RAF Wittering

RAF Wittering
Name	RAF Wittering
Type	Royal Air Force station
Owner	Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Operator	Royal Air Force
Used	1916–present
Garrison	No. 22 Group RAF
Occupants	Air Training Corps, Royal Air Force School of Recruit Training
Location	Wittering, Cambridgeshire

RAF Wittering RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Wittering in Cambridgeshire close to the border with Peterborough and Rutland. Originally established during the First World War, the station developed through the interwar years, the Second World War and the Cold War into a major Royal Air Force maintenance, training and support base. Its long association with frontline units, accrual of technical training roles and proximity to RAF Cranwell and RAF Brize Norton have shaped its strategic importance.

History

Founded in 1916 as RFC Wittering during First World War, the station hosted squadrons transferring from RFC Stamford and supported operations linked to the Battle of the Somme and coastal patrols. Recommissioned in the interwar period, Wittering became central to RAF Bomber Command development and hosted units involved in the Spanish Civil War volunteer flow. During the Second World War the station operated as a fighter and night-night-fighter base, contributing to the Battle of Britain air defence network while surviving Luftwaffe raids and dispersal reorganisations connected to Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Harris planning. Post-1945, Wittering adapted to Cold War demands, supporting Royal Air Force Regiment functions, nuclear-capable strike squadrons associated with Avro Vulcan and later strategic transitions tied to North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercises. Reconfigurations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries linked Wittering to training reforms under Defence Secretary initiatives and to consolidation moves affecting RAF Leeming and RAF Marham.

Operations and Units

Wittering has hosted an array of squadrons and units including frontline fast-jet formations, maintenance elements and training wings. Notable resident units have included operational squadrons formerly flying Gloster Meteor, English Electric Lightning, SEPECAT Jaguar, and Panavia Tornado GR4 types, alongside headquarters components from No. 1 Group RAF and No. 2 Group RAF during reassignments. The station accommodated Central Flying School detachments and later became home to engineering and logistics units tied to Defence Equipment and Support. Support organisations such as Royal Air Force Air Cadets, Air Training Corps squadrons and Combined Cadet Force contingents have maintained a presence, while liaison with Civil Aviation Authority processes governed local airspace use.

Infrastructure and Facilities

Wittering's airfield layout features runways, taxiways and apron space redesigned across decades to support jet operations and heavy logistics linked to RAF Scampton and RAF Marham force structures. Technical accommodation has included aircraft maintenance hangars, Hardened Aircraft Shelters, and workshops servicing avionics and airframe tasks traced to Engineering Officer training pipelines. On-base facilities encompass accommodation blocks, messes named in honour of figures associated with Royal Air Force Regiment history, medical centres integrated with Defence Medical Services, and fitness amenities used during Exercise Red Flag-style pre-deployment conditioning. Ancillary infrastructure such as fuel farms, ordnance storage meeting Defence Infrastructure Organisation standards, and a control tower compliant with Civil Aviation Authority instrumentation procedures supported continuous operations.

Aircraft and Equipment

Over its history Wittering hosted piston-engined types, early jets and supersonic aircraft. Aircraft series operating from the station include Hawker Hart, Handley Page Hampden, Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Gloster Meteor, English Electric Canberra, English Electric Lightning, SEPECAT Jaguar, and Panavia Tornado. Ground equipment ranged from aero-engine test rigs used for Rolls-Royce powerplants to radar suites compatible with Airborne Early Warning training and to-armament calibration systems derived from Royal Ordnance standards. Workshops calibrated avionics systems linked to Martin-Baker ejection-seat maintenance and to weapons integration procedures used with ordnance supplied under NATO logistics protocols.

Role in Conflicts and Exercises

Wittering personnel and assets participated in wartime operations from First World War patrols through Second World War defensive sorties and Cold War deterrent postures. The station provided staging, maintenance and forward support during deployments associated with Falklands War logistic flows and later operations supporting Operation Telic and Operation Herrick through aircraft preparation and aircrew training rotations. Wittering units regularly took part in multinational exercises such as Exercise Joint Warrior, Red Flag-style interoperability events, and NATO collective defence drills, often collaborating with units from RAF Coningsby, RAF Lossiemouth, US Air Force detachments, and allied air arms including the Royal Australian Air Force and French Air and Space Force.

Community and Environment

The station has longstanding ties with the surrounding communities of Wittering, Barnack, Stanground, and Peterborough; base outreach includes cadet engagement, employment linkages and shared use of sports and cultural facilities. Environmental management at Wittering has addressed grassland conservation, local Soke of Peterborough biodiversity projects, protected species surveys and noise-abatement measures coordinated with Civil Aviation Authority guidance and local planning authorities such as Cambridgeshire County Council. Heritage efforts involve preservation of historic buildings and memorials connected to squadrons who served in conflicts commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves Commission observances.

Future Developments and Redevelopment

Planned changes and proposed redevelopment have reflected wider Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) estate rationalisation, with test proposals linking Wittering property to mixed civilian and defence use influenced by national basing reviews and by projects similar to conversions at RAF Scampton and RAF Lossiemouth. Potential future roles discussed in strategic documents include expanded technical training under No. 22 Group RAF, shared logistics hubs tied to Defence Equipment and Support, and phased accommodation upgrades compliant with Building Research Establishment environmental standards. Local stakeholders including Peterborough City Council and heritage organisations influence planning consents for any diversion of land to civilian purposes, while retained capabilities would align with United Kingdom defence policy priorities and NATO commitments.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Cambridgeshire