**As you'll see from the date range, Dunsfold has held a longstanding fascination for me. Although I've spent the last nine years returning to seek out old relics of the airfield, I'm still far from having a comprehensive history or record. The history here is largely based on the book 'Dunsfold - Surrey's Most Secret Airfield' by Paul McCue, published in 1992.**
Royal Canadian Airforce Station Dunsfold was begun on the 11th May 1942 by the the 2nd Bn. Royal Canadian Engineers who used heavy-duty American earth-movers and explosives to clear the land, finishing the project in just twenty weeks. A Class 'A' bomber airfield, Dunsfold was initially home to 3 RCAF Squadrons. In 1943 these were joined by Squadrons from the RAF and Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service and the base was renamed RAF Dunsfold. After D-Day, the station took on a support role, training new pilots and supplying replacement aircraft to RAF squadrons on the Continent.
In April 1945, Dunsfold became a repatriation centre for liberated Allied Prisoners of War, receiving 47,529 by the end of June 1945. After the war, the aerodrome was designated 83 Group Disbandment Centre for squadrons returning from Europe and in September 1946 was officially declared inactive.
After the RAF departed, the airfield was leased to Skyways Ltd, a charter airline and served as a base for the Berlin Airlift. In 1952 the aerodrome was leased to the Hawker Aircraft Company and in October 1960, Dunsfold saw the first air test of the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 'Kestrel' VTOL prototype, followed shortly by the start of testing and assembly line work on the Harrier Jump Jet, which continued here until 1998 (under British Aerospace which took over in 1977).
The aerodrome was sold in 2002 to a private consortium which converted the factory buildings for use as a business park. The airfeld is still used for occasional flights but is best known as a motor circuit and the filming location for the BBC's Top Gear series.
More info and pics can be found at: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/rafbhq.html
1. Sign on the eastern perimeter
2. Looking down the runway from the perimeter, Top Gear track in foreground, Boeing 747 and an assortment of other aircraft in background
3. Bofors AA position
4. Entrance to Battle HQ
5. Battle HQ telephone exchange and messenger's room
6. Battle HQ emergency exit
7. Standby Set house on the Admin Site, now a sheep barn - I couldn't get closer due to barbed wire
8. The squash court survived demolition as it was used by BAe for their staff until the 1990s
9. Inside the squash court
10. Govt issue crockery found on the communal site
11. Stanton shelter on the domestic site
12. W/T station on a remote site to the northeast
13. Possible W/T station on a remote site to the northeast
14. Douglas C-47 Skytrain (Dakota) with BAe factory in the background
Thanks for reading,
Arch.
Royal Canadian Airforce Station Dunsfold was begun on the 11th May 1942 by the the 2nd Bn. Royal Canadian Engineers who used heavy-duty American earth-movers and explosives to clear the land, finishing the project in just twenty weeks. A Class 'A' bomber airfield, Dunsfold was initially home to 3 RCAF Squadrons. In 1943 these were joined by Squadrons from the RAF and Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service and the base was renamed RAF Dunsfold. After D-Day, the station took on a support role, training new pilots and supplying replacement aircraft to RAF squadrons on the Continent.
In April 1945, Dunsfold became a repatriation centre for liberated Allied Prisoners of War, receiving 47,529 by the end of June 1945. After the war, the aerodrome was designated 83 Group Disbandment Centre for squadrons returning from Europe and in September 1946 was officially declared inactive.
After the RAF departed, the airfield was leased to Skyways Ltd, a charter airline and served as a base for the Berlin Airlift. In 1952 the aerodrome was leased to the Hawker Aircraft Company and in October 1960, Dunsfold saw the first air test of the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 'Kestrel' VTOL prototype, followed shortly by the start of testing and assembly line work on the Harrier Jump Jet, which continued here until 1998 (under British Aerospace which took over in 1977).
The aerodrome was sold in 2002 to a private consortium which converted the factory buildings for use as a business park. The airfeld is still used for occasional flights but is best known as a motor circuit and the filming location for the BBC's Top Gear series.
More info and pics can be found at: http://derelictmisc.org.uk/rafbhq.html
1. Sign on the eastern perimeter
2. Looking down the runway from the perimeter, Top Gear track in foreground, Boeing 747 and an assortment of other aircraft in background
3. Bofors AA position
4. Entrance to Battle HQ
5. Battle HQ telephone exchange and messenger's room
6. Battle HQ emergency exit
7. Standby Set house on the Admin Site, now a sheep barn - I couldn't get closer due to barbed wire
8. The squash court survived demolition as it was used by BAe for their staff until the 1990s
9. Inside the squash court
10. Govt issue crockery found on the communal site
11. Stanton shelter on the domestic site
12. W/T station on a remote site to the northeast
13. Possible W/T station on a remote site to the northeast
14. Douglas C-47 Skytrain (Dakota) with BAe factory in the background
Thanks for reading,
Arch.
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