Hurn
HURN: WW2: Military airfield
(see BOURNMOUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT for later information)
WW2: RAF Fighter Command (On loan to DGCA)
418 & 604 Sqdns (Mosquitos)
SOE operations by 38 Group in 1944 at least?
190, 196 & 620 Sqdns (Short Stirlings)
295, 296, 297 & 570 Sqdns (Armstrong Whitworth Albermarles)
US Army Air Corps? Also USAAF it seems?
277 (ASR) Sqdn*
440 (RCAF) Sqdn (Hawker Typhoons)
Runways: WW2: 08/26 1829x46 hard 17/35 1463x46 hard
12/30 1033x46 hard
NOTES: It appears that 419/1419 Flight, before becoming 138 and 161 Squadrons (based at TEMPSFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE), operating 'Special Operations' delivering and collecting 'agents and VIPs' to mostly France, also used HURN as an advanced base, although TANGMERE in SUSSEX was their generally used 'Advanced Base'.
*In August 1944 it appears a detachment of 277 (ASR) were deployed here, (another detachment went to WARMWELL (DORSET). Quite why such short deployments were needed has yet to be explained? The D-Day landings had taken place in June of course so perhaps the advances still needed extra help? Exactly what types they deployed here I cannot say with any degree of certainty, but probably they used Spitfires, Sea Otters and Warwicks?
Judging from the ‘apparent’ fact that in late 1944 some 1988 RAF personnel plus 462 WAAFs were based here - it’s easy to imagine a fair bit was going on. Another aspect is that HURN was considerably enlarged to cope with the demands placed on it for the D-Day landings.
Unusually HURN reverted to civilian use during WW2 on the 1st November 1944. The airfield was being used mainly by BOAC but also KLM and Sabena were flying in, and apparently continued to do so until 1946.
RE-NAMED
Does anybody now know when HURN was officially re-named as BOURNEMOUTH AIRPORT? As is so often the case, despite being officially re-named, a great many people still refer to the location by its original name and this can last for decades.
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