RAF Wroughton

RAF Wroughton
Martyn Pattison · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	RAF Wroughton
Location	Wroughton, Wiltshire
Caption	Former technical site buildings at Wroughton
Type	Royal Air Force station (former)
Used	1940–1995
Controlledby	Royal Air Force
Occupants	Royal Aircraft Establishment, Ministry of Defence, Imperial War Museum (satellite storage)

RAF Wroughton RAF Wroughton was a Royal Air Force station near Swindon, in Wiltshire, England, active primarily from 1940 to the 1990s. It served as a satellite airfield, technical site, and long-term aircraft storage and maintenance facility supporting units from Bomber Command, Fighter Command, and later research organisations such as the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. The site’s strategic location near M4 motorway and A419 road contributed to its selection for both wartime dispersal and peacetime logistics.

History

Opened in 1940, the station was established during the Second World War as part of expansion measures associated with Air Ministry dispersal plans and Battle of Britain preparations. Initially used by training and maintenance units connected to No. 23 Group RAF and No. 25 Group RAF, the base later hosted technical and storage roles through the Cold War era. Postwar, Wroughton transitioned to research and logistics functions for the Royal Aircraft Establishment, supporting projects linked to Ministry of Defence procurement and trials during the Falklands War and Gulf War. The station was placed on care and maintenance and eventually closed as an RAF station in the 1990s amid defence estate rationalisation driven by successive UK defence reviews.

Operations and Units

Wroughton accommodated a mix of operational and support units across its lifetime, including maintenance flights attached to No. 38 Group RAF and engineering squadrons from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Research and evaluation organisations such as the Royal Aircraft Establishment and later the Defence Research Agency used workshops and laboratories on site. Aircraft types serviced or stored included examples from Avro Vulcan, Handley Page Victor, Hawker Siddeley Harrier, English Electric Canberra, and civil types requisitioned from British Airways or Braniff International for trials. Auxiliary units included RAF auxiliary squadrons and civilian contractors working under frameworks associated with British Aerospace, Rolls-Royce plc, and BAE Systems.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The station featured grass runways and perimeter tracks consistent with wartime satellite fields, alongside purpose-built hangars and technical blocks erected during the Second World War and cold-war expansions. Permanent structures included maintenance hangars capable of accommodating large bombers such as the Avro Vulcan, storage sheds for mothballed airframes similar to facilities at RAF Kemble and Long-term Aircraft Storage Unit sites, and secure compounds for sensitive equipment from Electronics and Radar Research Establishment programmes. Ancillary infrastructure comprised fuel farms, workshops, vehicle parks linking to Royal Corps of Transport logistics nodes, and administrative offices that interfaced with regional Air Ministry command networks.

Role in Aircraft Storage and Maintenance

Wroughton became notable as a long-term storage depot where retired, surplus, or temporarily withdrawn aircraft were mothballed, cannibalised for parts, or prepared for disposal. The site’s role echoed that of Woodford Aerodrome and RAF Cosford in providing preservation, corrosion control, and dehumidification work for types from Avro Lancaster to Hawker Siddeley Nimrod. Maintenance activities ranged from routine servicing undertaken by RAF groundcrew to contract overhauls by firms such as Marshall Aerospace and Serco Group. Wroughton also supported reclamation programmes supplying spares to operational squadrons engaged in deployments to theatres like Operation Granby and Operation Corporate.

Post-military Use and Redevelopment

Following RAF decommissioning, portions of the site were repurposed for civilian use, including storage, film and television production support, and preservation activities linked to the Imperial War Museum which used Wroughton as a satellite store for its large aircraft collection. Redevelopment proposals attracted interest from property developers and heritage organisations, with adaptive reuse discussions involving entities such as English Heritage and Swindon Borough Council. Parts of the technical area have accommodated light industrial units, storage for automotive firms including JCB supply chains, and community uses while other sections await planning decisions tied to national defence estate disposal programmes.

Notable Incidents and Accidents

Incidents at the station included aircraft ground accidents during storage moves and towing operations, similar in nature to episodes recorded at RAF St Athan and RAF Brize Norton. Safety investigations at Wroughton referenced procedures from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch when handling large airframes and hazardous materials. During the Cold War period, security alerts and unexplained damage to stored equipment prompted internal inquiries by the Ministry of Defence and coordination with local emergency services including Wiltshire Police.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Wiltshire Category:Airports established in 1940