RAF Charmy Down

RAF Charmy Down. It was a Royal Air Force satellite airfield constructed during World War II on the Cotswold Hills escarpment north of Bath, Somerset. Primarily used by RAF Fighter Command, the station provided a forward base for squadrons defending the vital port of Bristol and the South West England region against Luftwaffe attacks. Its operational life was relatively brief, closing shortly after the war's end, but it played a role in the broader Air defence of the United Kingdom.

History

Construction began in late 1940 as part of the rapid expansion of Royal Air Force airfields during the Battle of Britain. The airfield was built by John Laing & Son to a standard wartime pattern, with three concrete runways and dispersals. It opened in April 1941 as a satellite for the larger RAF Colerne, which housed the sector operations room. Situated on high ground, the station was often shrouded in fog, a significant operational handicap. Throughout the war, it served as a forward operating base for fighter squadrons rotated from quieter sectors or undergoing training, contributing to the defence of the Bristol Blitz targets and the Western Approaches. After VE Day, the station was quickly deemed surplus and was placed on care and maintenance status before final closure.

Units and operations

Several RAF Fighter Command squadrons operated from the airfield, typically for short periods. Early occupants included No. 87 Squadron RAF flying Hawker Hurricanes and No. 92 Squadron RAF with Supermarine Spitfires, conducting defensive patrols. Later, No. 131 Squadron RAF and No. 616 Squadron RAF also operated from here. The station also hosted various training and operational conversion units, such as the No. 59 Operational Training Unit RAF, which prepared pilots for aircraft like the Bristol Beaufighter. While no major aerial battles were directly controlled from here, its squadrons engaged in intercepting enemy reconnaissance aircraft and provided cover for coastal convoys sailing in the Bristol Channel. The airfield also briefly accommodated elements of the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force in 1944.

Facilities and infrastructure

The airfield was built with the standard triangular runway layout, the main runway aligned roughly east-west. Technical and administrative facilities were concentrated in a dispersed site to the south, including two T2 hangars, various blister hangars, and a control tower. Accommodation for personnel was provided in a separate domestic site featuring Nissen huts and other temporary buildings. As a satellite field, it lacked the extensive workshops and headquarters facilities of its parent station, RAF Colerne. Armament stores, fuel dumps, and a perimeter track with numerous hardstandings completed the operational infrastructure. The site's exposed location on the Cotswolds contributed to its notorious weather-related limitations.

Post-war use and current status

Following its closure in 1946, the land was returned to agricultural use. The runways and perimeter track were broken up, though many sections remain visible in fields. Most buildings were demolished, but several structures, including the control tower, one T2 hangar, and various air-raid shelters, survive in varying states of decay, often used for farm storage. In the 1960s, part of the technical site was utilized by the Royal Observer Corps as a monitoring post. Today, the area is privately owned farmland, with remnants of the airfield accessible via public footpaths. The site is of interest to historians and aviation archaeologists, serving as a tangible relic of World War II Britain's extensive airfield network.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Somerset Category:Military history of Somerset Category:World War II airfields in the United Kingdom