Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett 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 ...
satellite station, located in the village of
Westhampnett near
Chichester
Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
, 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 ...
of
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 ...
.
It was built as an emergency landing airfield for
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 ...
, as a satellite station to
RAF Tangmere
Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain.
It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Seco ...
. Built on land belonging to the
Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond,
Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.
History
Royal Air Force use
Squadrons
*
No. 41 Squadron RAF., from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating
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 ...
Vb
*
No. 43 Squadron RAF
Number 43 Squadron, nicknamed ''the Fighting Cocks'', was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron originally formed in April 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. It saw distinguished service during two world wars, producing numerous Flying ace, ...
*
No. 65 Squadron RAF (1941)
*
No. 91 Squadron RAF (1943)
*
No. 118 Squadron RAF (1943 & 1944)
*
No. 124 Squadron RAF (1942 & 1944)
*
No. 129 Squadron RAF (1941 & 1942)
*
No. 130 Squadron RAF (1944)
*
No. 131 Squadron RAF (1942-43)
*
No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating
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 ...
. (1940)
*
No. 167 Squadron RAF (1943)
*
No. 174 Squadron RAF (1943-44)
*
No. 175 Squadron RAF (1944)
*
No. 184 Squadron RAF (1944)
*
No. 245 Squadron RAF
No. 245 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew as an anti-submarine squadron during World War I and as a fighter squadron during World War II. After the war it was first a jet-fighter squadron and its last role was as a radar-cal ...
(1943-44)
*
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron (1940-41)
*
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron (1944)
*
No. 340 Squadron RAF (1942)
*
No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron (1944)
*
No. 402 Squadron RCAF (1944)
*
No. 416 Squadron RCAF
The numero sign or numero symbol, (also represented as Nº, No̱, No., or no.), is a Typography, typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating Ordinal numeral, ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example ...
(1942)
*
No. 441 Squadron RCAF (1944)
*
No. 442 Squadron RCAF (1944)
*
No. 443 Squadron RCAF (1944)
*
No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF (1943)
*
No. 501 Squadron RAF (1943 & 1944)
*
No. 602 Squadron RAF - operating
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 ...
(1940)
*
No. 610 Squadron RAF - operating
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 ...
(1941, 1943 & 1944)
*
No. 614 Squadron RAF
*
No. 616 Squadron RAF
*
787 Naval Air Squadron.
Units
* No. 83 Group Support Unit during November 1944
*
No. 121 Airfield RAF between October 1943 and April 1944
*
No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield RAF during April 1944
* No. 402 Air Stores Park between October 1943 and January 1944
* Detachment of No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight between June and July 1943
* Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett during November 1941
United States Army Air Forces
*
31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942.
Current use
Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the
Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and
Chichester/Goodwood Airport.
See also
*
List of former Royal Air Force stations
*
Goodwood Circuit
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Royal Air Force - Battle of Britain 11 Group page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westhampnett
Military units and formations established in 1940
Royal Air Force stations in West Sussex
Military units and formations disestablished in 1946
Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom