RAF Hixon

RAF Hixon
Royal Air Force official photographer, RAF Hixon · Public domain · source
Name	RAF Hixon
Nearest town	Hixon, Staffordshire
Country	England
Pushpin label	RAF Hixon
Type	Royal Air Force station
Used	1942–1957
Owner	Air Ministry
Garrison	Royal Air Force
Battles	Second World War

RAF Hixon was a Royal Air Force station opened in 1942 near the village of Hixon in Staffordshire, England. Established during the Second World War as part of the RAF expansion for bomber operations and training, the airfield later hosted transport and maintenance units before closure in the mid-1950s. Its roles linked it to wider RAF infrastructure across England, impacting units from RAF Bomber Command to RAF Transport Command and influencing aviation safety developments after notable incidents.

History

RAF Hixon was constructed as part of the wartime airfield building programme directed by the Air Ministry and coordinated with Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief directives within RAF Bomber Command. Opening in 1942, the station supported operations connected to the strategic bombing offensive against targets in Nazi Germany and contributed to training and conversion units associated with aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax. After the European theatre of World War II shifted, Hixon’s focus moved toward transport and maintenance roles linked to RAF Transport Command and aircraft ferrying between depots like RAF Hemswell and RAF Waddington. Postwar demobilisation, changes in defence policy following the 1947 British Air Defence reorganisation and the evolving Cold War posture resulted in reduced need for many satellite airfields, culminating in Hixon’s drawdown and eventual closure in the 1950s.

Location and Layout

Situated adjacent to the village of Hixon, the station occupied farmland between transport arteries including the Trent and Mersey Canal and the A51 road in central Staffordshire. The airfield layout incorporated the characteristic triangular runway pattern favoured by RAF airfield design of the era, with hard-surfaced runways, perimeter tracks and dispersed hard standings to reduce vulnerability to Luftwaffe attack. Technical sites included a control tower influenced by contemporary Air Ministry Type C architecture, T2 and blister hangars, fuel storage, hangarage linked to maintenance units, and domestic sites for personnel billets, NAAFI and medical facilities. Rail connections nearby utilised sections of the Stafford–Uttoxeter line, facilitating supply movements between depots such as Barton-under-Needwood and regional hubs including Derby and Stoke-on-Trent.

Operations and Units

Units assigned to the station reflected a shift from front-line bomber squadrons to conversion, maintenance and relief landing ground duties. During wartime, operational training units connected to No. 5 Group RAF and No. 1 Group RAF conducted exercises and crew conversions. Post-1945, transport squadrons and ferry groups under RAF Transport Command used Hixon for aircraft turnaround, servicing types such as the Avro York and Douglas Dakota. Maintenance and repair detachments associated with No. 27 Maintenance Unit RAF and nearby RAF depots rotated through Hixon for intermediate servicing, engine changes and salvage operations. The station also hosted gliding and link trainer instruction elements tied to Air Training Corps initiatives and local Civil Defence preparations during the early Cold War period.

Accidents and Incidents

Hixon was the scene of several accidents characteristic of wartime and postwar flying intensity. The most notorious incident involved a mid-1960s railway collision linked to an aircraft transport movement near the former airfield that raised questions about level crossing safety—a consequence of the site’s proximity to the West Coast Main Line and local rail infrastructure. Wartime operational flying led to non-combat losses involving types such as the Handley Page Halifax, Avro Lancaster and Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle, with aircrew casualties commemorated by local parish records and military casualty lists maintained by Commonwealth War Graves Commission records. Incidents prompted investigations by authorities including the Accident Investigation Branch and influenced subsequent revisions of flying safety procedures and airfield perimeter protocols across the RAF estate.

Post-war Use and Closure

Following reductions in RAF requirements, Hixon’s operational tempo declined; much of the airfield reverted to agricultural use and parts of the technical site were repurposed for civilian industry and depot functions tied to Ministry of Supply and later Ministry of Defence logistics. The final RAF withdrawal occurred in the 1950s as part of a wider contraction of wartime airfields across England that included closures at contemporaneous bases such as RAF Hemswell and RAF Waddington in different capacities. Runways were broken up or resurfaced for local road improvements, and many buildings were sold for redevelopment. Remnant wartime structures, concrete aprons and taxiways persisted into the late 20th century, used by local businesses and agricultural operations, while parts of the perimeter and technical sites were subsumed by expanding road and rail projects including upgrades to the A51 corridor.

Memorials and Heritage Preservation

Local heritage groups, including Royal Air Force Museum affiliates and county history societies in Staffordshire, have documented RAF Hixon’s history through archives, oral histories and published monographs. Memorials to personnel who served or were killed while based there are maintained in nearby parish churches and municipal war memorials in Stafford and surrounding villages. Aviation enthusiasts and preservation organisations associated with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Imperial War Museums have referenced Hixon in regional exhibits about wartime air operations. Efforts by bodies such as the Historic England and local conservation trusts have identified surviving structures for protection, while community-led projects have placed commemorative plaques and interpretive signage to ensure the station’s contribution to the Second World War and early Cold War aviation heritage is not forgotten.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Staffordshire Category:Airfields of the Royal Air Force in England