RAF Staverton

RAF Staverton
Name	RAF Staverton
Nearest town	Cheltenham
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.8641°N 2.1296°W
Type	Royal Air Force station
Used	1931–1946
Owner	Air Ministry
Condition	Redeveloped (airport/industrial)

RAF Staverton was a Royal Air Force station near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire that operated as an airfield, training base, and maintenance hub from the interwar period through the Second World War. The site played roles linked to Royal Air Force expansion, RAF Flying Training Command activities, and postwar civil aviation developments leading to a contemporary municipal airport and industrial estate. Its legacy intersects with aviation training, aircraft maintenance, local industry, and wartime support to RAF Transport Command and RAF Maintenance Command.

History

The airfield opened in 1931 amid expansion of Civil Aviation and the Air Ministry's programme for municipal aerodromes, attracting links to Bristol Aeroplane Company, de Havilland, Gloster Aircraft Company, and regional authorities in Gloucestershire County Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, and Great Western Railway. During the 1930s Staverton hosted Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve flying schools associated with No. 6 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, No. 6 FTS, and civilian operators such as De Havilland Aircraft Company and Western Airways. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the site was requisitioned by the Air Ministry and absorbed into the wartime organisation alongside units from RAF Training Command, RAF Maintenance Command, and elements supporting RAF Transport Command operations to the Middle East and North Africa theatres.

Operational Units and Roles

Staverton accommodated a spectrum of units including No. 6 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, No. 44 Group RAF maintenance detachments, and detachments from Air Sea Rescue and RAF Balloon Command on occasion. The airfield supported training schools affiliated with the Civil Air Guard, Civilian Repair Organisation, and Ministry of Aircraft Production contractors, while logistic links connected Staverton to RAF Kemble, Filton Airfield, RAF Hucknall, and RAF Lyneham. It hosted maintenance and modification activities for types procured by Royal Navy (United Kingdom), British Overseas Airways Corporation, and private operators including BOAC and British European Airways.

Airfield Infrastructure and Facilities

The layout comprised grass runways typical of interwar aerodromes, hangars adapted from Bessonneau designs and later metal-clad sheds by Royal Air Force Works Directorate, technical sites for the Air Ministry's servicing operations, and accommodation blocks influenced by Austerity standards. Facilities included a control tower, workshops for airframe and engine maintenance equipped to handle Rolls-Royce and Gipsy engines, petrol storage, and dispersed hard standings added during wartime following recommendations from Aerodrome Defence studies. Road and rail links connected Staverton to Cheltenham Spa railway station, the A40 road, and supply chains running to Bristol and Cardiff.

Aircraft and Training Activities

Aircraft types commonly operated at Staverton included de Havilland Tiger Moth, Avro Tutor, Westland Wessex prototypes, and liaison types such as the Auster AOP family. Training activities ranged from elementary flying instruction under No. 6 FTS and Air Training Corps cadet gliding to advanced conversion flights for Fleet Air Arm and RAF Regiment aircrew. The site also hosted ferrying and delivery stages for production models from Gloster Aircraft Company and Bristol Aeroplane Company to distribution centres, and maintenance overhauls for civil operators like Western Airways and Airwork Services.

Post-war Use and Redevelopment

After 1946 the airfield returned progressively to civilian control, evolving into what became Gloucestershire Airport with runways, terminal buildings, and business parks developed in association with Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council. Former RAF hangars and technical areas were repurposed for light industry, aircraft maintenance firms such as Sabena Technics successors, and training organisations including Flight Training International-style schools. Redevelopment programmes were influenced by national policy from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and local initiatives tied to postwar reconstruction, linking former military infrastructure to regional economic planning and aviation commerce with routes to London and Bristol Airport.

Heritage and Commemoration

Local heritage groups, including the Gloucestershire Aviation Museum and veterans' associations tied to Royal Air Force Association, preserve documents, photographs, and oral histories relating to the airfield's role during the Second World War and peacetime aviation. Commemorative plaques and displays at Gloucestershire Airport and civic buildings reference squadrons and units that served there, while archival material resides within collections at The National Archives (United Kingdom), Imperial War Museum, and county record offices. Annual remembrance events and collaborations with groups connected to Air Training Corps and local schools maintain the site's historical profile within regional aviation history.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Gloucestershire Category:Airports established in 1931