RAF Rudloe Manor
Encyclopedia
RAF Rudloe Manor, formerly RAF Box, was a Royal Air Force
station located north-east of Bath, United Kingdom
between the towns of Box
and Corsham
, in Wiltshire
. It was one of several military installations situated in the area and covered three main sites.
The station held various roles during its lifetime and the site has now been absorbed into the Basil Hill Barracks complex used by Defence Equipment and Support, Information Systems & Services.
The station was built on top of quarries from which Bath Stone
had been extracted, in the 1930s some of the tunnels were converted for use as the Central Ammunition Depot for the United Kingdom. The vast caverns had some 2250000 square feet (209,031.8 m²) of space, divided into many smaller chambers.
An area was used for No. 10 Group RAF
Headquarters, named RAF Box. A communications switching centre was also established. The members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
who manned this post were billeted at nearby Hartham Park
.
Also within the tunnels the Ministry of Aircraft Production
built an aircraft engine factory, to act as a fallback should the factories in Bristol be damaged through bombing. Despite being built the factory was not actually used.
in the late 1960s the site of Controller Defence Communications Network (CDCN) was established. A spacecraft operations centre was established by 1001 Signals Unit, the spacecraft operations organisation, on a small enclave within the site, known as Hawthorn.
The headquarters of the RAF Provost and Security Service (P&SS) was established in the Northerly of the three sites although on the closure of the station moved to RAF Henlow
.
RAF Rudloe Manor was the location of Headquarters Southern Area Royal Observer Corps
(ROC) from 1952 until 1980 when it was relocated to Lansdown near Bath. Co-located with the ROC was Headquarters Southern Sector United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
responsible for the now defunct Four-minute warning in the event of nuclear attack during the Cold War
.
and the Royal Naval Stores Depot (RNSD) Copenacre.
The station was closed in 2000 with the Defence Communications Service Agency (DCSA) assuming responsibility for the sites. The northerly site was closed and sold with DCSA taking responsibility for the remaining two, RNSD Copenacre, which had closed in 1996, and the Barracks.
Administrative responsibility for the consolidated site is now undertaken by Joint Support Unit Corsham.
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 located north-east of Bath, United Kingdom
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...
between the towns of Box
Box, Wiltshire
Box is a village located in Wiltshire, England, about east of Bath and west of Chippenham. It is quite a large parish with several settlements, apart from the village of Box, within its boundaries....
and Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. It was one of several military installations situated in the area and covered three main sites.
The station held various roles during its lifetime and the site has now been absorbed into the Basil Hill Barracks complex used by Defence Equipment and Support, Information Systems & Services.
Location
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
had been extracted, in the 1930s some of the tunnels were converted for use as the Central Ammunition Depot for the United Kingdom. The vast caverns had some 2250000 square feet (209,031.8 m²) of space, divided into many smaller chambers.
An area was used for No. 10 Group RAF
No. 10 Group RAF
No. 10 Group of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 in No. 2 Area. On 8 May of the next year it was transferred to South-Western Area. In 1919 it was transferred to Coastal Area where it remained until it was disbanded on 18 January 1932....
Headquarters, named RAF Box. A communications switching centre was also established. The members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
who manned this post were billeted at nearby Hartham Park
Hartham Park
Hartham Park is a Georgian manor house, located in Hartham near Corsham, Wiltshire. Originally designed by James Wyatt, set today in it contains one of three remaining stické tennis courts in the world...
.
Also within the tunnels the Ministry of Aircraft Production
Minister of Aircraft Production
The Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II...
built an aircraft engine factory, to act as a fallback should the factories in Bristol be damaged through bombing. Despite being built the factory was not actually used.
After WWII
Following the end of the Second World War the site continued as both a communications hub and home of various administrative units. No1 Signals Unit was established to manage all UK terrestrial communications infrastructure for the RAF. With the launch of the UK Satellite Communications System, SkynetSkynet (satellites)
Skynet is a family of military satellites, now operated by Paradigm Secure Communications on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence, which provide strategic communication services to the three branches of the British Armed Forces and to NATO forces engaged on coalition tasks.-Skynet 1:There were two...
in the late 1960s the site of Controller Defence Communications Network (CDCN) was established. A spacecraft operations centre was established by 1001 Signals Unit, the spacecraft operations organisation, on a small enclave within the site, known as Hawthorn.
The headquarters of the RAF Provost and Security Service (P&SS) was established in the Northerly of the three sites although on the closure of the station moved to RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage. It houses the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals Museum and 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.- History :...
.
RAF Rudloe Manor was the location of Headquarters Southern Area Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
(ROC) from 1952 until 1980 when it was relocated to Lansdown near Bath. Co-located with the ROC was Headquarters Southern Sector United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide the authorities with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of likely fallout profiles across the country in the event of war.The UKWMO was established and...
responsible for the now defunct Four-minute warning in the event of nuclear attack during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Co-located units
The site was adjacent to Basil Hill Barracks, the Headquarters of 2nd (National Communications) Signal Brigade, HMS Royal ArthurHMS Royal Arthur
One ship and one shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Royal Arthur, in reference to the legendary King Arthur: was an Edgar class armoured cruiser launched in 1891 and sold in 1921. was a training centre established near Skegness between 1939 and 1946, and at Corsham...
and the Royal Naval Stores Depot (RNSD) Copenacre.
The station was closed in 2000 with the Defence Communications Service Agency (DCSA) assuming responsibility for the sites. The northerly site was closed and sold with DCSA taking responsibility for the remaining two, RNSD Copenacre, which had closed in 1996, and the Barracks.
Administrative responsibility for the consolidated site is now undertaken by Joint Support Unit Corsham.
RAF units
| Unit | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No. 10 (Fighter) Group RAF | 1940-1945 | Responsible for the defence of Plymouth and other south west ports, also naval dockyards and channel conveys. |
| Fighter Command Control & Reporting School RAF | 1945-1948 | |
| Headquarters Southern Sector RAF | 1950-1957 | |
| No. 81 (Training) Group RAF | 1952-1958 | Fighter Command training group. |
| No. 24 (Training) Group RAF | 1958-1973 | Part of Training Command later Technical Training Command, controlled all schools of technical training. |
Further reading
- Good, Timothy "Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-up", William Morrow Books, ISBN 0688092020
- Campbell, Duncan "War Plan UK", ISBN 0091506719
External links
- RAF Rudloe Manor (site 1) photos taken in May 2009