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RAF Davidstow Moor

Royal Air Force Davidstow, or more simply RAF Davidstow Moor, is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.9 miles (4.7 km) north east of Camelford, Cornwall and 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west of Launceston, Cornwall, England.

RAF Davidstow Moor
Davidstow, Cornwall in England
RAF Davidstow Airfield – 2 June 1951
RAF Davidstow Moor is located in Cornwall
RAF Davidstow Moor
RAF Davidstow Moor
Shown within Cornwall
Coordinates50°38′07″N 004°37′04″W / 50.63528°N 4.61778°W / 50.63528; -4.61778
TypeRoyal Air Force station
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force 1943-44
United States Army Air Forces 1942
Controlled byRAF Coastal Command
* No. 19 Group RAF
Site history
Built1941 (1941)/42
In useOctober 1942 - December 1945 (1945)
Airfield information
Elevation295 metres (968 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
06/24 1,290 metres (4,232 ft) Concrete
12/30 1,820 metres (5,971 ft) Concrete
18/36 1,280 metres (4,199 ft) Concrete

It was used from late 1942 until 1945, and despite a few periods of intense activity it was one of Coastal Command's lesser used airfields.

History

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The land was acquired in 1941, and a three-runway airfield with extensive dispersal areas was constructed in the first half of 1942. Despite the moorland conditions, construction was reasonably straightforward, although it did involve the removal of various field boundaries, the closure of minor roads and some drainage work.

RAF Davidstow Moor closed in December 1945 at the end of World War II and many of the buildings, including the hangars were soon removed. It became a motor racing circuit, known as Davidstow Circuit and in the early 1950s, three Formula One races were held there (the Cornwall MRC Formula 1 Races) including the first success for the Lotus marque.

Posted units

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Squadron Dates stationed Planes used Duties
53 Sqn 1 January 1943 – 18 February 1943 Lockheed Hudson
144 Sqn 10 May 1944 – 1 July 1944 Bristol Beaufighter Covered the west flank of the Normandy landings.
Helped to destroy the German naval forces in Western France
192 Sqn [2]
206 Sqn 18 March 1944 – 12 April 1944 Consolidated Liberator, Boeing Fortress
269 Sqn 8 January 1944 – 8 March 1944 Lockheed Hudson, Supermarine Walrus Air-sea rescue duties
280 Sqn [2]
281 Sqn det December 1943 – February 1945 Vickers Warwick Air sea rescue duties
282 Sqn 1 February 1944 – 19 September 1944 Vickers Warwick Air sea rescue duties
304 Sqn 7 June 1943 – 13 December 1943 Vickers Wellington Anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay
404 Sqn RCAF 8 May 1944 – September 1944 Bristol Beaufighter
524 Sqn 7 April 1944 – 1 July 1944 Vickers Wellington Patrols against E-Boats off the French coast
547 Sqn 31 May 1943 – 25 October 1943 Vickers Wellington Anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay
612 Sqn 12 April 1943 – 25 May 1943 Vickers Wellington Anti-submarine patrols over the Channel and the Bay of Biscay
845 Naval Air Squadron [2]
1603 (AAC) Flt 16 December 1942 – 27 January 1943 Hawker Henley Target towing
 
Bristol Beaufighter Mk X. This machine is NE255/EE-H of No. 404 Squadron RCAF at RAF Davidstow Moor on 21 August 1944

A number of RAF Regiment units were also posted here at some point:[2]

Wings;

Squadrons;

Current use

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The disused former watch office/air traffic control tower is clearly visible on the airfield.

The airfield is still partly used by microlights and motor gliders[3] with three runways in use. The runway lengths and directions are: 02–20, 395m, 06–24, 489m, 12–30, 1,450m. PPR (prior permission required) is essential for this site. It is currently run by Davidstow Flying Club.

Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum

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The Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum[4] has been set up to commemorate the work and people of RAF Davidstow Moor.

It is located next to a creamery where Davidstow and Cathedral City cheeses are produced. Many exhibits cover life in World War II in Cornwall, including other airfields along the North Cornwall coast, the Royal Navy, Army and civilian services, and life on the home front. Other exhibits include artifacts from the Royal Observer Corps and the Light Infantry, vehicles and weapons. A new hangar was completed in 2016 and now houses a growing collection of larger exhibits including a Fairey Gannet and Hawker Hunter F.6 aircraft, the cockpit section of a DH Vampire T.11 as well as a number of rare airfield and military vehicles.

Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum

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The adjacent yet separate Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum is located in the former sergeants' shower block and focuses on the airfield's history during World War II using archive photographs and memorabilia.[5]

Unauthorised festival

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An unauthorised open-air music and dance event was held on the site in June 2022.[6]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Falconer 2012, p. 76.
  2. ^ a b c d "Davidstow Moor". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Data Card with up to date information".
  4. ^ http://www.cornwallatwarmuseum.co.uk Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum
  5. ^ "Official site". Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  6. ^ Raines, Jeff (4 June 2022). "Cornwall illegal rave: Police officers assaulted at Davidstow Moor gathering". Cornwall Live. Local World.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Delve, Ken The Military Airfields of Britain, South-Western England: Channel Islands, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire. ISBN 1-86126-810-6
  • A Guide to Airfields of South Western England. Baron Jay Publishers
  • Keast, David C. Memories and Records of RAF Davidstow Moor, Cornwall [Camelford: the Author?]
  • Knight, Rod & Anne (2016, 2nd edition) RAF Davidstow Moor 1942 to 1945. A Wartime History [CAWM Publishing, Cornwall at War Museum, Davidstow] ISBN 978-0-9576112-0-7
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