RAF Holmsley South

50.7885, -1.7013 — view on OpenStreetMap ↗

About

RAF Holmsley South was carved out of the New Forest in Hampshire, north-east of Christchurch, and opened in 1942. It led an unusually varied life. Under Coastal Command its long-range squadrons flew anti-submarine and maritime patrols over the Western Approaches and the Bay of Biscay. In the build-up to the Normandy invasion it became a busy advanced landing ground: the United States Ninth Air Force took it over as Station 455 and the B-26 Marauders of the 394th Bomb Group flew from here in support of the D-Day landings, while fighter and air-sea-rescue units, among them Polish and Canadian squadrons, also used the field. Later in the war it served Transport Command. Released from military use in 1946, the site provided temporary housing for some years and is now Forestry Commission land, its old hardstandings given over to a campsite and caravan park amid the regenerating heath and woodland.

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

Photographs

Derelict hardstanding, Holmsley airfield, New Forest This area of weedy concrete was once part of the hardstanding associated with RAF Holmsley, which was operational during the Second World War. The flat area beyond was the location for the three intersecting runways.
ⓘ licence & creditJim Champion / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derelict_hardstanding,_Holmsley_airfield,_New_Forest_-_geograph.org.uk_-_501453.jpgView source & full licence →
Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Avro 685 York. York C Mark I, MW140 “Endeavour”, VIP Standard aircraft for the use of the Duke of Gloucester as Governor General of Australia, on the ground at Holmesley South, Hampshire, before delivery to Australia by No. 246 Squadron RAF.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force_1939-1945-_Avro_685_York._CH14653.jpgView source & full licence →
Unidentified 394th Bomb Group B-26 Marauders being loaded with bombs at RAF Holmsley South, England.
ⓘ licence & creditassumed USAAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:394bg-hom-2.jpgView source & full licence →
Unidentified 394th Bomb Group B-26 Marauders being loaded with bombs at RAF Holmsley South, 1944. Fuselage code indicates 586th Bombardment Squadron.
ⓘ licence & creditUS gov / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:394bg-hom-1.jpgView source & full licence →
Aerial photograph of Holmsley South Airfield, England.
ⓘ licence & creditBritish Government / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HolmesleySouth-1246.pngView source & full licence →

No people are cross-referenced to this airfield yet. Links appear as squadron postings, crews and service records are added.