Madley
MADLEY: Military aerodrome
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
Military users: WW2: RAF Technical Training 27 Group
4 Radio School (Percival Proctors)
Location: NE of Brampton, NNW of Webton & Kingstone villages, 6nm W of Hereford
Period of operation: 1941 to 1946
Runways: 16/34 1006 (+91) hard 07/25 1006 (+70) hard
11/29 1280 (+347) hard
Note: I have no idea what these "+" signs indicate or refer to.
NOTES: The information I have found for this aerodrome in the most excellent book ‘Military Airfields’ of WW2 by Steve Willis and Barry Hollis have left me baffled. The runway ‘extension’ figures are apparently ‘bottlenecks’ whatever they were. Most unusual for their records, (especially regarding hard runways), no widths are given. Perhaps another question could be why were hard runways provided for Percival Proctors? I now reckon there was something else originally planned for this airfield. Could anybody be kind enough to explain what this was?
SOMETHING OF NOTE
The really big issue is surely the amount of people involved here in 1944. Assuming the records are correct a massive 6293 RAF personnel were based here plus 701 WAAFs! If this is true what on earth was going on here, (described as being just a Radio School), as that number is roughly twice that stationed at major bomber operational bases of the period.
A QUERY?
Note: These two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©.
We have Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for pointing out this location. But what is it? The two runways, 05/23 at 115 metres and 01/19 at 140 metres, don't seem to match other flying sites. It certainly doesn't match the 'picture' for a model flying site, and is not really practical for microlights either. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that it might be used by paramotors? It is certainly fairly recent. A rough and ready version can be seen of Google Earth dated c. 2019/2020 but nothing exists in 2018.
If anybody can kindly offer advice, this will be most welcome.
Terry Clark
This comment was written on: 2018-01-11 04:57:59It looks to me from the satellite image that the + symbol indicated the length of runway which was built one third normal width ie 15m instead of 45m. Why this was done with some airfields I don't know but other examples of this can be seen at Goxhill and Wroughton; Farnborough also had a 'bottleneck' leading onto the NE end of the main runway until the runway was extended in the late 70s. I can only assume that maybe this was a way of designating a displaced threshold as on most wartime runways the full length was used for landing. I'e got a feeling this airfield was mentioned by Arhtur C Clarke in his autobiographical novel 'Glidepath' where he desribed his wartime experiences as a radar technician; he mentioned visiting an airfield in Herefordshire but did not name it. The number of personnel could include the number who trained here as radio/radar technicians hence the high number; the station couldn't possibly accomodate over 6,000 personnel all at one time!.
Phil Evans
This comment was written on: 2018-03-22 14:59:28Madley Airfield (No. 4 Radio School) was one of the largest RAF airfields in the UK, stationed aircraft were mainly Dominies and Proctors, but included Oxfords, Hurricanes, Spitfire, Tigermoth. Madley was established to train 2800 Wireless Operators (ground crew), 1200 Wireless Operators (air crew), 20000 cadets participated in courses through 5 years. The airfield runways are still visible but now covered with Chicken Farms, Horticulture, Industrial Estate and the UKs largest Satellite Earth Station, along with an Environmental Charity (www.mesc.org.uk). There are Hinaldi and Hamilton Hangars on site. The airfield was very significant, also home to 10 Mountain Rescue Teams, and this is where Rudolf Hess was flown from to his trial.
Andrew Fearon
This comment was written on: 2020-04-26 10:13:55My father joined the RAF from the Volunteer Reserve at Cardington in May 1940 and was sent to Blackpool to train as a wireless operator. At a later date (1941) he was posted to RAF Marham in Norfolk and was stationed there till sometime in 1942 wen he was transfered to RAF Madley. My mother, with my elder brother and myself went to live in Credenhill Court a few miles away. I remember as a young boy being taken to Madley and sitting in a Spitfire. My father was demobbed in 1946 and we moved back home, but I have a very clear memory of a Lancaster flying low over the cedar tree on the west side of the house, in the direction of Madley, at some time, probably between 1944 and early 1946.
Marcel Glover
This comment was written on: 2020-08-08 22:22:10By 1952, the Radio School buildings had been turned into Kingstone school. We lived in one of the huts next to the playing field for a couple of years. My father cycled to Peterchurch every day to teach at Fairfield school. If you look on Google maps of the area, you'll see a small industrial estate where the B4348 & B4349 merge. I can remember that site being covered with air raid shelters so there must have been accommodation huts there as well, so it's quite possible that large numbers of people were posted there. Our hut was very basic and very cold. When we first arrived, there was no electricity supply, we had a posh tilley lamp with an opal glass shade. Heating was one "tortoise" stove and the awful briquettes (about a foot cube of coal dust & cement) to burn on it. Milk came in a churn in the back of a van and you had to take a jug or saucepan out to have it measured out with a dipper.
Richard Shimmin
This comment was written on: 2020-12-30 11:14:22Regarding Andrew Fearon's piece, a Lancaster from 617 squadron landed at Madley in mid to late 1944. They were doing low level training for an attack on Tirpitz. A very good friend of mine had a great uncle who was a rear gunner I believe and his relatives lived in Blakemere at the time. After they landed, they all went to tea in Blakemere before returning to their aircraft. Everybody held their breath as they took off as the runways were never built long enough for such a large aircraft and they only just cleared the perimeter. The plane then flew over the house and waggled its wings before returning to base. This landing was never recorded at the time as it should not have happened. Unfortunately, the crew were lost over the North Sea I believe after the attack on Tirpitz. I hope this is of interest.
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