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The first aircraft to land at the new airfield did so when it was unfinished, arriving early one morning. Its pilot approached Mr Long, a roller driver, who was just getting up steam, but neither could understand one another, and when the pilot sprinted back to his aircraft and took off. Long
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It had three tarmac runways that are now in poor condition and the control towers are currently derelict. There is now an industrial estate – derived from the later
Composite Signals Organisation Station (CSOS) – right in the middle of the place where the three runways meet.
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In the autumn of 1944 the surviving squadrons were transferred to other sites and the station wound down, becoming a glider training school and maintenance unit until RAF Culmhead closed in August 1946.
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From the 1950s, the site was partially reused as
Composite Signals Organisation Station (CSOS) Culmhead, performing signals research functions, operated under the aegis of
637:(GCHQ), with a cluster of buildings covering some 4.4 hectares being constructed approximately in the centre of the former airfield. It was closed in this role in 1999.
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Aerial photograph of
Churchstanton airfield, looking north, 26 June 1942. Note several fighter aircraft parked on the grassy areas.
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RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912
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RAF Culmhead was initially known as RAF Church
Stanton, but it was renamed on 22 December 1943 to avoid confusion with
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tested them
Culmhead before deploying them for their first operational sortie on 27 July from
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Who used the airfield first and why is a mystery, the story is told by David
Berryman:
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from June but officially opened on 1 August 1941. Ground defence was provided by the
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Industrial estate, built on the site of the signals unit. Taken in 2006
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realised that it was probably a German bomber that had landed in error
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RAF Culmhead was a typical three-runway fighter airfield, with
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Structures on the
Heritage at Risk register in Somerset
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Research
Department Flight (March 1942 - March 1944)
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Former Royal Air Force station in
Somerset, England
541:The following units were also here at some point:
1046:Royal Air Force flying training and support units
519:, the first jet engined aircraft in RAF service.
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1044:Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997).
515:in 1944, the airfield was used for training on
772:. Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 50–86.
450:wire cutters in 1942 by 02 Detachment of the
446:. The site was also used for the testing of
948:"How Cheltenham entered America's backyard"
461:In 1943 the Czech units were replaced with
770:Somerset airfields in the Second World War
763:
761:
759:
757:
488:'s 24th Naval Fighter Wing took over with
311:1,190 metres (3,904 ft) Concrete
303:1,025 metres (3,363 ft) Concrete
295:1,320 metres (4,331 ft) Concrete
644:and fighter pens have been designated as
426:. No. 302 soon left to be replaced with
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816:Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust
795:"RAF CULMHEAD, CHURCHSTANTON, SOMERSET"
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496:using Culmhead as a location for their
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728:
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635:Government Communications Headquarters
1069:South West Airfields Heritage Trust:
792:
709:. South West Airfields Heritage Trust
504:specially adapted for operation from
414:. The first squadrons to arrive were
380:built around the site along with ten
1086:Royal Air Force stations in Somerset
935:Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997
851:Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997
839:Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997
740:Somerset Historic Environment Record
500:, which were a naval version of the
85:
1091:Scheduled monuments in Taunton Dene
804:
736:"Culmhead airfield, Trickey Warren"
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534:launched against southern England.
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67:The old control tower taken in 2006
24:
25:
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1048:. UK: Air-Britain (Historians).
547:No. 3 Glider Training School RAF
251:European theatre of World War II
84:
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979:. English Heritage. p. 190
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384:. It was used by fighters from
1106:1941 establishments in England
793:Riley, Hazel (December 2015).
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605:No. 2791 Squadron RAF Regiment
600:No. 2790 Squadron RAF Regiment
13:
1:
1101:GCHQ buildings and structures
950:. New Scientist. 5 April 1984
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610:Glider Instructors Flight RAF
555:(September 1945 - April 1946)
406:The airfield was occupied by
1006:. UK: Ian Allan Publishing.
1004:RAF Airfields of World War 2
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549:(September 1944 - July 1945)
467:No. 504 (City of Nottingham)
452:Royal Aircraft Establishment
7:
646:Scheduled Ancient Monuments
553:No. 67 Maintenance Unit RAF
205:RAF Flying Training Command
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812:"Culmhead (Churchstanton)"
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742:. Somerset County Council
650:Heritage at Risk Register
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265:263 metres (863 ft)
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235:August 1941 – August 1946
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768:Berryman, David (2006).
648:and are included in the
482:No. 131 (County of Kent)
322:Royal Air Force Culmhead
494:887 Naval Air Squadrons
484:Squadrons. In 1944 the
476:. It was then used by
403:". (Berryman 2009, 98)
390:Somerset Light Infantry
148:Royal Air Force station
1021:Jefford, C.G. (1988).
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595:790 Naval Air Squadron
424:Hawker Hurricane Mk.Is
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1002:Falconer, J. (2012).
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442:Squadrons which were
432:Supermarine Spitfires
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98:Shown within Somerset
970:"South West England"
589:No. 610 Squadron RAF
583:No. 587 Squadron RAF
577:No. 286 Squadron RAF
571:No. 234 Squadron RAF
565:No. 154 Squadron RAF
559:No. 126 Squadron RAF
527:when it intercepted
521:No. 616 Squadron RAF
502:Supermarine Spitfire
498:Supermarine Seafires
257:Airfield information
128:50.92944°N 3.12833°W
444:Czechoslovak-manned
195:RAF Fighter Command
124: /
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287:Length and surface
191:Controlled by
133:50.92944; -3.12833
18:RAF Church Stanton
1013:978-1-85780-349-5
506:aircraft carriers
474:RAF Church Fenton
408:No. 2 Polish Wing
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420:No. 302 (Poznań)
416:No. 316 (Warsaw)
412:Polish Air Force
364:Second World War
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201:No. 10 Group RAF
162:Site information
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448:barrage balloon
428:No. 306 (Torun)
382:blister hangars
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341:Blackdown Hills
330:Royal Air Force
324:or more simply
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1071:RAF Culmhead
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996:Bibliography
981:. Retrieved
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964:
952:. Retrieved
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930:
923:Jefford 1988
918:
911:Jefford 1988
906:
899:Jefford 1988
894:
887:Jefford 1988
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875:Jefford 1988
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863:Jefford 1988
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819:. Retrieved
806:
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744:. Retrieved
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711:. Retrieved
652:produced by
639:
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532:flying bombs
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328:is a former
326:RAF Culmhead
325:
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247:Battles/wars
212:Site history
171:Air Ministry
92:RAF Culmhead
35:RAF Culmhead
29:
1029:: Airlife.
954:12 December
621:Postwar use
525:RAF Manston
469:Squadrons.
456:Farnborough
232:In use
131: /
119:003°07′42″W
107:Coordinates
1080:Categories
1027:Shrewsbury
713:22 January
660:References
486:Royal Navy
386:RAF Exeter
378:blast pens
185:Royal Navy
116:50°55′46″N
665:Citations
283:Direction
262:Elevation
821:11 April
345:Somerset
177:Operator
53:Somerset
983:30 June
746:25 July
478:No. 165
440:No. 312
436:No. 313
410:of the
359:History
349:England
339:on the
333:station
277:Runways
237: (
222: (
197:1941-44
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591:(1944)
585:(1944)
579:(1944)
573:(1943)
567:(1942)
561:(1944)
511:After
463:No. 66
973:(PDF)
798:(PDF)
513:D-Day
454:from
308:14/32
300:08/26
292:02/20
217:Built
207:1944-
167:Owner
1050:ISBN
1031:ISBN
1008:ISBN
985:2010
956:2014
823:2022
774:ISBN
748:2009
715:2011
492:and
480:and
465:and
438:and
418:and
267:AMSL
239:1946
224:1941
220:1941
154:Code
144:Type
529:V-1
490:894
343:in
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347:,
199:*
157:UC
51:,
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241:)
226:)
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
