RAF Kemble
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| RAF Kemble | |
|---|---|
 SkymasterUK · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source | |
| Name | RAF Kemble |
| Location | Kemble, Gloucestershire |
| Country | England |
| Caption | Former technical site and runways |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Used | 1938–1993 |
| Ownership | Ministry of Defence |
RAF Kemble was a Royal Air Force station near Kemble, Gloucestershire in Cotswold District, England, established in 1938 and closed to military flying in 1993. The station served as a training, maintenance and ferrying base during the Second World War, the Cold War and the post-war period, supporting operations linked to RAF Transport Command, No. 38 Group RAF and civilian contractors. Its long runways and technical areas later enabled civilian aviation business, aircraft preservation and industrial redevelopment in the South West England region.
History
Kemble airfield was opened in 1938 amid interwar expansion supporting Royal Air Force rearmament and the prelude to the Second World War. During the war the station hosted units tasked with training and maintenance tied to RAF Bomber Command, RAF Transport Command and airborne support for operations including the Normandy landings and later continental logistics. Post-1945 activities reflected Cold War priorities with detachments from No. 38 Group RAF and aircraft ferrying to theatres associated with Royal Air Force Regiment deployments and British Army aviation requirements. The site played roles during the Suez Crisis, the Falklands War's logistical aftermath, and European support missions coordinated with Allied Air Forces Central Europe and NATO logistics. Decline of front-line maintenance and changing defence reviews led to drawdown and the cessation of RAF flying; the station was formally disposed of in the early 1990s amid wider Options for Change restructuring of UK defence.
Facilities and Infrastructure
Kemble featured two long concrete runways, extensive hangars and a technical site built to the standards used by Air Ministry construction schemes of the 1930s and 1940s. Key structures included Type C hangars, T2 hangars, a control tower influenced by Aerodrome Control designs, and dispersed aircraft hardstands modelled on RAF airfield dispersal templates. On-site facilities supported maintenance, avionics workshops, fuel farms interoperable with Royal Air Force fuel services, and accommodation blocks patterned after RAF personnel billet layouts. The base's strategic location near the Great Western Main Line and the A419 road aided logistic links to depots such as RAF Lyneham, RAF Brize Norton and regional civil airports like Bristol Airport and Birmingham Airport.
Units and Operations
Over its active period Kemble hosted a variety of squadrons, maintenance units and ferry pools. Units included maintenance and ferry elements associated with No. 241 Operational Conversion Unit RAF-style training, detachments from No. 216 Squadron RAF and supply links to No. 30 Squadron RAF operations. The station supported civilian contractors engaged in aircraft storage and preparation for BOAC and later commercial transfers, and served as a staging ground for aircraft moving to Tupolev-era exchanges during Cold War-era diplomacy. Kemble played a role in joint operations with Ministry of Defence Police and coordination with Civil Aviation Authority protocols during peacetime ferrying and storage. Visiting units from Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and overseas air forces used Kemble for stopovers tied to RAF training programmes and NATO exercises.
Aircraft and Equipment
The airfield accommodated a broad range of types including Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Short Stirling during wartime, and post-war transports such as Avro Shackleton, English Electric Canberra logistic flights, and later large transports including the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Handley Page Hastings on ferry duties. The technical workshops overhauled piston engines like the Rolls-Royce Merlin and early turboprops such as the Rolls-Royce Dart, and supported avionics suites used in Hawker Siddeley designs. Kemble also became notable for storage and preparation of civil airliners including types derived from Vickers and British Aerospace production lines, with equipment for preservation, stripping and export.
Post-military Use and Redevelopment
After military closure Kemble's runways and hangars attracted civilian aviation businesses, preservation groups and industrial redevelopment. The site was used by private operators for aircraft maintenance, storage and conversion projects involving companies linked to Airbus supply chains and BAE Systems subcontracting. A large portion of the land was repurposed for light industry, vehicle storage and commercial warehousing connected to regional development initiatives promoted by Cotswold District Council and private developers. The airfield hosted airshows and enabled private collections associated with organisations like the Royal Aeronautical Society and preservation groups maintaining examples of historic types.
Heritage and Memorials
Local heritage initiatives and veteran associations have documented Kemble's history through museums, memorial plaques and archives linked to the Imperial War Museum network and regional history projects catalogued by Gloucestershire Archives. Preservation groups have based collections on-site to interpret ties with units that served at Kemble, and commemorative events often involve representatives from RAF Association and local civic leaders. Surviving buildings and runway areas have received protections and adaptive reuses cited by conservation bodies coordinating with Historic England to balance redevelopment and heritage preservation.