RAF Harwell/chilton

Harwell was one of the RAF’s pre-war expansion-scheme stations, built by John Laing & Son and operational from February 1937 with permanent brick buildings and, at first, a grass landing ground. In its early years it was a bomber station: No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron and a string of other units flew types such as the Fairey Battle and Vickers Wellington from the field, and once war came Harwell mounted leaflet sorties over France and bombing raids on German targets including Bremen, Cologne and Essen. Concrete runways replaced the grass surface in 1941, and for much of the war the station served as an operational training unit.

From 1944 Harwell took on the airborne role for which it is best remembered. Equipped with Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles and Airspeed Horsa gliders, Nos. 295 and 570 Squadrons prepared for the invasion of Europe, and in early June 1944 the headquarters of the 6th Airborne Division assembled at the airfield for its pre-invasion briefings. Shortly after 23:00 on 5 June the first pathfinder aircraft lifted off from Harwell to mark the landing zones in Normandy, opening Operation Tonga; through the night Albemarles and Horsas carried paratroops, glider-borne infantry and equipment to the eastern flank of the beachhead, with further glider sorties following on the evening of D-Day. The station also flew clandestine supply missions for the Special Operations Executive later in 1944.

The RAF station closed at the end of 1945 and the site was transferred to the Ministry of Supply on 1 January 1946, becoming the Atomic Energy Research Establishment. Today it is the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.