RAF Tempsford
Former RAF airfield in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Former RAF airfield in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RAF Tempsford is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England and 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, England.
This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2013) |
RAF Tempsford | |||||||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Tempsford, Bedfordshire | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 52°09′31″N 000°15′49″W | ||||||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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The airfield was home to 138 (Special Duty) Squadron and 161 (Special Duty) Squadron, which dropped supplies and agents into occupied Europe for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). 138 (SD) Squadron did the bulk of the supply and agent drops, while 161 (SD) Squadron had the Lysander flight, and did the insertion and pick-up operations in occupied Europe.
RAF Tempsford is very close to Little Gransden Airfield and can be clearly seen from flights climbing out from the westerly runway 28. Other active airfields nearby include the former RAF bases at Gransden Lodge and Bourn.
By 2002 part of the former Tempsford airfield was a concrete-making facility and some of the main airfield buildings had been turned into various commercial workshops. A nearby public footpath led to the end of a substantially intact runway and then on to Gibraltar Farm, the agents' final dispatch point.
This barn contains several plaques and memorials to the agents, both men and women, who were flown from the airfield, many of whom were later killed after being captured and tortured. A memorial is also to be found in St Peter's Church, in the nearby village of Tempsford, and the Tempsford Memorial is outside the church, commemorating the men and women who served as secret agents in occupied Europe during the Second World War and the RAF aircrew who transported them.
Tempsford Museum & Archives in the village of Tempsford houses a vast collection of photographs, papers, maps, uniforms and aircraft parts associated with RAF Tempsford.
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