fabric drogue or other kind of target, for the purposes of gun or missile target practice. Target tugs are often conversions of transport and utility aircraft, as well as obsolescent c ...

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed Ltd, Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombin ...

I and II, a twin-engine

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

aircraft, and

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 ...

Mk XI and LF.XVIe, a single-seat

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

. A shortage of

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

s meant it took two days to move all the squadron’s aircraft. No 691 Squadron RAF used their Airspeed Oxford aircraft to ferry 'on loan' pilots back to

RAF Aberporth Aberporth is a seaside village, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales. The population at the 2001 Census, was 2,485, of whom 49 per cent could speak the Welsh language. At the 2011 Census, the population of the community was 2,374 a ...

. No. 595 Squadron RAF remained at RAF Fairwood Common until 22 October 1946 when it left for

RAF Pembrey Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range located near the village of Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, northwest of Burry Port and south of Carmarthen, Wales. Adjacent to the weapons range site is a former Royal Air ...

. On 12 March 1946, a Supermarine Spitfire, piloted by

Flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

Abbott of No. 595 Squadron RAF, operating out of RAF Aberporth, was diverted to RAF Fairwood Common, due to the airfield at Aberporth being water-logged. It was then agreed he could operate out of RAF Fairwood Common until his home airfield had dried out. Tragically, on the 21 March, while flying in and out of cloud, the aircraft crashed for no apparent reason and he was killed. No. 691 Squadron RAF, an anti-aircraft cooperation squadron, arrived at the airfield in July 1946 from

RAF Weston Zoyland Royal Air Force Westonzoyland, or more simply RAF Westonzoyland, is located approximately east-southeast of Bridgwater, Somerset; about west-southwest of London. It was opened in 1925 with summer camps lasting from May until September each ...

, but departed for

RAF Chivenor Royal Air Force Chivenor, or more simply RAF Chivenor, is a former Royal Air Force station located on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton. Originally a ...

in October. The unit was equipped with Airspeed Oxford I,

Vultee A-31 Vengeance The Vultee A-31 Vengeance is an American dive bomber of World War II that was built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was called A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States but was operated as a front-line aircraft ...

Mk IV target tug aircraft, Miles Martinet I target tug aircraft and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVI fighter aircraft. Its aircraft were also used for light transport duties and other special flights. RAF Fairwood Common was used as a

diversionary airfield Diversion airports are airports capable of handling a particular ETOPS The Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS) () are safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for Twinjet, twin-e ...

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

RAF Transport Command RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 19 ...

and the

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and there were a number of notable incidents. On the 29 March 1944, a USAAF

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

was diverted to RAF Fairwood Common due to bad weather. The

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...

had run out of fuel as it approached the airfield. The pilot and crew chief remained on board while the rest of the

aircrew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviatio ...

baled out to safety. The pilot attempted an

emergency landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...

which resulted in both the pilot and crew chief being badly injured, and whilst the pilot recovered, sadly, the crew chief died. On the 9 April 1944, a

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...

Mk III, of No. 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF based at RAF Pocklington, crashed into a WAAF hut while making an emergency landing. Sadly, one female auxiliary was killed, and several others were injured. A

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of t ...

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

, suffering from an engine fire, attempted to make an emergency landing, in August 1944. However, the aircraft hit some trees, causing it to crash. The aerodrome had fulfilled a variety of military roles during the Second World War. By 1946 the RAF Squadrons had left and the airfield was put under care and maintenance.

Swansea Airport

Fairwood Common airfield was developed into Swansea's civic airport. In 1957 it officially opened as

Morton Air Services Morton Air Services was one of the earliest post-World War II private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations United Kingdom, British airlines formed in 1945. It mainly operated regional short-haul scheduled services within the ...

operated a service to

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...

near

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

, England, and

Cambrian Airways Cambrian Airways was an airline based in the United Kingdom which ran operations from Cardiff Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport between 1935 and 1974. It was incorporated into British Airways when BOAC, BEA, Cambrian and Northeast mer ...

ran scheduled flights to the

Crown Dependencies The Crown Dependencies are three dependent territory, offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the The Crown, British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, both lo ...

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

and

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

. The original

control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled a ...

has changed in appearance. Only one of the Bellman hangars exists but has been renovated.

Royal Air Force operational history

Fighter Squadrons

No. 79 Squadron RAF, equipped with

IIb and IIb aircraft, arrived on the opening of the station, relocating from the nearby

. This started off a succession of single-seat day fighter squadrons to stay for brief periods. No. 79 Squadron was tasked with defending

, the

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

and shipping in the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

. One of their flight commanders was

Roland Beamont Wing Commander Roland Prosper "Bee" Beamont, (10 August 1920 – 19 November 2001) was a British fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and an experimental test pilot during and after the Second World War. He was the first British pilot to ...

and they were to stay until the 24 December 1941, moving to RAF Baginton. For a short time No. 600 Squadron RAF, known as No. 600 (City of London) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, which operated as a night fighter squadron, was stationed at RAF Fairwood Common. Equipped with

aircraft, the squadron arrived on 18 June 1941 and departed on the 27th to

, also referred to as No. 317 "City of

Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

" Polish Fighter Squadron, arrived on the 27 June 1941 from RAF Colerne. Equipped with Hawker Hurricane I aircraft, the squadron stayed until 21 July, and were immediately followed by No. 504 Squadron RAF, or No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron, equipped with Hawker Hurricane IIb aircraft, who effectively replaced them until the 11 August 1941. No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron provided fighter cover for a daylight raid on

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

. All aircraft returned, with two ''

'' aircraft claimed destroyed and a further one damaged. A week before departing RAF Fairwood Common, the squadron claimed a

Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a twin-engined multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works. It was used extensively during the Second World War by the ''Luftwaffe'' and became one o ...

over the Bristol Channel. Nos. 79 and 504 Squadron's Hawker Hurricane aircraft took part in an escort sortie from RAF Fairwood Common, to support a raid on the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...

of Brest, on the 24 July 1941. No. 125 Squadron RAF, also known as No. 125 (Newfoundland) Squadron RAF, arrived on 24 September 1941 to provide night fighter cover, equipped with

Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter" to meet the RAF requirement for day and ...

Mk I aircraft. They remained at RAF Fairwood Common, either as a squadron or a detachment, through to September 1942, re-equipping initially with Boulton Paul Defiant Mk II, and later followed by Bristol Beaufighter IIF. They provided night fighter cover for the sector, notably shooting down a Junkers Ju 88 on the 27 June 1942. January 1942 saw the arrival of

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 ...

equipped with

VB fighter aircraft. The squadron stayed at RAF Fairwood Common briefly until the 24th, but on the same day

No. 615 Squadron RAF No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1937 and 1957. History Formation and early years No. 615 squadron was formed at RAF Kenley as part of the Auxilia ...

, also known as No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron, replaced them, equipped with

IIB and IIC fighter aircraft and staying until they departed for India on the 17 March 1942. On the 10 February 1942

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, Nairobi, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland ne ...

equipped No. 263 Squadron RAF arrived, remaining until the 18 April when the squadron left for RAF Angle. October 1942 saw No. 536 Squadron RAF, one of the

Turbinlite The Helmore/ GEC Turbinlite was a 2,700 million candela (2.7 Gcd) searchlight fitted in the nose of a number of British Douglas Havoc night fighters during the early part of the Second World War and around the time of The Blitz. The ...

nightfighter squadrons, arrive. It was equipped with

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

and Hawker Hurricane IIC aircraft, however, the squadron disbanded at RAF Fairwood Common on the 25 January 1943.

402 Squadron 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron () is a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Pre-war history 402 Squadron began on 5 October 1932 as Number 12 Army Co-operation Squadron, a unit of the non-permanent active Air F ...

, known as 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron arrived on the 17 March, equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Vb aircraft. They remained until the 14 May. No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF returned on the 18 April, operating with Supermarine Spitfire Vb aircraft, and stayed until the 2 May. No. 421 Squadron RCAF, known as No. 421 (Red Indian) Squadron RCAF, arrived, also operating Supermarine Spitfire Vb, and it remained at RAF Fairwood Common until the 26 October.

412 Transport Squadron No. 412 Transport Squadron is one of three Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) transport squadrons attached to Ottawa, Ontario. The squadron operates with a strength of about 29 out of the ''Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr. Annex.'' ''The ...

, known as No. 412 Squadron (Falcon) Squadron RCAF, arrived on the 8 February 1943. It was equipped with

Vb and had a couple of spells at RAF Fairwood Common. On the 15 April 1943

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 ...

arrived, equipped with

F Mk.II fighter aircraft. They were used for long-range fighter sweeps over occupied Europe and for long-range convoy escort duties. The squadron left on the 7 August 1943, but were replaced the same day by

No. 264 Squadron RAF No. 264 Squadron RAF, also known as No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. World War I No. 264 Squadron was first formed during the First World War, from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights, No. ...

, which also operated de Havilland Mosquito F Mk.II aircraft. Re-equippeing with de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk. VI in August, it left on the 7 November 1943. No. 456 Squadron RAAF arrived on the 17 November. It replaced its de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk. VI with NF Mk.XVII in January 1944 and left in the February for RAF Colerne. Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIF equipped

was the final fighter squadron to operate from RAF Fairwood Common, leaving on the 23 June 1944.

Armament Practice Camp

No. 11 Armament Practice Camp RAF formed at RAF Fairwood Common on the 18 October 1943 by merging 1487 (Fighter) Gunnery and 1498 (Target Towing) Flights. It was equipped with

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British Army cooperation aircraft, army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operat ...

IIIA,

Miles Master The Miles M.9 Master was a British two-seat monoplane advanced trainer designed and built by aviation company Miles Aircraft, Miles Aircraft Ltd. It was inducted in large numbers into both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA) durin ...

I, II and III,

Mk IIa, and

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...

I. On 4 August 1944, No. 11 APC was joined at RAF Fairwood Common by No. 18 Armament Practice Camp RAF, a unit that had been initially formed at

RAF Gravesend Gravesend Airport, located southeast of Gravesend town centre, Kent and west of Rochester. It was operated from 1932 until 1956. It was initially a civil airfield, and became a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Gravesend during the Second W ...

on the 18 October 1943, by re-designating No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF. It was equipped with

III and IIIA,

IV,

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems we ...

IB,

Taylorcraft Auster The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison aircraft, liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Auster Aircraft, Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited company during the Second World War. Design and development The Auster ...

III,

IX,

II and

I. Its role was in converting squadrons operating Hawker Hurricane, to Hawker Typhoon aircraft. Broughton Burrows was the primary target

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

for the two Armament Practice Camps. The targets were made of

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

and

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

which was used by Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Typhoon aircraft for their

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

and

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

s; the latter’s

warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...

s being

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

practice rounds. There was an alternative range near

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...

, at

Margam Margam is a suburb and community (Wales), community of Port Talbot in the Wales, Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, close to junction 39 of the M4 motorway. The community had a population of 3,017 in 2011; the built up area being l ...

, where floating targets were used. This was mainly the range where the Armament Practice Camps could

practice Practice or practise may refer to: Education and learning * Practice (learning method), a method of learning by repetition * Phantom practice, phenomenon in which a person's abilities continue to improve, even without practicing * Practice-based ...

their

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

, as the range included two Practice Bombing Targets with a radius of safety clearance and a single Live Bombing Target with a radius of safety, out over the sea. Notably, this range was historically important as this was the one used for the attempts at

OBOE The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

guided bombing, supported by the

Chain Home Low Chain Home Low (CHL) was the name of a British early warning radar system operated by the RAF during World War II. The name refers to CHL's ability to detect aircraft flying at altitudes below the capabilities of the original Chain Home (CH) r ...

radar station on top of Mynedd Margam. The Armament Practice Camps also used a range in the

Preseli Mountains The Preseli Mountains (, ; or ), also known as the Preseli Hills, or just the Preselis, are a range of hills in western Wales, mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and entirely within the county of Pembrokeshire. The range ...

Maenclochog Maenclochog () is a village, parish and Community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It is also the name of Maenclochog (electoral ward), an electoral ward comprising a wider area of four surrounding communities. Maenclochog C ...

. This was the disused

North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway The North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway was a railway company in south-west Wales, incorporated to extend the moribund Narberth Road and Maenclochog Railway, with a view to developing a port on Fishguard Bay and ferry services to Rosslare ...

railway line which included

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

s and a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

Locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s with some

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

to form a

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

, were pulled using a

wire rope Steel wire rope (right hand lang lay) Wire rope is composed of as few as two solid, metal wires twisted into a helix that forms a composite ''rope'', in a pattern known as ''laid rope''. Larger diameter wire rope consists of multiple strands of ...

, by another locomotive. With a pre-arranged arrival, a

combat aircraft A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Some military aircraft engage directly in aerial warfare, while others take on support roles: * Combat aircraft, ...

would approach at around , through a

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland *Pass, Poland, a village in Poland *El Paso, Texas, a city which translates to "The Pass" * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see Li ...

and over a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

, then turning right. The train would be on an

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railway ...

at the same

height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For an example of vertical extent, "This basketball player is 7 foot 1 inches in height." For an e ...

. This stretch was used by the

and also by the

. The uniqueness was being able to fire away, as if it were an enemy railway. No. 1 Armament Practice Station RAF formed on the 1 July 1945 at RAF Fairwood Common by merging Nos. 11 and 18 Armament Practice Camps. The unit operated various types of aircraft: *

II and III *

de Havilland Dominie The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide is a 1930s short-haul biplane airliner developed and produced by British aircraft company de Havilland. Capable of accommodating 6–8 passengers, it proved an economical and durable craft, despite its outd ...

Mk I *

North American Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

Mk III and Mk IVA *

Mk XVI *

Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest is a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest, originally known as the ''Typhoon II'', was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to a ...

Mk.V No. 1 APS disbanded on 1 May 1946 at RAF Fairwood Common.

Squadrons Completing Courses of Ground Attack

List of Royal Air Force squadrons completing the ground attack courses at RAF Fairwood Common, via the Armament Practice Camps.

Air Sea Rescue

Supermarine Walrus at Warmwell WWII IWM CH 18540

Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Pembrey/Fairwood Common disbanded at RAF Fairwood Common on the 21 October 1941. It merged with Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Warmwell to become 'D' Flight, No. 276 Squadron RAF. No. 276 Squadron RAF, an Air Sea Rescue Squadron, provided a detachment equipped with

IIIA aircraft and

Supermarine Walrus The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine Amphibious aircraft, amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British Squadron (aviation), squadron-service ai ...

single-engine

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s, to RAF Fairwood Common. This was due to the size of the operations which now covered the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

as well as the

. This unit remained until April 1944.

Other Units

Anti-aircraft Co-operation

List of anti-aircraft co-operation units that operated at RAF Fairwood Common: * No. 595 Squadron RAF * No. 691 Squadron RAF * Detachment of No. 285 Squadron RAF (1943) * Detachment of No. 286 Squadron RAF (1942) * Detachment of No. 288 Squadron RAF (1944) * Detachment of No. 577 Squadron RAF (1943)

RAF Regiment

Units of the

Royal Air Force Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by Royal Warrant in 1942, the Corps carries-out security tasks relating to the protection of assets and personnel dedicated ...

that were based at RAF Fairwood Common at some point: * No. 2705 Squadron RAF Regiment * No. 2722 Squadron RAF Regiment *

No. 2786 Squadron RAF Regiment This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties. First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...

No. 2790 Squadron RAF Regiment This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties. First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...

* No. 2799 Squadron RAF Regiment * No. 4138 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment

Gliding Units

Units of Royal Air Force Gliding Schools and

Volunteer Gliding Squadron A Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) is an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which provides flying training in glider aircraft for Royal Air Force Air Cadets. All current operational Volunteer Gliding Squadrons operate a sole type ...

s that were based at RAF Fairwood Common at some point: * No. 70 Gliding School RAF * No. 634 Gliding School RAF * No. 636 Gliding School RAF * No. 636 Volunteer Gliding Squadron RAF

Servicing Units

* No. 2 Fighter Command Servicing Unit RAF

Flights

* RAF Fairwood Common Station Flight * RADAR Meteorological Flight RAF

Royal Air Force 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 Fairwood Common''.

Previous units

The following squadrons were here at some point: Additional units;

Current use

Renamed Fairwood Common, the aerodrome became the home of Swansea and District Flying Club and School and they hosted a number of air shows, air races and motor sports events from 1950 to 1955. In 1957 the County Borough of Swansea took over the aerodrome and on 1 June 1957

was officially opened by Group Captain Douglas R S Bader, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar. The airport was developed for commercial usage by Cambrian Airways Ltd on behalf of the local council.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

Swansea Airport – official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairwood Common Royal Air Force stations in Wales Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom