RAF Pembrey
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Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range is a
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 ...
air weapons range located near the village of Pembrey,
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
, northwest of
Burry Port Burry Port () is a port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the River Loughor, Loughor estuary (Moryd Llwchwr), to the west of Llanelli and south-east of Kidwelly. Its population was recorded at 5,680 in the 2001 census and 6,156 ...
and south of
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...
,
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 ...
. Adjacent to the weapons range site 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 known as Royal Air Force Pembrey, or more simply RAF Pembrey, which closed in 1957 and of which part is now in civilian use as Pembrey Airport.


History


RAF Pembrey


RAF Training Command

The site for Pembrey was acquired in 1937. The airfield was allocated to No. 25 Group RAF, of RAF Training Command during its construction, and it officially opened on the 6 May 1940. The site was known as Towyn Burrows and was only just higher than the high tide level. Situated between
Burry Port Burry Port () is a port town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the River Loughor, Loughor estuary (Moryd Llwchwr), to the west of Llanelli and south-east of Kidwelly. Its population was recorded at 5,680 in the 2001 census and 6,156 ...
and
Kidwelly Kidwelly () is a town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...
, it was on a marshy area of
coastline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...
, the Cefn Sidan Sands and Pembrey Forest were between the shoreline and the airfield. The airfield opened in March 1939, and by September 1939 No. 2 Air Armament School RAF was the first unit to be stationed at the airfield, indeed, from September 1939 to June 1940 the airfield was used to train armourers and air mechanics by No. 2 AAS.


RAF Fighter Command

From the 20 June 1940, the airfield was transferred to No. 10 Group RAF of
RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It operated throughout the Second World War, winning fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The ...
. Pembrey was used throughout 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 ...
to rest squadrons from the defending against
the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...
, and also to provide air defence for South Wales and to protect convoys.
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 ...
pilots of No. 92 Squadron used Pembrey as their base from the 18 June 1940. These included
Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior 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. Squadron leader is immediatel ...
Stanford Tuck, until 12 August, Geoffrey Wellum, the author of the 2002 memoir "First Light", and Tony Bartley. During the Battle of Britain, No. 92 Squadron pilots who were to be at readiness at dawn, spent the night in a tent set up near the aircraft. No. 92 Squadron returned to RAF Biggin Hill on the 9 September, during the air battle’s peak. From January to March 1941, 256 Squadron operated from Pembrey. In early 1941, No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron was formed at Pembrey, inflicted losses on enemy aircraft, and moved on to
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 ...
in June. RAF Fairwood Common and RAF Angle had taken over the
air defence Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...
of the
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 ( ...
area by the middle of 1941 and RAF Pembrey was allocated to RAF Flying Training Command.


RAF Flying Training Command

Between 1941 and 1945 Pembrey was host to the RAF's No. 1 Air Gunners School, involving
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. ...
and
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 ...
bombers and Spitfire fighter aircraft, and included experimental courses. From 1943 to 1945,
Wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior 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. Wing commander is immediately se ...
George Peter Macdonald, was the
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 ...
of No. 1 Air Gunners School RAF, and the Station Commander of RAF Pembrey.


Operational Conversion Unit

No 233 OCU formed in September 1952, at RAF Pembrey. The OCU's Badge featured the head of a
Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
, indicative of the fierce fighting spirit. The OCU's Welsh
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 ''Ymlaen''; The English translation is 'Forward'. The OCUs de Havilland Vampire aircraft displayed the badge below the front quarter-light of the cockpit and was the OCUs aircraft's only markings. The Station badge was also the No 233 OCU badge during this period, and was displayed on all the RAF Pembrey vehicles. The Operational Conversion Unit disbanded in September 1957 and the station closed soon afterwards.


Incidents

*In June 1942, a ''
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 ...
''
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...
fighter aircraft landed at RAF Pembrey in error, after a dog fight over 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 ...
.
Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
Armin Faber, adjutant of III. fighter Gruppe of JG2, had been engaged by Supermarine Spitfire aircraft of
No. 19 Squadron RAF No. 19 Squadron (sometimes written as No. XIX Squadron) is a Squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to operate the Supermarine Spitfire. It currently operates the UK's Control and Reporting Centre from RAF ...
and the Czech Wing, over south
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, England, on 23 June. Being forced north beyond
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, Faber mistook 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 ...
for the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. Short on fuel, he landed at Pembrey, believing it to be a ''Luftwaffe'' airfield in the
Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gu ...
,
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, France. The Pembrey Duty Pilot grabbed a Very pistol, ran from the
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 ...
, and jumped onto the wing of Faber's aircraft as it taxied. Faber was taken to RAF Fairwood Common by
Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...
David Atcherley for
interrogation Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful informa ...
. Faber was piloting the latest ''Luftwaffe'' fighter aircraft, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3, a type the RAF had only seen flying over France. The depths of Faber's despair at providing his enemy with an intact Focke-Wulf Fw 190 can be gauged by the fact that he subsequently attempted to commit
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
. As news broke of his landing in Pembrey, RAF Fighter Command dispatched pilots to photograph and move the aircraft to the
Royal Aircraft Establishment The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...
at Farnborough. The RAF finally had an Focke-Wulf Fw 190 to compare with its V.S Spitfire IX and
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 ...
Ia aircraft. *In September 1953, a
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...
crashed at the airfield, killing the pilot, Squadron Leader Lionel Hubert Wakeford, DFC. Shortly before closure in June 1957, a
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...
I, (WT563), crashed on approach to the airfield, killing
Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/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. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...
Frederick William Rupert Vernon Jacques when he ejected at low level; the aircraft crashed into Kidwelly railway station. Both airmen were buried in St Illtyd
Churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...
, Pembrey, along with 32 wartime RAF casualties, including seven from the
Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel an ...
. *In 1968, a bomb exploded at the airfield, seriously injuring a
warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...
; in the "climate of sporadic bomb threats" the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
interviewed people in
Kidwelly Kidwelly () is a town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...
about whether they believed the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
should come to Wales.


Pembrey Airport

On 22 August 1997 Pembrey was officially opened as a civil airfield and named Pembrey Airport. Pembrey was associated as a service facility with the former RAF Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range, a Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) establishment. The airfield is now split into a number of facilities: the Welsh Motor Sports Centre occupies most of the area, part of the land has reverted to agriculture, part contains a hangar formerly used by the Dyfed-Powys Police Air Support, whilst of the north east portion of the former RAF Runway, 04/22, was opened as Pembrey West Wales Airport in August 1997. In 2009 it was expecting to operate charter flights into the airport. The airfield is also home to the Llanelli Model Flying Club.


Former units

Former squadrons include: *Nos 595/5, 92, 118 (Spitfires) *Nos 32, 79, 316 – formed at Pembrey. (
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
) *Nos 238, 248. ( Beaufighters) *Nos 256, 307. ( Boulton Paul Defiants) *No. 233 OCU (Vampires, Tempests,
Mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
s, Meteors and Hunters) Other former units include: * No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School RAF * No. 14 Operational Training Unit RAF * No. 41 Gliding School RAF * No. 225 Squadron RAF * No. 2742 Squadron RAF Regiment * No. 2875 Squadron RAF Regiment * Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Pembrey/Fairwood Common (1941) became 'D' Flight, No. 276 Squadron RAF * Pembrey Station Flight


Current operations


Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range

Pembrey Sands Air weapons range is an air-to-ground
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 ...
and strafing practice area. It also has a unique feature in that it can provide a beach environment to enable crews to establish a Temporary Landing Zone, to practise natural surface operations. A control tower and beach guard boxes are staffed to ensure the
general public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
do not enter the Air Weapons Range. Accommodation and kitchen facilities are available. One hour after low tide, landings can take place day or night, meaning training can take place in the dark.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...
aircraft regularly used the airstrip. The first test sand landing of an Airbus A400M Atlas has been completed. The facility has four Air Weapons Range targets; three are bombing targets and are used for both low-level attacks and dive-bombing. The fourth target is a strafe target, consisting of three strafe panels. Forward Air Control and Close Air Defence units use Pembrey AWR for realistic training. The range can also support Dry Training.


See also

* Pembrey Circuit a motor racing circuit on part of the former RAF airfield at Pembrey. * Court Farm, Pembrey * List of former Royal Air Force stations * List of Battle of Britain airfields *
List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons Squadrons are the main form of flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These include Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) squadrons incorporated into the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918, during the First World ...
* List of conversion units of the Royal Air Force * Castlemartin Training Area, a direct-fire Armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) live gunnery range, part of Defence Training Estate Pembrokeshire. * RAF Manorbier, Air Defence Range (ADR) Manorbier, a missile range, part of Defence Training Estate Pembrokeshire. * RAF Templeton, Templeton Dry Training Area, part of Defence Training Estate Pembrokeshire.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * Smith, David, J. (1981). ''Action Stations. 3: Military airfields of Wales and the North West''. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens Ltd. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Pembrey Royal Air Force stations in Wales Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Carmarthenshire