RAF Lichfield

RAF Lichfield
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Name	RAF Lichfield
Native name	Fradley Aerodrome
Nearest town	Lichfield, Staffordshire
Country	England
Type	Royal Air Force station
Coordinates	52.718°N 1.818°W
Used	1940–1958
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Occupants	No. 27 Operational Training Unit, No. 51 Maintenance Unit

RAF Lichfield was a Royal Air Force station near Lichfield in Staffordshire, England, opened in 1940 as part of the wartime expansion of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. The station served as a training and maintenance base hosting bomber conversion, RAF schools and maintenance units, and played roles relating to the Bomber Command effort, postwar demobilisation and Cold War readiness. Its history intersects with RAF training doctrine, aircraft types, and local industrial transformation.

History

Construction of the airfield began after the outbreak of the Second World War under the auspices of the Air Ministry and the Aviation Industry Corporation plans that followed the 1939 Defence White Paper. The station opened amid the rapid expansion that included airfields such as RAF Scampton, RAF Waddington, RAF Leeming, and RAF Lossiemouth. During the Battle of Britain period RAF Lichfield was developed for bomber training rather than fighter defence, aligning with strategic shifts endorsed by figures associated with Bomber Harris and staff at RAF High Wycombe. Post-1945 the site featured in demobilisation processes tied to the Ministry of Aircraft Production and later the Royal Aircraft Establishment logistics stream before reduction to a maintenance role in the early Cold War years. The eventual closure in 1958 reflected broader drawdowns seen at stations like RAF Lyneham and RAF Brize Norton.

Operations and Units

No. 27 Operational Training Unit operated at the base focusing on twin-engine bomber conversion similar to units at RAF Cranwell and RAF Finningley. The station hosted units responsible for aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Vickers Wellington, and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley. Maintenance and storage were conducted by No. 51 Maintenance Unit in concert with supply networks linking RAF Hemswell and RAF Alconbury. Other units included RAF schools and communications flights comparable to those at RAF Benson and RAF Colerne, while occasional detachments from RAF Transport Command and RAF Training Command used the runways. The station’s operational record connects to notable RAF formations such as Bomber Command, Coastal Command detachments, and support from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Royal Air Force Regiment squadrons.

Airfield and Facilities

The airfield was laid out with three concrete runways in the typical triangular pattern similar to Class A airfield designs used across the UK, featuring perimeter tracks, hardstands, hangars, and technical sites akin to those at RAF Tangmere and RAF Castle Bromwich. Technical accommodation comprised B1 hangars, blister hangars, and maintenance sheds influenced by standards from the Air Ministry Technical Directorate. Domestic sites included Nissen huts, married quarters, and communal facilities paralleling developments at RAF Cranwell. The site incorporated control towers, an armoury, a bomb store, and fuel installations consistent with Air Ministry specifications. Nearby rail links connected to the Midland Railway network and local yards used by firms such as Rolls-Royce for logistic support and parts transport.

Postwar Use and Closure

Following the Second World War, RAF Lichfield transitioned to storage, repair and disposal tasks similar to activities at No. 5 Maintenance Unit RAF locations and faced reductions as the British Armed Forces rationalised assets. Civilian contractors, including firms tied to Vickers-Armstrongs and postwar aviation firms, utilised parts of the airfield for spares reclamation and light industry, echoing conversions at RAF Hurn and RAF Henlow. By the 1950s strategic reviews under the Defence Review led to phased closure; final RAF operations ceased in 1958 and the site was sold and redeveloped, with sections later incorporated into industrial estates, motorway infrastructure projects, and municipal planning linked to Lichfield District Council and Staffordshire County Council initiatives.

Accidents and Incidents

The station saw several accidents during training and maintenance operations, involving types such as the Vickers Wellington and Avro Anson, comparable in frequency to incidents recorded at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Leconfield. Notable incidents included collision and crash-landings during night training and instrument flying practice that involved aircrews drawn from squadrons formed at RAF Cranfield and RAF Tholthorpe. Investigations were conducted by boards appointed under Air Ministry accident inquiry procedures, with findings influencing safety adaptations adopted across RAF Training Command stations. Postwar demilitarisation also generated hazardous-material incidents during scrapping operations, paralleling contamination issues seen at former stations like RAF Swannington.

Legacy and Commemoration

The legacy of the airfield is preserved through local heritage groups, museums and memorials connected to Lichfield Museum, Staffordshire Regiment associations, and aviation societies similar to the Royal Air Force Museum and the Midland Air Museum. Surviving structures, memorial plaques and veteran reunions link to wider remembrance traditions including Remembrance Day services and commemorations associated with Bomber Command Memorial initiatives. The site’s industrial afterlife influenced regional economic redevelopment projects overseen by entities such as English Heritage and Historic England, while oral histories feature in archives held by institutions like the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives. Contemporary references appear in local planning documents and heritage trails promoted by Lichfield District Council and community trusts.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Staffordshire Category:Airports established in 1940 Category:Military history of Staffordshire