RAF Greenham Common
RAF Greenham Common | |||||||||||||
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Near Newbury, Berkshire in England | |||||||||||||
Coordinates | 51°22′43″N 001°16′56″W / 51.37861°N 1.28222°W | ||||||||||||
Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||||
Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force US Army Air Forces (1943–1945) US Air Force (1951–1992) | ||||||||||||
Condition | Closed | ||||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||||
Built | 1943 | ||||||||||||
In use | 1943–1993 | ||||||||||||
Fate |
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Events | AMSL | ||||||||||||
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Royal Air Force Greenham Common or more simply RAF Greenham Common is a former Royal Air Force station in the civil parishes of Greenham and Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire.[1] The airfield was southeast of Newbury, about 55 miles (89 km) west of London.
Opened in 1942, it was used by the
History
Second World War
The Greenham Lodge Estate, which was set in the midst on Greenham Common, was requisitioned by the Air Ministry in 1941.[2]
The first arrival was the
The 51st TCW HQ followed its groups to North Africa as part of Operation Torch in November 1942.[4]
In late 1943, Greenham Common airfield was turned over to the USAAF Ninth Air Force. An American advance party soon arrived to ready the airfield for the incoming units. Greenham Common was known as USAAF Station AAF-486.[5]
354th Fighter Group
As troop carrier groups began arriving in the UK in late 1943 and deployed in the Greenham area, Greenham Common was one of the airfields used by the Ninth Air Force for fighter groups arriving from the United States. On 4 November the
368th Fighter Group
A few weeks later on 13 January 1944, the
- 395th Fighter Squadron (A7)
- 396th Fighter Squadron (C2)
- 397th Fighter Squadron (D3)
The 368th was a group of Ninth Air Force's
438th Troop Carrier Group
Literally as the 368th FG was moving out, the
- 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X)
- 88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2)
- 89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U)
- 90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7)
- 94th Troop Carrier Squadron (D8)
The 438th was a group of Ninth Air Force's
Cold War
Strategic Air Command
In the post-Second World War years, the
Nuclear accident
On 28 February 1958, a B-47E, of the 310th Bombardment Wing developed problems shortly after takeoff and jettisoned its two 1,700 gallon external fuel tanks. They missed their designated safe impact area, and one hit a hangar while the other struck the ground 65 feet (20 m) behind a parked plane. The parked B-47E, registration 53-6216, which was fuelled and had a pilot on board, was engulfed by flames; two ground crew were killed and two were injured. [10][11][12][13][14][15]
Two scientists, F. H. Cripps and A. Stimson, who both worked for the
However, a radiological survey commissioned in 1997 by
United States Air Forces in Europe
After Strategic Air Command left Greenham Common in 1964, the site was primarily used as a mail sorting and storage facility under the administrative control of 7551st Combat Support Group.
501st Tactical Missile Wing
Following the 1979 NATO Double-Track Decision, in June 1980, RAF Greenham Common was selected as one of two British bases for the USAF's mobile nuclear armed BGM-109G Gryphon Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM).[19] This missile was derived from the sea-launched Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. Some missiles were deployed at RAF Molesworth, but the majority of GLCMs were deployed at RAF Greenham Common.[20]
A Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp was established in protest at the deployment of cruise missiles in 1981.[1] The protestors became known as "the Greenham women" or "peace women", and their 19-year protest drew worldwide media and public attention.[1]
After being equipped with the new weapons, the
Post RAF station
In 1997 Greenham Common was designated as public parkland, effectively returning it to its pre-Second World War status but with restrictions. Greenham and Crookham Commons became a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[22][23] The Cold War era control tower has recently been redeveloped and is now open as a visitor centre with a historical exhibition and community cafe. Cattle from local farms are permitted to graze the Common and often stray onto the adjacent Burys Bank Road.[24]
Greenham Common Control Tower
Following the closure of RAF Greenham Common in 1992, one of the few remaining buildings from the former air base was the Control Tower, situated on the north side of the runway. This was left derelict until Greenham Parish Council bought it in April 2014 with the intention of converting it into a café and visitors' centre.[25] However, this was repeatedly delayed by political and construction problems, until it was eventually opened to the public in September 2018.[26][27]
The Control Tower features three floors, with the café on the ground floor and a visitors' centre on the first floor, housing a permanent exhibition on Greenham Common's Cold War history and a temporary exhibition space. The top floor observation area offers panoramic views across the Common.[27]
Since its opening in 2018, the Control Tower has hosted numerous exhibitions on the history of the Common and surrounding area. This included "Both Sides of the Fence" in 2021, marking 40 years since the arrival of the Greenham Peace Women at the air base.[28]
In popular culture
The airfield was used In the sixth series of London's Burning where the production team built a petrol garage and diner to be used in a large incident in episode 7.[29]
An episode of BBC's
Beyoncé used the airfield to film scenes for her 2013 self-titled visual album.[31]
Greenham Common airfield was used as a filming location for the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The GAMA (GLCM Alert and Maintenance Area) area was used as the location for the above ground Resistance base on the fictional planet D'Qar.[32]
Greenham Common airfield was also used as a filming location for the 2019 film
See also
- List of former Royal Air Force stations
- RAF Lakenheath near nuclear disasters
Notes
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ ISBN 9781905191031.
- ^ "Greenham Common". American Air Museum in Briitain. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Bowdown World War II Bomb Stores, Greenham Common". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Historic England. "Former Combat Support Building (Building 273), Greenham Common (1419547)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "RAF Greenham Common". Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "354th Fighter Group". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ a b "368th Fighter Group". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ a b "438th Troop Carrier Group". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "310th Bombardment Wing". Strategic Air Command. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "1953 USAF Serial Numbers". www.joebaugher.com.
- ^ "[PDF] Major Robert A. Mortland Co-Pilot 30 Clarion, Penn. killed LINK. 369BS 306BW MacDill AFB, FL. Mishap on landing. Structural problems - Free Download PDF". silo.tips.
- ^ "Usaf Aircraft Accident, Greenham Common". Hansard. 5 March 1958. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Report on the fire with nuclear weapon on board, with resulting nuclear contamination". Atomic Archive. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Photo of 53-62-16 the actual plane that burned in the incident". Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "1958 accident at Greenham Common covered up". Wise International. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ The Distribution of Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239 around the United States Air Force base at Greenham Common, July 1961 by F H Cripps & A Stimson, AWRE, Aldermaston
- ^ Greenham Common given 'all-clear'-leaving childhood leukaemia clusters a mystery Archived 11 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Southampton University in-house newsletter New Reporter Vol 14, No 12, 10 March 1997
- ^ Cook, Colonel James P. (31 July 2017). "A strategic consideration of the Cold War heritage of the former RAF Upper Heyford Base". p. 40. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Statement of the Secretary of State for Defence, Francis Pym; Hansard 17 June 1980
- ^ "GAMA - Cruise Missile Shelter Complex, Greenham Common airbase". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ a b "501st Combat Support Wing Heritage" (PDF). 501st Combat Support Wing. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Magic Map Application". Magic.defra.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Site name: Greenham and Crookham Commons" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Drivers urged to slow down and be vigilant for cattle in Greenham". inyourarea.co.uk. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Future of iconic Greenham Control Tower is put in doubt". Newbury Today. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Greenham Control Tower project stalls again". Newbury Today. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ a b "About us". Greenham Control Tower. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Greenham Common peace camp remembered 40 years on". Newbury Today. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "London's Burning (TV Series) Episode No. 6.7". IMDB. 1993. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Top Gear Series 12 Episode 6". BBC. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Beyoncé's explosive new music video filmed in bomb shelter". News24. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Star Wars surprise: Millennium Falcon and X-Wing pictured". BBC News. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "Greenham Common stars in new Fast and Furious 9 trailer (but can you spot it?)". Basingstoke Gazette. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
Bibliography
- Fletcher, Harry R. (1989) Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6
- Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now 1994. After the Battle ISBN 0-900913-80-0
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
- Sayers, Jonathan (2006) In Defense of Freedom, a History of RAF Greenham Common
- Stokes, Penelope (2017). The Common Good: The story of Greenham Common ISBN 978-1-5272-0785-1