Honiley
HONILY: Military aerodrome
Military users: WW2: RAF Bomber Command 26 Group
RAF Fighter Command
257 & 605 Sqdns (Hawker Hurricanes)
Late 1944: Signals Development Wing (Vickers Wellingtons & Avro Ansons)
Post 1945: RNVR Also Royal Auxilary Air Force
1833(R) Squadron (Supermarine Attackers)
605 Sqdn (DH Mosquitos later DH Vampires)
Activities: Originally a night fighter base. Later training including airbourne radar training in 1943/44.
Location: W of A4177, NW of Honily village, 3nm WNW of Kenilworth & 7nm SW of Coventry
Period of operation: 1941 to 1957 (Some records say it closed in 1958)
Runways: WW2: 05/23 1829x46 hard 11/29 1052x46 hard
16/34 1280x46 hard
NOTES: Originally intended as a bomber base HONILY became a night fighter base equipped with Hawker Hurricanes and later Douglas Havocs equipped with the powerful airborne ‘Turbinlight’ searchlights. In June 1942 Bristol Beaufighters arrived and stayed, later in a airborne radar training role from July 1943 until March 1944.
A BRIEF INTERLUDE WITH THE RNVR
From 1955 to 1957 it appears that the RNVR operated Supermarine Attackers here.
PRIVATE GA ACTIVITY
As so often happens at RAF airfields over the years, it appears time and time again that some kind of GA civil activity is tolerated. It was, it seems, that here in 1946 Mr Don C Burgoyne, along with Mr H Stirling, finally finished building the Burgoyne Stirling Dicer G-AECN, a project started in 1939 and thought to be part of the BAC Drone G-AEDB, (using bits of the crashed Drone G-AEEN), and parts of the Dart Pup G-AELR?
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