Steve Smith of Fighter Control and Runway Photography examines the history of a little known airbase located within 3,000 yards of RAF Brize Norton – the often forgotten RAF Broadwell.
Many of the Fighter Control regulars will know Brize Norton. They will also know that there is very little in the way of RAF bases in the immediate vicinity. Within 15 miles in either direction today we only have RAF Fairford. However not so in the early 1940s – we had Windrush, Southrop, Kelmscott, Down Ampney, Akeman Street, and Little Rissington. Amongst many others is an airbase which was a hub of activity, but is very rarely mentioned nowadays – RAF Broadwell.
The history of RAF Broadwell is not a particularly long one in comparison to its famous neighbour. Its origins can be traced back to the early 1940s when airfields were springing up left, right and centre across the country, as the British people hunkered down and prepared to face an onslaught from across the channel.
These were the days of RAF bases in practically every county, a force consisting of thousands of aircraft, and a deadly enemy not many miles away. There are certainly more ‘glamourous’ airbases from this era; Biggin Hill, Bassingbourn, Tangmere spring to mind, but few that will have been as vital in the run up to ‘Operation Overlord’ than Broadwell.
Broadwell began life on 15 November 1943, five years after Brize Norton and four years after the commencement of hostilities. No.46 Group, RAF Transport Command arrived in February 1944, bringing both 512 and 575 Squadrons of C-47 Dakotas. No.46 Group was spread around between Broadwell, Down Ampney and Blakehill Farm, both near Cirencester, all operating Dakotas.
As early 1944 wore on, the residents of local villages became very accustomed to the Dakotas flying overhead, streaming troops from their rear doors. Many practice drops were carried out in the area during March and April 1944. In particular, the village of Lechlade, five miles to the South of Broadwell became the setting for an intensive practice exercise during April 1944.
May 1944 saw both 8th and 9th Parachute Regiments in residence, along with 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles. A tented village had sprung up near the airfield and security was tightened in the run-up to what was to become D-Day. A signal was given, a seemingly innocuous occurrence to the men of RAF Broadwell, but the instruction to prepare for the invasion of occupied Europe to the base commanders – a Spitfire circled the airfield three times.
The moment came for base and both squadrons when they were brought into action on the night of 5th/6th June 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. 512 Squadron went airborne towards midnight; 32 aircraft taking off in less than 30 minutes, using runway 02. They headed northeast towards Banbury and met up with the other Squadrons from 46 Group. On board were hundreds of troops, to be dropped five miles behind enemy lines in occupied France.
The happenings on D-Day are well documented, but it is sufficient to say here that light anti-aircraft fire was encountered over Normandy and no Dakotas were damaged. The results of the parachute drop was disappointing, with many pilots failing to identify the Drop Zone.
Later on the 6th, they took to the skies again, this time towing Horsa gliders, containing the men of the 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles. One Broadwell aircraft was damaged on this sortie and ditched in the sea. The remaining aircraft came under fire from Allied naval forces in the English Channel. All Horsa gliders were able to find the Landing Zone, in a drop which took place at 9pm on the 6th.
This was the end of the D-Day action for RAF Broadwell. That night the flight crews slept soundly in their beds, whilst their Army colleagues from only 12 hours ago, were enduring a rough night in Nazi occupied France.
Once the beaches were secure and the allies were established on the mainland, 575 Squadron shuttled to and from the temporary landing strip at Camilly. They brought back over 250 casualties.
As the allies pushed further into France, the need for units such as 512 and 575 Squadron was diminished. They were called into action again in March 1945, this time operating from RAF Gosfield, once again flying with Horsa gliders, but this time to aid the crossing of the Rhine (Operation Varsity). The aircraft returned to Broadwell after the operation was over.
What became of RAF Broadwell after the war?
There was no let up in the operations from Broadwell. The transport services were very much in demand, both to various locations around Europe, but also as far away as India and the Middle East. 6 August 1945 saw the arrival of No’s 10, 76, 77 and 78 Squadrons. All were recently transferred from Bomber Command to Transport Command and were re-equipping with Dakotas. At least two of these units (10 and 77 Squadrons) were former Halifax Squadrons. They stayed until just after VJ Day before being re-assigned to the Middle East and Far East.
In October 1945, No.271 Squadron took up residence at Broadwell, again flying Dakotas, this time however they were flying a transport service to India. They soon became No.77 Squadron (the aforementioned No. 77 Squadron having been disbanded) and began operating to Europe, before they were moved out to RAF Manston in December 1946.
What became of Broadwell’s resident Squadrons after the war?
In the last few months of the war, 512 Squadron operated a transport service to and from Brussels. After brief spells in Palestine and Bari in Italy, the unit returned to the UK. It was disbanded on 14 March 1946. No. 575 Squadron found its transport services still very much in demand. However, 5 August 1945 found them relocated to RAF Melbourne, followed by RAF Blakehill Farm before following 512 Squadron to Bari. The squadron was disbanded on 15 August 1946. RAF Broadwell saw its last departure on 31st March 1947, and the airfield was returned to agriculture. At its height, the amount of traffic at Broadwell would have put Brize Norton to shame, with March 1944 alone recording over 400 sorties.
What about Broadwell today?
There are many remnants of Broadwell’s past, that is still present in the landscape today, but none more prominent than the Control Tower, which sits alone in a field just off the road which now disects the site. Some taxiways and runways have been removed, presumably smashed up for use as hardcore, but there are still some substantial chunks intact.
The Bomb Dump to the north of the site is located on private land, but is believed to contain many remains from its previous use. In addition, to the north of the site, are several M&E (Mechanical and Electrical) plants and one of the more unusual reminders – a small brick built ‘outhouse’.
Richard Drew’s excellent Atlantik Wall website provides the following map as to other dispersed sites around the area:
 |
Richard also documents part of the Bomb Dump, Ops Block and some domestic sites Atlantik Wall – Broadwell.
The site of former RAF Broadwell is certainly worth a visit, particularly for those who have an interest in the operations of the RAF during the Second World War. The whole atmosphere around the base is filled with faint essences of action, of important decisions being made and of vital conversations taking place. In the same way as those who have seen Sir Arthur Harris’ desk belonging to the RAF Museum will wonder what decisions were made over that table and of what documents were signed there. Broadwell is an emotive place to visit, it’s not too hard to imagine the hum of the Dakotas engines, with Horsa glider in tow, heading off to take their place in history.
In some ways, there is also a slight twinge of sadness in the air. For many men, Broadwell would have been their last experiences of their home country, as no doubt many of the soldiers who flew from here to France or Germany would not have returned to see England again.
The author would like to express his gratitude to two parties in particular. Firstly David Oakey, with whose permission we have been able to reproduce the wartime photographs and sketch plan of the airfield. His website (www.ox18.com) contains a wealth of information, both on RAF Broadwell and many of the surrounding villages in the OX18 postcode area. There are more documents relating to Broadwell here.
Secondly, we would like to thank Richard Drew, for the use of some material relating to the Ops Block and Bomb Dump. His excellent website provides many photographs of RAF Broadwell as it is today, and also scores of other abandoned airfields across the UK. www.atlantikwall.co.uk
If anyone has any wartime photographs of operations at Broadwell, we would be delighted to see them, and perhaps add them to this report. If you do, please e-mail a copy to steve@runwayphotography.co.uk.
Note – There any many public footpaths that cross the site and these can be found by parking in the lay-by adjacent the control tower. From here the footpaths are obvious. Please do not trespass on any areas that are on private land, or seek permission from the landowner before doing so.
References
- http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/broadwell/40thanv.htm
- http://www.atlantikwall.co.uk/atlantikwall/atlantikwall_html/broadwell.html/south_of_england.htm
- http://www.controltowers.co.uk/B/Broadwell.htm
- http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/8400120
- http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/60869-broadwell-airfield-oxon.html
- Rickard, J (1 May 2007), No. 10 Squadron (RAF): Second World War
- http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/ddaylandings/Dakota-aircraft-prepare-for-DDay.2113044.jpg
- http://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/unit_R575.htm
- www.ox18.com
Great to see these photos and well done. I’ve often wondered what had happened to the airfield. In 1976/77 I worked as a youngster in the Bradwell Grove Hospital – built to take the casualties back from DDay etc. The wards were still in those days housed in the ‘temporary’ wartime single story pre-fab buildings, with damp and dark corridors, but with lots of ground and sports field. There was still staff housing on the site – again war-time pre-fab.
During this time my father – a former WW2 RAF pilot who once landed in Broadwell and I, went to see the airfield but didn’t get more than a few feet onto the site when a guy – presumably the landowner, rifle in hand, ‘invited’ us to move off his property and no explanation from us would change his mind.
Havent been back there since when I moved away from Oxforshire so these photos are a nice reminder. (I used to get cadge lifts on VC10’s, Belfasts, and Britannia’s from Brize and also Chipmuks, Jet Provosts and a particularly hairy ride in a Varsity from Little Rissington just a few years earlier whilst in Witney ATC.
All the best
Hugh
I was a flight mechanic-airframes with 512 Sqdn at Broadwell. I remember doing a turn as duty crew in that watch-tower and also hitching a lift in a Horsa glider when a training exercise was in progress. Quite an experience. After VE day, 512 was posted to Holme-on-Spalding-Moor prior to a Far-East posting but the A-bomb was dropped before we got there and we finished up on a six months tour taking in Palestine, Egypt and Italy – and then back to the UK for 512 to be disbanded at Blakehill Farm. Those photographs bring back memories of Broadwell and of those who served there.
I came across RAF Broadwell at an exhibition – Lost Airfields of Oxfordshire – this summer. I understand that apart from the few existing remains, there’s nothing to mark the airfield’s existence. Maybe it’s right that airfields like this merge back into the landscape – they existed only for a short time after all – but it’s sad (and a little bit shocking) that there’s nothing to commemorate the fact that for a brief while what for the most part now are just fields, played such a vital role in our history, especially since, as you say, that for some who flew from them, it was their last experience of their home country.
Thank you to you and others like you for recording their existence before they are forgotten completely.
We used RAF Broadwell as a testing site for our model FPV planes and multi rotors a few times recently. Here is one of the videos if you guys are interested….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYnjtET_jpg&hd=1
Message to Desmond Goch (24 July 2013): If you were at Broadwell with 512sqn you may have known my father; Flt Lt Robert ‘Bob’ Hutchings. He was the daily servicing officer (Engines) with 512 and 575 Dakotas from June/July 44 until mid 45 and based at Raf Broadwell. I dont know if you can reply but if that name rings a bell from a while ago it would be good to have a chat.
I am a ground team member of the WW2 Airborne Demonstration Team based out of Frederick Oklahoma USA. Our C-47 42-92277, flew in the RAF as a Dakota I s/n FL633. It was based at RAF Broadwell with both 512 and 575 until it was transferred to Agartala India in May 1944.
Sadly as of May 2014 much of the site which was RAF Broadwell has been flattened and the remnants of the runway has been dug up. Its soon to be a solar farm providing power to a new housing estate. The old control tower is still in an adjacent field and part of the runway is still there to south where there is a bridleway. Still walk the dog there on occasion and cwn be a very pleasant walk. Its 5th June as I write this and its been a lovely warm summer’s evening. Hard to imagine 70 years ago it would of been a hive of activity as many soldiers and airmen headed off in support of the D day landings, sadly many to not return.
My father James MacDonald was an observer/navigator in Squadron 512 during WWII. I have been searching for records and photographs but thus far have come up empty. If anyone knows him I’d love to hear from you.
Dear Ellen, I wonder if your father James Mac Donald was Flight Sergeant J.W. McDonald, navigator or wireless operator of Dakota number FZ 649 of 512 RAF Squadron. J.W. McDonald flew in the major airborne operation over Arnhem on 17 September 1944 as shown in the report extract below: “Dakota FZ 649 UJ. Crew: F/L E.K. Buchanan, F/O R.J. Cole, F/S J.W. McDonald, P/O E.S. Hubbert”. He also flew in the same plane on D-Day 5 June 1944: “DAKOTA FZ.649 J1. Crew: F/O Buchanan, Sgt McDonald, F/O Cole, W/O Hubbert”. The pilot was Flight Lieutenant E. K. Buchanan from New Zealand, AFC, born in Auckland 6 October 1920. The second pilot was probably Robert J. Cole from Canada who trained in the RCAF in 1943. There is some evidence that this plane might have been the Dakota that dropped a stick of paras of the 9th Parachute Batallion over my village in Normandy (Barneville-la-Bertran) during the night of 5 June 1944. I would be very happy to exchange further information with you.
Hello from Sydney Australia.
In 1944 my uncle, Ronald Teed, was a Dakota navigator based a Broadwell with 512 squadron.
He tragically died (age 23) in a training accident in April just before D-Day, while landing in fog. After my mother/his sister, died in 2007 I was given some of his diaries and service memorabilia, detailing his training in Canada but very little documenting life at this particular base as imagine most exercises were secret at the time.
Very interesting site thanks.
My father was stationed at Broadwell in WW2 and was a navigator/map reader/bomb aimer. He was involved in D-Day and Arnhem.
I have put together a web-site to record his crew’s story for the 70th anniversary of D-Day which may be of interest to you. It is ‘D-Day Dakota KG355’.
It is great to read the information on this site thanks to Steve and contributors.
My father was a navigator with 575 Squadron and took paratroops to Normandy at midnight on D-Day.
I attended the 70th Anniversary and watched the re-enactment at the drop zone at Ranville.
I hope the proposed acknowledgement of the airfield’s history has come to fruition. As I live in Sydney, Australia it is hard to find out.
If a memorial of some kind has been placed at the Broadwell Airfield I would like to travel across to see it. It was good to hear of a plaque
being unveiled at the church in Shilton recently.
Hello Ruth
I am also living in Sydney….Wollstonecraft
!
Funny how paths cross sometimes…my Uncle was a navigator stationed at Broadwell and flew Dakotas …sadly died a few weeks before D-day
Thank you for this interesting information about Broadwell. My father flew with Caroline’s on many sorties with 575 Squadron from Broadwell in 1944 until September when they were moved to near Brussels. I hope to visit it while there is a little left!
Oct 2014
My late father James Tully was evacuated back to the UK via RAF Broadwell having been injured during the D’day landings. I’ve just returned from a visit to Normandy and read all about Broadwell and 512 Sqn on a visit to Melville Battery, isn’t life strange as I now live only a mile from where Dad landed some 70 yrs ago. I find it a little sad though, that there is no plaque to commemorate those brave men who flew from this airfield all those years ago, perhaps we should do some thing about it.
Thank You all, for sharing your history.
Very nostalgic ! In 1974 -75 I worked at the nearby Bradwell Grove hospital .I had, on leaving the Fleet Air Arm, moved to Carterton as my father was based at RAF Bampton Castle , a wireless station. I also worked in the Sergeants’ Mess at Brize Norton ! I often passed the old airfield at Broadwell, and wondered about its history ;I remember a poultry farmer who lived on the site, we bought a duck from him for our Christmas dinner ! Bradwell Grove hospital,and the adjacent Wildlife Park had,after WW2 , been the Royal Marines School Of Music before moving to Deal.It is now,sadly,a housing estate.
Excellent information. I am about to stay at the nearby Kencot Hill Farm house for a week over Easter. I’d noticed the runways and taxiways when looking at Google earth images, and was very curious as to the site’s history. I’ll try to explore a little of what’s left when I visit. Great to see comments from people who had first hand experience of the airbase, and relatives of those who did.
Having lived next to Croydon Airport as a boy, having a grandfather involved with the R101 and a father that frequently used Heathrow to go on business trips I have always been air-minded. I had a flying licence before my driving licence and still go to airfields and collect aeromobilia.
I have lived at Witney for two years and at Newbury for 43 years. Both places were surrounded by old WW2 airfields all of which including Broadwell I have visited. Recently we had a fly-by at Ramsbury by a Boeing C17 that had flown from America just to celebrate D-Day and the 437th air wing’s part in it. Sadly this was not featured on local TV or papers but a good turn-out of locals occurred together with USAF, RAF, UK Army and local air scouts etc. I even have a picture of the aircraft. I have a picture of a plaque that has been erected on the airfield.
I remember Broadwell in 1974 when I lived at Witney and remember a very intact airfield with good runways with a feeling of ‘they have just left’. I am sad that this bit of history will soon become a green asset for a new town in the middle of the Oxfordshire countryside. I hope Oxfordshire County Council will erect a plaque that celebrates the part this airfield, and the people who flew from there, played in one of history’s greatest wars.