RAF Bovingdon
Encyclopedia
RAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located to the west of Bovingdon
, two and a half miles (4 kilometres) south of Hemel Hempstead
(its principal neighbour) and two and a half miles south east of Berkhamsted
, in Hertfordshire
, UK
.
During World War II
, the airfield was used by the Royal Air Force
(RAF) and the United States Army Air Forces
(USAAF) Eighth Air Force
. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 112, station code "BV", later changed to "BZ".
RAF bomber airfield. The main NE/SW runway was 1634 yards (1,494 m) long and the two secondary runways were 1433 yd (1,310 m) long each. Over 30 dispersal hardstandings were built.
On 15 June 1942, No. 7 Group, RAF Bomber Command
took up residence at Bovingdon. Operational missions were flown in June and July by the RAF until the field was turned over to the USAAF in August.
. The group was known as "Fame's Favorite Few", and it was assigned to the 4th Combat Wing, at RAF Thurleigh
. The group tail code was a "Triangle B". Its operational squadrons were:
The 92nd flew a few two combat missions in September and October 1942, then was assigned the role of a B-17 Flying Fortress Combat Crew Replacement Unit (CCRU). In January 1943, the 92nd was transferred to RAF Alconbury
where it was reformed as an operational combat group.
Along with its training role, Bovingdon housed the Eighth Air Force Headquarters and the Air Technical Section, both equipped with a variety of aircraft types. General Eisenhower's
personal B-17 was housed on the base.
During World War II, several film stars were assigned at one time or another to the base, including Clark Gable
, James Stewart
and William Holden
. Among famous wartime visitors were Bob Hope
, Frances Langford
, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt
, and Glenn Miller
.
In September 1944 the 11th CCRU was disbanded and Bovingdon became the base for the European Air Transport Service. Many thousands of Americans returned to the States via the air terminal.
to and from Gibraltar
.
Because of its elevation, Bovingdon was often clear when Heathrow Airport
and RAF Northolt
were fog-bound and, during the winter months especially, Bovingdon was used by British European Airways
(BEA). British Overseas Airways Corporation
(BOAC) used Bovingdon as a maintenance facility and numerous other independent aircraft operators used the former technical site during the postwar years.
During the 1950s both civilian and military organizations used Bovingdon. The proximity of the USAF Third Air Force
Headquarters at RAF South Ruislip
and HQ RAF Fighter Command
at Bentley Priory
made Bovingdon the ideal location for service aircraft.
The USAF returned to Bovingdon on 25 May 1951, with the establishment of the 7531st Air Base Squadron. C-47 Skytrain
s were assigned to the unit, however many transitory USAF planes used the airfield routinely. In addition, the RAF operated the Fighter Command Communications Squadron on the base. In 1962, the USAF departed from Bovingdon. During the 60s, RAF Transport Command (Southern Communications Squadron) operated Anson
, Devon
, Pembroke
and latterly Basset aircraft from Bovingdon. In the 1960s the base was home to the last flight of Anson Mk 21 aircraft, descended from a World War II
design.
Also in the 1960s, Bovingdon was used in the production of four World War II
films, The War Lover
(1961); 633 Squadron
(1964) The Battle of Britain
(1968) and Mosquito Squadron
(1969). In addition it was a location for at least one episode of The Avengers
TV series starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. http://theavengers.tv/forever/peel1-9.htm
Although flying ceased at the airfield in 1969, some flying scenes for the film Hanover Street were shot there in 1978.
(MOD) announced that Bovingdon would be closed for budgetary reasons, and in 1972 the airfield was shut down. All MOD property, except a small housing facility was disposed of by 1976.
In the early 1980s, flying returned to the airfield in the form first of hang-glider tow-launching (using a truck-mounted pay-out winch) and then microlight aircraft, mainly of the 'Trike/hang-glider' type. Some Bovingdonians complained on the grounds of "noise" and "danger". After local inquiry, the Ombudsman
narrowly decided against allowing flying to continue. At that time the combined control tower and fire-tender garage were in 'reasonable structural condition' but deliberately damaged a few years later by earthmoving equipment, thereafter making restoration highly unlikely. The remains of the control tower were demolished in August, 2010.
An area of the former technical site was transferred to HM Prison Service
for use as a prison
, called 'The Mount' which opened in 1987.
The airfield site still houses a VOR
navigational beacon, code BNN. The airspace above the airfield and nearby Chesham
is known as the Bovingdon stack
and is a holding area for aircraft
approaching Heathrow Airport, 20 miles (32 km) to the south. Aircraft are requested to join the hold, typically at an altitude of 14000-16000 feet, and then fly a 'race-track' pattern around the Bovingdon VOR beacon, separated at intervals of 1000 feet from other aircraft. Each aircraft is then instructed to descend to a lower available altitude as the lowest aircraft leaves the hold to make its final approach to Heathrow. At busy times, therefore, there may be up to 9 aircraft holding at the available 1000 foot separations between 8000 feet and 16000 feet and these may be seen circling overhead on a clear day.
The remainder of the airfield site is used for a regular Saturday market and there was also a permanent circuit for banger racing
which closed in September 2008. The main runway
and taxiway
s which are still intact though in a poor state of repair, are also sometimes used for other events such as the occasional car rally
. Also alongside a runway is a Delta Force Paintballing Facility. The ruins of the control tower
also remain.
The airfield has also been used for concrete-crushing, again creating concern in Bovingdon Parish Council, who have tried to stop it, citing 'noise'.
Bovingdon
Bovingdon is a large village in the Chiltern Hills, in Hertfordshire, England, four miles south-west of Hemel Hempstead and it is a civil parish within the local authority area of Dacorum...
, two and a half miles (4 kilometres) south of Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
(its principal neighbour) and two and a half miles south east of Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
, in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the airfield was used by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) and the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
(USAAF) Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. It was assigned USAAF designation Station 112, station code "BV", later changed to "BZ".
RAF use
Bovingdon was built in 1941/42 as a standard Class AClass A airfield
Class A airfields were military installations originally built for the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. Several were transferred to the U.S...
RAF bomber airfield. The main NE/SW runway was 1634 yards (1,494 m) long and the two secondary runways were 1433 yd (1,310 m) long each. Over 30 dispersal hardstandings were built.
On 15 June 1942, No. 7 Group, RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
took up residence at Bovingdon. Operational missions were flown in June and July by the RAF until the field was turned over to the USAAF in August.
92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The first USAAF tenant at Bovingdon was the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy), being deployed from Sarasota AAF FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The group was known as "Fame's Favorite Few", and it was assigned to the 4th Combat Wing, at RAF Thurleigh
RAF Thurleigh
RAF Thurleigh was a Royal Air Force station located five miles north of Bedford, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942, designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany.-Origins:...
. The group tail code was a "Triangle B". Its operational squadrons were:
- 325th Bombardment Squadron (NV)
- 326th Bombardment Squadron326th Bombardment SquadronThe 326th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 4141st Strategic Wing, stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana. It was inactivated on 1 February 1963.-World War II:...
(JW) - 327th Bombardment Squadron327th Bombardment SquadronThe 327th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 4170th Strategic Wing, stationed at Larson Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 1 February 1963-World War II:...
(UX) - 407th Bombardment Squadron (PY)
The 92nd flew a few two combat missions in September and October 1942, then was assigned the role of a B-17 Flying Fortress Combat Crew Replacement Unit (CCRU). In January 1943, the 92nd was transferred to RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
where it was reformed as an operational combat group.
11th Combat Crew Replacement Unit
Although the 92nd Bomb Group departed for Alconbury, the 326th Bomb Squadron of the 92nd remained at Bovingdon to form the core of 11th Combat Crew Replacement Unit. The training was performed on the B-17E aircraft, and most combat crews of 8th Air Force bombing units for the balance of the war received their introduction before moving on to their operational bases. Although based at Bovingdon, the 326th remained under the operational control of the 92nd at Alconbury until May 1943.Along with its training role, Bovingdon housed the Eighth Air Force Headquarters and the Air Technical Section, both equipped with a variety of aircraft types. General Eisenhower's
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
personal B-17 was housed on the base.
During World War II, several film stars were assigned at one time or another to the base, including Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
. Among famous wartime visitors were Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, Frances Langford
Frances Langford
Julia Frances Langford was an American singer and entertainer who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades.-Birth:...
, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, and Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
.
In September 1944 the 11th CCRU was disbanded and Bovingdon became the base for the European Air Transport Service. Many thousands of Americans returned to the States via the air terminal.
Postwar uses
At the end of the war, Bovingdon was returned to RAF control on 15 April 1947. The British Ministry of Civil Aviation obtained the airfield for civilian airline use. On 15 September 1949, Bovingdon was the start point for a successful record air speed attempt by a de Havilland HornetDe Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...
to and from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
.
Because of its elevation, Bovingdon was often clear when Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
and RAF Northolt
RAF Northolt
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
were fog-bound and, during the winter months especially, Bovingdon was used by British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
(BEA). British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
(BOAC) used Bovingdon as a maintenance facility and numerous other independent aircraft operators used the former technical site during the postwar years.
During the 1950s both civilian and military organizations used Bovingdon. The proximity of the USAF Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
Headquarters at RAF South Ruislip
RAF South Ruislip
RAF South Ruislip was a non-flying Air Force station located in South Ruislip near London, England.The station opened in 1949 and was used by the United States Air Force as an administrative station to coordinate Third Air Force and 7th Air Division activities in Great Britain with the British...
and HQ RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
at Bentley Priory
Bentley Priory
Bentley Priory was a medieval priory or cell of Augustinian Canons in Harrow Weald, then in Middlesex but now in the London Borough of Harrow. There are no remains of the priory, but it probably stood near Priory House, off Clamp Hill....
made Bovingdon the ideal location for service aircraft.
The USAF returned to Bovingdon on 25 May 1951, with the establishment of the 7531st Air Base Squadron. C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s were assigned to the unit, however many transitory USAF planes used the airfield routinely. In addition, the RAF operated the Fighter Command Communications Squadron on the base. In 1962, the USAF departed from Bovingdon. During the 60s, RAF Transport Command (Southern Communications Squadron) operated Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
, Devon
De Havilland Dove
The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
, Pembroke
Percival Pembroke
-See also:-Bibliography:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X....
and latterly Basset aircraft from Bovingdon. In the 1960s the base was home to the last flight of Anson Mk 21 aircraft, descended from a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
design.
Also in the 1960s, Bovingdon was used in the production of four World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
films, The War Lover
The War Lover
The War Lover is a 1962 British black-and-white war film directed by Philip Leacock and written by Howard Koch loosely based on the 1959 novel, The War Lover by John Hersey, altering the names of characters and events but retaining its basic framework...
(1961); 633 Squadron
633 Squadron
633 Squadron is a 1964 British film which depicts the exploits of a fictional Second World War British fighter-bomber squadron. It was based on a novel of the same name by Frederick E. Smith, published in 1956, which itself drew on several real Royal Air Force missions. The film was directed by...
(1964) The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the fourth of Frank Capra's Why We Fight series of seven propaganda films, which made the case for fighting and winning the Second World War...
(1968) and Mosquito Squadron
Mosquito Squadron
#Mosquito Squadron is a 1969 British war film made by Oakmont Productions, directed by Boris Sagal and starring David McCallum, with a memorable music score , which was composed and conducted by Frank Cordell.-Plot:During a Second World War Royal Air Force attack against German V-1...
(1969). In addition it was a location for at least one episode of The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
TV series starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. http://theavengers.tv/forever/peel1-9.htm
Although flying ceased at the airfield in 1969, some flying scenes for the film Hanover Street were shot there in 1978.
Closure and civilian use
In 1968, the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
(MOD) announced that Bovingdon would be closed for budgetary reasons, and in 1972 the airfield was shut down. All MOD property, except a small housing facility was disposed of by 1976.
In the early 1980s, flying returned to the airfield in the form first of hang-glider tow-launching (using a truck-mounted pay-out winch) and then microlight aircraft, mainly of the 'Trike/hang-glider' type. Some Bovingdonians complained on the grounds of "noise" and "danger". After local inquiry, the Ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
narrowly decided against allowing flying to continue. At that time the combined control tower and fire-tender garage were in 'reasonable structural condition' but deliberately damaged a few years later by earthmoving equipment, thereafter making restoration highly unlikely. The remains of the control tower were demolished in August, 2010.
An area of the former technical site was transferred to HM Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
for use as a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, called 'The Mount' which opened in 1987.
The airfield site still houses a VOR
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
navigational beacon, code BNN. The airspace above the airfield and nearby Chesham
Chesham
Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
is known as the Bovingdon stack
Bovingdon stack
The Bovingdon stack is a section of airspace to the north west of London where inbound planes to London Heathrow Airport, which is 20 miles to the south, are held. It is a busy example of a hold. It extends above the village of Bovingdon and the town of Chesham, and requires the VOR navigational...
and is a holding area for aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
approaching Heathrow Airport, 20 miles (32 km) to the south. Aircraft are requested to join the hold, typically at an altitude of 14000-16000 feet, and then fly a 'race-track' pattern around the Bovingdon VOR beacon, separated at intervals of 1000 feet from other aircraft. Each aircraft is then instructed to descend to a lower available altitude as the lowest aircraft leaves the hold to make its final approach to Heathrow. At busy times, therefore, there may be up to 9 aircraft holding at the available 1000 foot separations between 8000 feet and 16000 feet and these may be seen circling overhead on a clear day.
The remainder of the airfield site is used for a regular Saturday market and there was also a permanent circuit for banger racing
Banger racing
Banger Racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in both North America and Europe and especially United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is...
which closed in September 2008. The main runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
and taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
s which are still intact though in a poor state of repair, are also sometimes used for other events such as the occasional car rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
. Also alongside a runway is a Delta Force Paintballing Facility. The ruins of the control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
also remain.
The airfield has also been used for concrete-crushing, again creating concern in Bovingdon Parish Council, who have tried to stop it, citing 'noise'.