RAF Aston Down

Aston Down is in Gloucestershire, South West England, 2+1⁄2 miles east of Minchinhampton, 6 miles southeast of Stroud and 7 miles west of Cirencester. The nearest settlement is the large village of Chalford, 1 mile to the northwest.

Raf Aston Down

Aston Down Airfield (formerly Minchinhamtpon) opened in 1917 during the First World War. It was used as one of the main training bases for the Australian Flying Corps (AFC). It closed in 1920 and was opened again in 1938, to be used in World War Two. The military airfield finally closed in 1965 and the site is now being used by a Gliding club.Originally called Minchinhamtpon, the airfield was established as the Number 1 Station for the Australian Flying Corps and used for training pilots to supply the AFC front-line squadrons. The base was well equipped and included four General Service Sheds. The airfield was opened again in 1938 and during World War Two it was used by 12 group of Fighter Command, Tactical Exercise Unit. The airfield was equipped with an unspecified hard landing surface and 44 hard standings. There were 50 aircraft hangars of various types, including large aircraft storage units and Robins Type B hangars. Part of the accommodation for the airfield crew was permanent. The notional personnel complement of the airfield was 1914 Royal Air Force and 410 Women's Auxiliary Air Force personnel. After the Second World War a special test facility was constructed at RAF Aston Down, initially used to test the Fairy Rotodyne rotor blade assembly, later it was used for Concorde air intake research and development work. In 1985, the site was said to have been used by the Home Office.

Aston Down Airfield, SO912 010 opened in 1938 and closed in 1965. During World War Two the airfield was used by 12 group of Fighter Command, Tactical Exercise Unit. The airfield was equipped with an unspecified hard landing surface and 44 hard standings. There were 50 aircraft hangars of various types. Part of the accommodation for the airfield crew was permanent. The notional personnel complement of the airfield was 1914 Royal Air Force and 410 Women's Auxilliary Air Force personnel. In 1985, the site was said to have been used by the Home Office. (1)

Hangars utilised at Aston Down included Aircraft Storage Units and Robins Type B. (2)

The Defence of Britain Database entry is as follows: RAF Aston Down, Chalford , Gloucestershire, WW2 period, NGR SO 912 020, condition unknown. (3)

Sheet SO 90 SW: "Aston Down Airfield" is marked at SO 910 010, but no landing surfaces or other specific features are marked. (4)

The First World War airfield was known as Minchinhampton and was used as the main training base for the Australian Flying Corps. For further details on the squadrons based there and a detailed description of the site please refer to the source. This contains a number of photographs and figures of the First World War and Second World War airfields. (5)

The First World War airfield (RAF Minchinhampton) and associated buildings referred to above (1-5) are visible on the 3rd edition Ordnance Survey Map (1922). Some of the buildings are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1946 and have been reused as part of the Second World War airfield domestic site. The buildings which appear to be reused and have been mapped as part of The Cotswold Hills NMP survey are visible at SO 9045 0170, SO 9081 0170, SO 9079 0166, SO 9079 0160, SO 9088 0165, SO 9089 0158 and a ruined building at SO 9070 0158. Three buildings were subsequently demolished by 1979 (Ordnance Survey Plan map) but three have been incorporated into Old Aerodrome Farm, appearing in various states of repair, and the ruined building's walls (SO 9070 0158) still survive on aerial photographs taken in 2006. (6-8)

The former Second World War military airfield referred to above (1, 5) is visible on aerial photographs (6,10-12) and has been mapped as part of The Cotswolds Hills NMP survey. The 1979 Ordnance Survey Plan map (8) shows clearly the airfield layout, including the runways, dispersals, hangars and airfield buildings, therefore only those features, building and structures not readily identifiable on the 1979 Ordnance Survey Plan map were mapped. The Second World War airfield comprised a domestic site, a main site, a control tower, six E-type Hangars, six Bellman hangars, four D-type hangars, two L-type hangars, one C-type hangar, seven blister hangars (SO911 0181, SO 9162 0179, SO 9165 0093, SO 9101 0022, SO 9097 0032, SO 9077 9996, SO 9065 0093) and 23 dispersed Robin hangars (recorded separately), 21 air raid shelters, thirteen pillboxes (recorded separately), an air gunnery range (SO 9158 0056), a compass platform (SO 9100 0137), two possible radio direction finding stations or radar beacons, SO90SW 121/HOB UID 1514115 and SO90SW 122/HOB UID 1514141, various airfield defence structures including gun pits, slit trenches, barbed wire entanglements as well as other associated airfield buildings.

The domestic site centred at SO 9066 0159 which included the barrack blocks also included 11 single airfield shelters, four v-shaped airfield shelters or trench shelters and two circular emergency water supplies. The domestic site was almost completely demolished by 1979. The squash court (SO 9049 0160) survived, reused as a farm building on aerial photographs taken in 2006, as do three of the single air raid shelters (SO 9047 0160, SO 9047 0158 and SO 9062 0158). The main technical site centred at (SO 9071 0123) also included 8 air raid shelters, two emergency water supplies and three possible gun emplacements as well as the buildings and hangars visible on the 1979 Ordnance survey map. The majority of buildings were still extant and in use on aerial photographs taken in 2006 (9), though some had been demolished by 1979. A Bellman Hangar at SO 9066 0107 was demolished on aerial photographs taken in 1999 (13).

The majority of the main technical buildings and hangars are still extant and still used on aerial photographs taken in 2006, the main runway is also still in use by the Cotswold Gliding Club (14). (6,8, 10-14)

After the Second World War a special test facility was constructed at RAF Aston Down, initially used to test the Fairy Rotodyne rotor blade assembly, later it was used for Concorde air intake research and development work (15). The test facility is marked on the 1979 Ordnance Survey Plan map (8) and a couple of ruined buildings can still be seen at SO 9037 0017 on recent aerial photographs taken in 1999 (13). (8, 13, 15)

Aston Down is in Gloucestershire, South West England, 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) east of Minchinhampton, 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Stroud and 7 miles (11 km) west of Cirencester. The nearest settlement is the large village of Chalford, 1 mile (1.6 km) to the northwest.

The airfield was used by the Royal Air Force from the First World War until 1967 when the Cotswold Gliding Club moved in from their previous base near Tetbury. In 2002 the land and most of hangars surrounding the airfield were sold by the Ministry of Defence to private developers for use as industrial units.

First World War

The airfield was originally opened as RAF Minchinhampton and was first used in the First World War, serving as an aerodrome for the Australian Flying Corps with No. 2 Squadron AFC flying the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a and the Sopwith Pup and No. 3 Squadron AFC flying the Avro 504. The airfield closed shortly afterwards.[2]

Reopening

In 1938 the airfield reopened under the new name of RAF Aston Down at the request of the residents of Minchinhampton town, which lies about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west of the airfield, who feared not enemy attack, but a fall in the value of their houses.[3]

During the Second World War the main present unit was No. 20 Maintenance Unit RAF (MU) which stored and prepared aircraft. The unit arrived during October 1938 and left in September 1960. The next unit to arrive was No. 12 Group Pool RAF which arrived during August 1939, the units name was changed to No. 5 Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU) before being renamed No. 55 OTU. The unit trained Hawker Hurricane and Bristol Blenheim pilots before being renamed No. 3 Tactical Exercise Unit RAF at RAF Annan. This was redesignated on 18 December 1944 and moved back to Aston Down where the unit flew Hawker Typhoons.[4]

During 1941 the second longest staying unit arrived which was No. 2 Ferry Pool ATA of the Air Transport Auxiliary which transported aircraft from the buildings of No. 20 MU to operational airfields. The unit was renamed No. 187 Squadron RAF and moved to RAF Benson during January 1953. In August 1941 No. 52 OTU joined the station from RAF Debden and the unit trained daytime fighter pilots but after two years in August 1943 the unit moved out. The Fighter Leader School moved in during August 1943 operating Supermarine Spitfires moving from RAF Charmy Down but after only four months the unit left.[5]

First operational squadron to arrive was No. 180 Squadron RAF which had moved to RAF Dunsfold on 18 August 1943 and a detachment was based at RAF Aston Down until 12 April 1943 flying the North American Mitchell.[6] During the time No. 4 Squadron RAF arrived on 3 January 1944 and stayed until 2 March 1944 flying the de Havilland Mosquito XVI.[7][8]

Post Second World War

Sometime after the Second World War the hangars were used by No. 5 Maintenance Unit RAF which was based at RAF Kemble.[5]

On 1 February 1953 No. 187 Squadron RAF reformed at the airfield. The unit was renamed from No. 2 Home Ferry Unit and initially only flew the Avro Anson C.19 but in March 1955 the Vickers Varsity T.1 was added and in April of the same year Anson C.12's were also added but just over two years later the unit disbanded on 2 September 1957 at the airfield.[9]

More recently the airfield was used as a satellite airfield for the Central Flying School[5] at RAF Little Rissington, with trainee flying instructors practising their circuits in BAC Jet Provosts.[10] Visits by the Red Arrows were also frequent until their departure from the nearby Kemble Airport in 1983. Since the sale of the airfield it no longer sees any RAF flying activity.[10]

The following RAF Regiment squadrons were here at some point:[11]

Current use

In 1967 the Cotswold Gliding Club (CGC) moved to Aston Down, which in 1981 became surplus to requirements and was sold to the Club by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).[12] Having since acquired further land, the CGC now owns most of the airfield within the perimeter track.[10]

DEFRA occupy a secure facility to the north of the airfield housing the SVS Aston Down Wildlife Unit.[13]

Industry and the environment

The land surrounding the airfield, including a number of large hangars (visible in the photograph above), continued to be used by the MOD until 2002, when it was sold to the development firm Leda Properties to be let as warehousing and industrial units.[14] In 2005, following a Freedom of Information request, the local newspaper revealed that Aston Down is contaminated with arsenic, hydrocarbons and radium.