Tilstock Airfield
Encyclopedia
Tilstock Airfield is an airfield located in Shropshire
, England
Located close north of the village of Prees, it is 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the village of Tilstock, and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Whitchurch
.
, it had a capacity for 30,000 men for training in trench warfare
. It additionally acted later as a store for supplies, with its own railway depot feed by a 1 miles (1.6 km) branch line
from the LNWR's Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway
. As casualties mounted, it became a hospital
with a fully fledged barracks
.
The scale and size of the camp brought about the appointment of the first female police officer
s in the Shropshire Constabulary, to manage and restrain local women from heading to the camp.
After the war ended, the facilities were downgraded, with the British Government keeping ownership of the site for Army training purposes.
in 1939, the site became an internment
camp for screening Austria
n and German
refugees, with capacity added for holding 2,000 men by the erection of a large tent
ed village. Later converted to a prisoner of war camp, it closed 4th Oct 1941.
, Stirling
and Halifax
heavy bombers. During the 1950s, Auster AOP.6
'spotter' aircraft of No. 663 Squadron RAF
used the facilities of the otherwise non-operational airfield during weekends for liaison flights with Royal Artillery
units.
and A49
, the airfield is still being used today at weekends for skydiving. Skydivers have used the airfield for Tandem Skydiving and running Parachute Jump Courses since 1966. The direction of the remaining runway is 33 (330) and 15 (150).
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Located close north of the village of Prees, it is 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the village of Tilstock, and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
.
Prees Heath Army Camp
Opened in 1915 as a training base for the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, it had a capacity for 30,000 men for training in trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. It additionally acted later as a store for supplies, with its own railway depot feed by a 1 miles (1.6 km) branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
from the LNWR's Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway
Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway
The Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway was a railway owned by the London and North Western Railway company, built to connect Crewe with the jointly owned with the GWR Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway....
. As casualties mounted, it became a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
with a fully fledged barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
.
The scale and size of the camp brought about the appointment of the first female police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s in the Shropshire Constabulary, to manage and restrain local women from heading to the camp.
After the war ended, the facilities were downgraded, with the British Government keeping ownership of the site for Army training purposes.
Prees Heath internment camp
At the outbreak of World War IIWorld 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 1939, the site became an internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
camp for screening Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
refugees, with capacity added for holding 2,000 men by the erection of a large tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
ed village. Later converted to a prisoner of war camp, it closed 4th Oct 1941.
RAF Tilstock
Construction of an airfield was completed by mid 1942, with a classic three concrete runway RAF "star" arrangement. The name 'Whitchurch Heath' being used until 1 June 1943, when RAF Tilstock was adopted. Between 1 September 1942 and 21 January 1946, the airfield was used by No. 81 Operational Training Unit and No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit Royal Air Force for the training of pilots and crews in the operation of WhitleyArmstrong Whitworth Whitley
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was one of three British twin-engine, front line medium bomber types in service with the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of the Second World War...
, Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
and Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
heavy bombers. During the 1950s, Auster AOP.6
Auster AOP.6
-Bibliography:*Halley, J.J., The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988, Air-Britain, Tonbridge, ISBN 0-85130-164-9....
'spotter' aircraft of No. 663 Squadron RAF
No. 663 Squadron RAF
No. 663 Squadron RAF was an Air Observation Post unit of the Royal Air Force , which was officially formed in Italy on 14 August 1944. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of...
used the facilities of the otherwise non-operational airfield during weekends for liaison flights with 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:...
units.
Today
Located near the junction of the A41A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
and A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
, the airfield is still being used today at weekends for skydiving. Skydivers have used the airfield for Tandem Skydiving and running Parachute Jump Courses since 1966. The direction of the remaining runway is 33 (330) and 15 (150).