Royal Air Force Worcester, or more simply RAF Worcester, is a former Royal Air Force relief landing ground (RLG) which was located 1.7 miles (2.7 km) north east of Worcester city centre, Worcestershire, England and 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south west of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire.
RAF Worcester | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester, Worcestershire in England | |||||||
  RAF Worcester Shown within Worcestershire | |||||||
| Coordinates | 52°12′59″N 002°12′14″W / 52.21639°N 2.20389°W | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Flying Training Command | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||
| In use | 1940-1945 | ||||||
| Battles/wars | Second World War | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Elevation | 30 metres (98 ft) AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
Posted units
editThe following units were here at some point:[1]
- No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (2 EFTS)[1] became No. 6 (Supplementary) Flying Instructors School RAF[1] became No. 6 Flying Instructors School RAF[1] became No. 6 Flying Instructors School (Elementary) RAF[1] became 2 EFTS[2]
- No. 24 Group Communication Flight RAF[1]
- No. 81 Group Communication Flight RAF[1]
- No. 2790 Squadron RAF Regiment[1]
Accidents and incidents
edit5 June 1940 Bristol Blenheim L1232 of No. 5 Operational Training Unit overshot at night and hit a house.[3]
17 October 1941 de Havilland Tiger Moth T5856 of No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) crashed when landing.[4]
15 July 1942 Miles Magister R1956 of No. 6 Flying Instructors School (FIS) hit a gunpost on take-off.[5]
September 1942 Douglas Dakota en route from Pershore with a film crew crashed blocking the Bilford Road. The co-pilot was the American film actor Clark Gable who was involved with a planned gunnery training film.[6]
16 May 1943 Airspeed Oxford R9983 of No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF crashed on takeoff.[7]
Postwar
editBetween 1954 and 1968 a Spitfire was used as a gate guard at the site.[8] Since 2005 the spitfire in question has been in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.[8]
The airfield has been turned into Perdiswell Park and Ravenmeadow Golf Course.[1]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Worcester II (Perdiswell)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ Lake 1999, p. 102.
- ^ Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1940
- ^ Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1941
- ^ Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1942
- ^ Clarke Gable Perdiswell Feature – BBC
- ^ Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1943
- ^ a b Banner, Tom (18 August 2020). "What happened to the Worcester Spitfire? Iconic plane's story revealed". Worcester News. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.