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Thorney Island (West Sussex)
Encyclopedia
Thorney Island is an island
(effectively a peninsula
) that juts into Chichester Harbour
in West Sussex
. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney
lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base. A fortnightly game shoot is held on Thorney, shooting patridges, pheasants and snipe.
A public footpath, part of the Sussex Border Path
encircles the island. The southern part of the island (south of Great Deep) is part of a military base and access to this area for the public is limited to the coastal footpath and the church of St Nicholas at West Thorney. Walkers using the footpath will be asked by intercom to provide contact details (name, address and mobile phone number) at the security gates to access the southern part of the island. Walkers must keep to the footpath marked with the yellow posts. At the south of the island is Pilsey Island, now joined to Thorney Island by a sandbank, which is an RSPB nature reserve.
The 2001 census showed the island to have a resident population of 1,079.
In 1938 the RAF airfield on Thorney Island was built, the runways being metalled in 1942.
As with many RAF Coastal Command
airfields, a great variety of squadrons and aircraft were based at Thorney Island during the war
; in particular:
No. 59 Squadron RAF
moved in to Thorney island in July 1940, initially flying anti-submarine patrols and bombing raids against the German invasion ports with Bristol Blenheim
s. It later became a general reconnaissance squadron, carrying out anti-shipping strikes, first with the Blenheims and then with Lockheed Hudson
s. In August 1942 the squadron converted to the Consolidated Liberator then for 2 months operated the Flying Fortress before reverting to the Liberator until it left Thorney in May 1943.
No. 404 Coastal Fighter Sqn (RCAF)
formed at Thorney Island on 15 April 1941. Tasked with coastal patrol and attack, the squadron flew the Bristol Beaufighter
and de Havilland Mosquito
until it was disbanded on 25 May 1945.
No. 407 Coastal Strike Squadron (RCAF)
was formed at Thorney Island on the 8 May 1941, first training on the Bristol Blenheim
. From September 1941 to January 1943, the squadron operated as a "strike" squadron attacking enemy shipping with the Lockheed Hudson
. On 29 January 1943 it was re-designated 407 General Reconnaissance Squadron, and for the remainder of the war it protected friendly shipping from the U-Boat threat operating the Vickers Wellington
. The squadron was disbanded at the end of the Second World War on 4 June 1945.
summer training camps with 600 volunteer observers attending each week, living and training under canvas.
During the early 50's, when Flying Training took over, Thorney Island was the parent base for a small detachment in Weymouth (RAF Chesil Bank), where there was an emergency landing-ground (some involvement when the submarine "Affray"
sank in the English Channel in 1951). The detachment's primary role was the operation of the bombing range off Chesil Beach. The floating targets in Lyme Bay were serviced by a launch from Lyme Regis.
After the war the airfield was utilised for training navigators. In the 1960s, 242 OCU of Transport Command took over, initially flying Blackburn Beverley
s and then the C-130 Hercules
They were joined in 1970 by No. 46 Squadron RAF
with Andover CMk1 transports.
Also, from June 1955, a Search and Rescue
flight of 22 Sqn
equipped with Whirlwinds was based at Thorney Island. These remained at the base until the RAF left in the 1976.
Subsequently the Royal Navy
expressed an interest in utilising the base, but in 1980 West Thorney became host to many hundreds of Vietnam
ese families, accepted by the United Kingdom for settlement in this country.
In 1985, a series of experiments to investigate atmospheric dispersion of gases was carried out on the island.
1984 saw control handed to the Royal Artillery
, who remain in control of the base to date. Baker Barracks on Thorney Island is currently home to 47th Regiment Royal Artillery
, armed with the Starstreak HVM. In January 2008, 12th Regiment Royal Artillery
moved to the island upon their return from Germany.
In 2009, the airfield was used as a test track for a British-built steam car
hoping to smash the longest standing land speed record. The British Steam Car Challenge team included test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell
and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
(effectively a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
) that juts into Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour to the south west of the city of Chichester on the Solent. It straddles the boundary of West Sussex and Hampshire. Geographically it is a ria. It is one of four natural harbours in that area of the coastline, the others being Portsmouth Harbour,...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney
West Thorney
West Thorney is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located nine kilometres west of Chichester south of the A27 road....
lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base. A fortnightly game shoot is held on Thorney, shooting patridges, pheasants and snipe.
A public footpath, part of the Sussex Border Path
Sussex Border Path
The Sussex Border Path is a 256 kilometres long-distance footpath in southern England that connects Thorney Island to Rye.The footpath uses existing rights of way to follow the Sussex county border and is waymarked....
encircles the island. The southern part of the island (south of Great Deep) is part of a military base and access to this area for the public is limited to the coastal footpath and the church of St Nicholas at West Thorney. Walkers using the footpath will be asked by intercom to provide contact details (name, address and mobile phone number) at the security gates to access the southern part of the island. Walkers must keep to the footpath marked with the yellow posts. At the south of the island is Pilsey Island, now joined to Thorney Island by a sandbank, which is an RSPB nature reserve.
The 2001 census showed the island to have a resident population of 1,079.
RAF Thorney Island
As with many RAF Coastal 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...
airfields, a great variety of squadrons and aircraft were based at Thorney Island during the war
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...
; in particular:
No. 59 Squadron RAF
No. 59 Squadron RAF
No. 59 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force.- History :No.59 Squadron first became operational on 1 August 1916 at Narborough Airfield in Norfolk as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. During the Second World War it was attached to RAF Fighter Command , Bomber Command and Coastal Command...
moved in to Thorney island in July 1940, initially flying anti-submarine patrols and bombing raids against the German invasion ports with Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
s. It later became a general reconnaissance squadron, carrying out anti-shipping strikes, first with the Blenheims and then with Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
s. In August 1942 the squadron converted to the Consolidated Liberator then for 2 months operated the Flying Fortress before reverting to the Liberator until it left Thorney in May 1943.
No. 404 Coastal Fighter Sqn (RCAF)
No. 404 Squadron RCAF
404 Maritime Patrol and Training Squadron is a long range patrol and training squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The squadron was originally No. 404 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force .-History:...
formed at Thorney Island on 15 April 1941. Tasked with coastal patrol and attack, the squadron flew the Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The 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...
and de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
until it was disbanded on 25 May 1945.
No. 407 Coastal Strike Squadron (RCAF)
No. 407 Squadron RCAF
407 Long Range Patrol Squadron is a long range & maritime patrol squadron of the Canadian Forces. It is located at 19 Wing Comox, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia operating the CP-140 Aurora.-History:No...
was formed at Thorney Island on the 8 May 1941, first training on the Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
. From September 1941 to January 1943, the squadron operated as a "strike" squadron attacking enemy shipping with the Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
. On 29 January 1943 it was re-designated 407 General Reconnaissance Squadron, and for the remainder of the war it protected friendly shipping from the U-Boat threat operating the Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The 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...
. The squadron was disbanded at the end of the Second World War on 4 June 1945.
Post-war
Between 1948 and 1950, 222 Squadron (flying Meteor jets) was based at RAF Thorney Island. For eight weeks in the summers on 1948 and 1949 Thorney Island was the site of the very first Royal Observer CorpsRoyal 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....
summer training camps with 600 volunteer observers attending each week, living and training under canvas.
During the early 50's, when Flying Training took over, Thorney Island was the parent base for a small detachment in Weymouth (RAF Chesil Bank), where there was an emergency landing-ground (some involvement when the submarine "Affray"
HMS Affray (P421)
HMS Affray , a British Amphion-class submarine was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost at sea, on 16 April 1951, with the loss of 75 lives...
sank in the English Channel in 1951). The detachment's primary role was the operation of the bombing range off Chesil Beach. The floating targets in Lyme Bay were serviced by a launch from Lyme Regis.
After the war the airfield was utilised for training navigators. In the 1960s, 242 OCU of Transport Command took over, initially flying Blackburn Beverley
Blackburn Beverley
The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft and flown by squadrons of Royal Air Force Transport Command from 1957 until 1967.-Design and development:...
s and then the C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
They were joined in 1970 by No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron RAF
No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force, formed in 1916, was disbanded and re-formed three times before its last disbandment in 1975. It served in both World War I and World War II.- World War I :...
with Andover CMk1 transports.
Also, from June 1955, a Search and Rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
flight of 22 Sqn
No. 22 Squadron RAF
No. 22 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Sea King HAR.3 and HAR.3A at three stations in the southern United Kingdom. The squadron was originally formed in 1915 as an aerial reconnaissance unit of the Royal Flying Corps serving on the Western Front during First World War...
equipped with Whirlwinds was based at Thorney Island. These remained at the base until the RAF left in the 1976.
Subsequently the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
expressed an interest in utilising the base, but in 1980 West Thorney became host to many hundreds of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese families, accepted by the United Kingdom for settlement in this country.
In 1985, a series of experiments to investigate atmospheric dispersion of gases was carried out on the island.
1984 saw control handed to the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, who remain in control of the base to date. Baker Barracks on Thorney Island is currently home to 47th Regiment Royal Artillery
47th Regiment Royal Artillery
47th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Starstreak HVM missile.It is currently located at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island in Hampshire...
, armed with the Starstreak HVM. In January 2008, 12th Regiment Royal Artillery
12th Regiment Royal Artillery
12th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Starstreak HVM missile...
moved to the island upon their return from Germany.
In 2009, the airfield was used as a test track for a British-built steam car
Steam car
A steam car is a light car powered by a steam engine.Steam locomotives, steam engines capable of propelling themselves along either road or rails, developed around one hundred years earlier than internal combustion engine cars although their weight restricted them to agricultural and heavy haulage...
hoping to smash the longest standing land speed record. The British Steam Car Challenge team included test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell
Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell
Sir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird...
.