Shellingford
SHELLINGFORD: Military aerodrome
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
Military users: RAF Training Command 50 Group
3 EFTS (DH Tiger Moths)
10 OTU (Vickers Wellingtons)
Location: E & S of B4508, W & S of A417, E of Shellingford and W of Stanford in the Vale villages, roughly 2.5nm SE of Farringdon
Period of operation: 1931 to 1948
Runways: NE/SW 1052 grass E/W 937 grass
NW/SE 853 grass
NOTES: Here again, having flown for years in this area I had no idea about the existence of this aerodrome, (now so typically having become a gravel extraction site), in WW2, until commencing research for the ‘Guide’. But even in late 1944 it seems 808 RAF personnel were on station here so I assume it was, in its day, a fairly busy RAF training establishment.
POST WW2
It appears that although based at ABINGDON from 1946 to 1949, due to traffic by 10 OTU operations with their Vickers Wellingtons at ABINGDON, the Oxford University Air Squadron often used this aerodrome flying their DH.82A Tiger Moths. After WW2 all the University Air Squadrons were equipped with Tiger Moths until most of them converted to DHC.1 Chipmunks between 1950 and 1953.
It might seem that a smallish aerodrome such as this, mostly used by light aircraft, could hardly have been suitable for use by bombers such as the Wellington? The fact of the matter is that the performance of large aircraft of this era, lightly laden, is transformed – often to a quite remarkable extent. Something much exploited by manufacturers when displaying large aircraft at air shows. It appears that 10 OTU operated Wellington bombers from SHELLINGFORD from 1946 to 1949.
UNIVERSITY AIR SQUADRONS
According to Stuart McKay in his excellent book Tiger Moth the University Air Squadrons in the late 1940s were: “Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Durham, London, Nottingham, Southampton, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, St. Andrews, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.” Fifteen in all. Today the situation is somewhat different, the University Air Squadrons being reduced to fourteen but with four squadrons sharing joint locations.
In 2014 the University Air Squadrons were: Birmingham UAS were at RAF COSFORD (SHROPSHIRE), and the Bristol UAS were at RAF COLERNE (WILTSHIRE). The Cambridge and London UAS squadrons shared facilities at RAF WYTON(HUNTINGDONSHIRE). The East Midlands UAS were based at RAF CRANWELL (LINCOLNSHIRE) and the East of Scotland UAS had their base at RAF LEUCHARS (FIFE).
The Glasgow & Strathclyde UAS were the only University Air Squadron not based at a military aerodrome or air base, instead still being based at GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL airport in RENFREWSHIRE, previously the military aerodrome, ABBOTSINCH.
The Manchester and Salford UAS were flying from RAF WOODVALE, (LANCASHIRE), sharing the airfield with Liverpool UAS. On the other hand the Northumbrian UAS had been geographically displaced to RAF LEEMING (YORKSHIRE) whereas the Oxford UAS were at RAF BENSON (OXFORDSHIRE). At the famous BOSCOMBE DOWN aerodrome in WILTSHIRE, no longer a wholly operated government facility but partially privatised, the Southampton UAS had a base here. The Wales UAS were based at ST. ATHAN (GLAMORGANSHIRE), and last but by no means least, the Yorkshire UAS was based at CHURCH FENTON in their home county.
As CHURCH FENTON was due to close at the end of 2013, I have yet to discover if they moved to RAF LINTON-on-OUSE or RAF TOPCLIFFE? Both aerodromes still being in YORKSHIRE. In 2015, looking it up, it appears they have settled at LINTON-on-OUSE.
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