RAF Castle Camps

52.0519, 0.3790 — view on OpenStreetMap ↗

About

RAF Castle Camps opened in June 1940 as a satellite airfield on high ground near the village of Castle Camps, on the Cambridgeshire side of the county’s border with Essex. It served under Fighter Command in No. 11 Group, operating initially as an outstation of RAF Debden and later associated with RAF North Weald. In its early days it had a grass landing surface, which was subsequently given hard runways.

The station’s first occupant was No. 85 Squadron, which flew Hawker Hurricanes through the Battle of Britain under the command of Peter Townsend. From 1943 onward Castle Camps developed a strong night-fighter character, hosting de Havilland Mosquito units including No. 157, No. 605 and No. 307 (Polish) Squadrons, as well as No. 456 Squadron RAAF, which had earlier flown Bristol Beaufighters. A number of other fighter and specialist squadrons passed through during the war, and No. 527 Squadron, engaged in radar calibration work, was formed at the airfield.

The station closed early in 1946. After the RAF departed, the land reverted to agricultural use; traces of the runways, perimeter track and a few wartime buildings have survived among the surrounding farmland.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust — Castle Camps and Wikipedia: RAF Castle Camps. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.

Photographs

RAF Fighter Command 1940 Ground staff warm up a Hurricane of No. 85 Squadron at Castle Camps, July 1940.
ⓘ licence & creditPress Agency photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawker_Hurricane_at_Castle_Camps_-_RAF_Fighter_Command_1940_HU104485.jpgView source & full licence →
RAF Fighter Command 1940 Pilot Officer Albert G Lewis of No. 85 Squadron grabs his flying helmet from the tailplane of his Hurricane, P2923 VY-R, as a member of the ground crew warms up the engine prior to a sortie, Castle Camps, July 1940.
ⓘ licence & creditPress Agency photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawker_Hurricane_at_Castle_Camps_-_RAF_Fighter_Command_1940_HU104484.jpgView source & full licence →
RAF Fighter Command 1940 Pilots of No. 85 Squadron run to their Hurricanes at the satellite landing ground at Castle Camps, July 1940. In the foreground is P2923 VQ-R VY-R, flown by Plt Off Albert G Lewis.
ⓘ licence & creditPress Agency photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawker_Hurricane_at_Castle_Camps_-_RAF_Fighter_Command_1940_HU104483.jpgView source & full licence →
Flying Officer J R Cullen of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, standing in front of his Hawker Tempest Mk V at Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire, 8 April 1944. Flying Officer J R Cullen of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, standing in front of his Hawker Tempest Mark V at Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire. Cullen became a successful Operation DIVER pilot with the Squadron,, shooting down around 16 flying bombs launched against the United Kingdom. Between February and October 1945 he commanded No. 183 Squadron RAF, flying Hawker Typhoons.
ⓘ licence & creditClark N S (Flt Lt) and Wilson J G (Fg Off), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flying_Officer_J_R_Cullen_of_No._486_Squadron_RNZAF,_standing_in_front_of_his_Hawker_Tempest_Mk_V_at_Castle_Camps,_Cambridgeshire,_8_ApriView source & full licence →
Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Hawker Tempest. Tempest Mark V, JN766 'SA-N', of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, at Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire, during the Squadron's re-equipment with the type.
ⓘ licence & creditClark N S (F/O), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Hawker_Tempest._CH13955.jpgView source & full licence →

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