RAF Langham
Encyclopedia
The former Royal Air Force Station Langham
, more commonly known as RAF Langham was a Royal Air Force
station, a military airbase, 15 miles North-West of Norwich
, in the English county of Norfolk
, East Anglia
, from 1940 to 1961.
, the station became independent in 1942, when it was upgraded with concrete runways, perimeter track and hardstandings, and there is evidence to suggest that it was equipped with the FIDO fog dispersal system.
In 1947 the station was placed into care and maintenance, but it was reactivated during the Korean War. It was later used as an emergency landing strip for RAF Sculthorpe
, before final closure in 1961.
, who constructed turkey sheds on the runways. The turkey farm is now operated by another farmer, but the construction of the sheds has preserved large sections of the runways.
Surviving buildings on the site include the control tower and a dome trainer building used for the instruction of ground to air anti-aircraft gunnery.
Langham, Norfolk
Langham is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 14.7 miles west of Cromer, 27.2 miles north north west of Norwich and 126 miles north north east of London. The village lies 5.2 miles west north west of the town of Holt. The village is 2 miles inland from...
, more commonly known as RAF Langham was a 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...
station, a military airbase, 15 miles North-West of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, in the English county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, from 1940 to 1961.
History
The airfield was originally equipped with three grass runways. Originally opened as a satellite station for RAF Bircham NewtonRAF Bircham Newton
RAF Bircham Newton was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, eight miles west of Fakenham.-History:...
, the station became independent in 1942, when it was upgraded with concrete runways, perimeter track and hardstandings, and there is evidence to suggest that it was equipped with the FIDO fog dispersal system.
In 1947 the station was placed into care and maintenance, but it was reactivated during the Korean War. It was later used as an emergency landing strip for RAF Sculthorpe
RAF Sculthorpe
RAF Sculthorpe is a military training facility for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, situated about west of Fakenham in Norfolk, England...
, before final closure in 1961.
Current use
The station was purchased by Bernard MatthewsBernard Matthews
Bernard Matthews Farms Ltd is a British farming and food products business, which specialises in the farming of turkeys. Founded by Bernard Matthews in 1950, as Bernard Matthews Foods Ltd, the company is headquartered in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and has 56 farms throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and...
, who constructed turkey sheds on the runways. The turkey farm is now operated by another farmer, but the construction of the sheds has preserved large sections of the runways.
Surviving buildings on the site include the control tower and a dome trainer building used for the instruction of ground to air anti-aircraft gunnery.
Langham aircraft
Several types of aircraft have operated out of Langham, among these:- Fairey SwordfishFairey SwordfishThe Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
- Bristol BeaufighterBristol BeaufighterThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
- Vickers WellingtonVickers WellingtonThe Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
- B-17 Flying Fortress
- DH Mosquito
- Vampire FB5, FB9
Langham Squadrons
- No. 455 Squadron RAAFNo. 455 Squadron RAAFNo. 455 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force torpedo bomber squadron during World War II and became famous as part of the so-called ANZAC Strike Wing.-History:No. 455 Squadron was formed at Williamtown, New South Wales on 23 May 1941...
- No. 489 Squadron RNZAF
- No. 524 Squadron RAFNo. 524 Squadron RAFNo. 524 Squadron was a Royal Air Force Coastal Command aircraft squadron that operated during the Second World War.-History:No. 524 Squadron was formed at RAF Oban, Argyll and Bute in Scotland on 20 October 1943 to operate the Martin Mariner flying boat. The squadron's role was to introduce the...
- No. 521 Squadron RAFNo. 521 Squadron RAFNo. 521 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a Second World War meteorological observation unit operating from Norfolk.-First formation:The Squadron began on 4 February 1941 as No. 401 Flight of RAF Bomber Command. When all the meteorological flights were put under RAF Coastal Command it became...
External links
See also
- Royal Air Force station
- List of RAF stations
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons