RAF Carew Cheriton
Encyclopedia
RAF Carew Cheriton was a World War II
Royal Air Force
airfield of Coastal and Training Command
near Carew
Pembrokeshire
. It was sited 6 miles north of Tenby
. It was built on the site of RNAS Pembroke (aka RNAS Milton) from World War I
, which had been decommissioned and sold off in the inter war years.
Carew Cheriton was recommissioned in 1938, initially with grass runways. From the early 1940s there were three concrete runways, making the station a Class A airfield
. The airfield was used as a support base for the flying boat
operations at Pembroke Dock
. Operational flying ceased in 1942.
On 15 April 1941 12 airmen were killed in a Luftwaffe
air raid which hit the station's sickbay.
In 1942 the base became No.10 Radio School, a training base for aircrew wireless operators. The station closed in 1945.
The airfield is disused, though much remains, and the Control Tower has been restored by the Carew Cheriton Control Tower Group, and can be visited. The control tower is adjacent to the Carew Cheriton Showground.
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...
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...
airfield of Coastal and Training Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
near Carew
Carew, Pembrokeshire
Carew is a village, community and parish on an inlet of Milford Haven in the former Hundred of Narberth, Pembrokeshire, West Wales, 7 km east of Pembroke. The eastern part of the parish is included in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.-Description:...
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. It was sited 6 miles north of Tenby
Tenby
Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, lying on Carmarthen Bay.Notable features of Tenby include of sandy beaches; the 13th century medieval town walls, including the Five Arches barbican gatehouse ; 15th century St...
. It was built on the site of RNAS Pembroke (aka RNAS Milton) from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, which had been decommissioned and sold off in the inter war years.
Carew Cheriton was recommissioned in 1938, initially with grass runways. From the early 1940s there were three concrete runways, making the station a Class A airfield
Class 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...
. The airfield was used as a support base for the flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
operations at Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
. Operational flying ceased in 1942.
On 15 April 1941 12 airmen were killed in a Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
air raid which hit the station's sickbay.
In 1942 the base became No.10 Radio School, a training base for aircrew wireless operators. The station closed in 1945.
The airfield is disused, though much remains, and the Control Tower has been restored by the Carew Cheriton Control Tower Group, and can be visited. The control tower is adjacent to the Carew Cheriton Showground.