RAF Odiham is a

Royal Air Force station The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used fo ...

situated a little to the south of the village of

Odiham Odiham () is a large historic village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The 2011 population was 4,406. The parish in 1851 had an area of 7,354 acres w ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift helicopter, the Chinook, and of the King’s Helicopter Flight (TKHF) . Its current station commander is

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

Donal McGurk.RAF Odiham website
/ref>

History

Aircraft operations began from the site in 1925 but it was not until October 1937 that it was opened as a permanent airfield.

Second World War

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

North American Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

s and

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon is a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems were encountered and i ...

s were flown out of the base. After the Allied invasion of Europe the site became a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

camp. * No. 2 Squadron RAF operated the Mustang I between 7 August 1943 and 22 September 1943 and again between 6 October 1943 and 14 November 1943. ** The squadron returned on 27 June 1944 with the Mustang II before leaving on 29 July 1944. *

No. 4 Squadron RAF No. 4 Squadron, normally written as IV Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the BAE Hawk T2 in the training role from RAF Valley. History Formation and First World War IV Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Fly ...

using the

Hawker Hector The Hawker Hector was a British biplane army co-operation and liaison aircraft of the late 1930s; it served with the Royal Air Force and saw brief combat in the Battle of France in May 1940. Some Hectors were later sold to Ireland. It was name ...

and the

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's ...

I between 16 February 1936 and 24 September 1939. ** The squadron returned on 7 August 1943 using the Mustang I until 15 September 1943 before returning again on 6 October 1943 and staying until 14 November 1943. ** 4 Squadron returned again with

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

XI between 27 June 1944 and 16 August 1944 with a detachment at B 10/Plumelot. * No. 13 Squadron RAF with the

Mk III and the

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

Mk IV between 17 July 1941 and 1 August 1942 with detachments at

RAF Detling Royal Air Force Detling or more simply RAF Detling is a former Royal Air Force station situated above sea level, located near Detling, a village about miles north-east of Maidstone, Kent. It was a station of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS ...

RAF Wattisham Royal Air Force Station Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham is a former Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front ...

and

RAF Thruxton Royal Air Force Thruxton or more simply RAF Thruxton is a former Royal Air Force station located west of Andover, Hampshire and about southwest of London. Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air F ...

. ** The squadron returned on 10 August 1942 again with the Blenheim IV and for the first time the Mk V version. They left on 15 November 1942. *

No. 53 Squadron RAF No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. History No. 53 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadr ...

with the

and the Blenheim IV between 8 April 1938 and 20 September 1939. *

No. 59 Squadron RAF No. 59 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, based in Norfolk, England. History No.59 Squadron was formed at Narborough Airfield in Norfolk on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. On 13 February 1917, the Squadro ...

operated the Blenheim IV between 6 June 1940 and 3 July 1940. *

No. 63 Squadron RAF Number 63 Squadron was a bomber aircraft and training squadron of the Royal Air Force that was active during various periods from 1916 to 1992. Originally using De Havilland DH4 aircraft in World War I, it was last equipped with BAe Hawk jet ...

using the Mustang Mk I between 21 November 1942 and 27 July 1943 with a detachment at RAF Macmerry. *

No. 82 Squadron RAF No. 82 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that was first formed in 1917 and last disbanded in 1963. It served at times as a bomber unit, a reconnaissance unit and lastly as an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) unit. History For ...

with the Blenheim IV between August 1939 and 21 March 1942 as an detachment from

RAF Watton Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England. Opened in 1937 it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) d ...

. * No. 96 Squadron RAF operated the

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

XIII between 24 September 1944 and 12 December 1944 before being disbanded here.

Postwar

Fighter role

Following the end of the War

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Brita ...

assumed control of the base. No. 247 Squadron was re-equipped with

Vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

in June 1946, while No. 54 Squadron and No. 72 Squadron were both re-equipped with Vampires in July 1946. No. 54 Squadron and No. 247 Squadron both converted to

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

units equipped with Meteor F.8s in 1951. As part of her coronation celebrations

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

reviewed the Royal Air Force at Odiham in 1953. No. 46 Squadron was re-formed at RAF Odiham on 15 August 1954 as a

unit equipped with Meteor NF12s and 14s. In 1955 No. 54 Squadron and No. 247 Squadron started receiving

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

s and, in 1956, No. 46 Squadron began converting to

Javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

s with the first arriving in February. Odiham closed as a fighter base in 1959.

Support helicopters

After a short period in "care and maintenance" status the base was reopened as part of

Transport Command RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967. ...

in 1960. In this role No. 72 Squadron was re-equipped with

Bristol Belvedere The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was designed by Raoul Hafner for a variety of transport roles including troop transport, supply dropping and ca ...

helicopters in 1961 and then with

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila, ...

helicopters in 1964. The Westland helicopters were joined by the

Aérospatiale Puma Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...

s of No. 33 Squadron and No. 230 Squadron in 1971. The first Chinook HC.1s arrived at Odiham in 1981. These were replaced by the Chinook HC.2 in 1993. The RAF ordered the Chinook HC.3, a

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

variant, in 1995. After being in storage for eight years due to

avionics Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...

certification problems, the HC.3 airframes were retro-fitted with HC.2 avionics during 2009 and 2010, to enable them to finally enter RAF service. The Mk6, which incorporates a new Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS), is a new buy of 14 aircraft which arrived in 2013. No. 618 Volunteer Gliding Squadron arrived in July 2000. The Unit operated the Vigilant T Mk 1 self-launching glider, providing basic flying and gliding training to members of the Air Cadet Organisation. Due to a fleet-wide airworthiness issue, the Vigilant (and its cousin, the Viking conventional glider) were grounded in April 2014. No. 618 Volunteer Gliding Squadron was subsequently disbanded. In May 2015, it was announced that the Chinook Operational Conversion Flight, comprising six Chinooks and 150 personnel would transfer from Odiham to RAF Benson to form a joint Puma and Chinook Operational Conversion Unit. The move began in December 2015 as the unit joined their Puma counterparts at Benson under a reformed No. 28 Squadron. With the Lynx reaching the end of its operational life in January 2018, No. 657 Squadron of the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

and their Lynx AH9A disbanded in May 2018. To extend their life for at least 15 years, Odiham's runways were upgraded in early 2021. The runway surfaces and lighting were replaced, with the airfield remaining open throughout the works.

Role and operations

RAF Odiham's mission statement is to ''Deliver and sustain Chinook and Special Forces aviation operations world-wide, in order to support UK defence missions and tasks".''

Support Helicopter Force (SHF)

To fulfil this mission, the station is home to No. 7 Squadron, No. 18 Squadron and No. 27 Squadron, all operating the Boeing Chinook and forming part of the RAF's Support Helicopter Force. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter used for tactical troop and load movements and

casualty evacuation Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. "DUSTOFF" is ...

across the battlefield. The aircraft can carry up to fifty-five troops or around ten-tonnes of mixed cargo either internally or as an under-slung load. The Chinook Display Team is also based at the Station.

Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing

Odiham is home to the headquarters of the

Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing The Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW) is a Royal Air Force (RAF) and British Army joint service organisation that coordinates the provision of aviation support to the United Kingdom Special Forces. The wing is under the peacetime comma ...

(JSFAW). The wing is a Royal Air Force and

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

organisation that coordinates the provision of

rotary wing A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings or rotor blades, which generate lift by rotating around a vertical mast. Several rotor blades mounted on a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The Internati ...

aviation support to the

United Kingdom Special Forces The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Force ...

(UKSF). Providing this role are Chinooks of No. 7 Squadron at Odiham and

Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin II and Westland Gazelle AH1 aircraft based at Stirling Lines in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

Other activities

The Kestrel Gliding Club continues to fly from Odiham at weekends, having become part of the Royal Air Force Gliding and Soaring Association in 2006.

Based units

The following flying and notable non-flying units are based at RAF Odiham.

Royal Air Force

Joint Helicopter Command Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) is a tri-service organisation uniting battlefield military helicopters of the British Armed Forces for command and coordination purposes. History Background Over the years, the grouping of all battlefield suppo ...

*Support Helicopter Force **Headquarters, Support Helicopter Force ** No. 18 Squadron – Chinook HC5, HC6, HC6A ** No. 27 Squadron – Chinook HC5, HC6, HC6A **Chinook Display Team No. 22 Group (Training) RAF *

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

**No. 1827 (Odiham) Squadron, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wing,

Strategic Command

**Headquarters, Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing ** No. 7 Squadron – Chinook HC5, HC6, HC6A

Civilian

* Kestrel Gliding Club * The King's Helicopter Flight – S-76 C++

Heritage

Station badge and motto

RAF Odiham's

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fi ...

, awarded in November 1951, features a port

portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

between two towers each displaying a red rose behind two silver arrows with red feathers, crossing one another. The arrows are entwined by a jess and surmounted by a bell. The portcullis and towers relate to

Odiham Castle Odiham Castle (also known locally as King John's Castle) is a ruined castle situated near Odiham in Hampshire, United Kingdom. It is one of only three fortresses built by King John during his reign. The site was possibly chosen by King John be ...

, a ruin dating from the 13th century, located approximately 2 km north of the station. The portcullis also originates from the badge of

Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War World War II or the Second World War, oft ...

, under which the station operated during the 1950s. The roses reference the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

and the arrows represent the speed of the aircraft flown from the station. Representing a falconer and bird, jess and bell, refer to the control of hunting aircraft and refer to the role of squadrons at the station. The station's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

is Promise and Fulfil'''.

Gate Guardian

RAF Odiham's

gate guardian A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece, or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main ...

is a former

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Boeing CH-47F Chinook. The airframe was donated by

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

and reassembled at the station by Boeing and the RAF, using retired parts from several US and RAF Chinooks. It was unveiled in May 2012 by

Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...

Philip Hammond Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...

during a visit to the station to celebrate 30 years of RAF Chinook operations.

List of station commanders

* 1938–1940: Group Captain Freddie West; recipient of the Victoria Cross * 1949–????: Acting Group Captain

Deryck Stapleton Air Vice Marshal Deryck Cameron Stapleton, (15 January 1918 – 16 February 2018) was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Bracknell from 1966 to 1968. RAF career Educated at King Edward VI School ...

* 1950–1952: Group Captain Harold Maguire * 1952–????: Group Captain John A. Kent * 1955–????: Group Captain

Ken Gatward Group Captain Alfred Kitchener Gatward, (28 August 1914 – 19 November 1998), known as Ken Gatward, was a British Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot of the Second World War. Early life Gatward was born in 1914 above Hornsey police station, where h ...

* 1979–1981: Group Captain Colin Reineck * 1981–1983: Group Captain Sandy Hunter * 1983–1985: Group Captain Brian Wright * 1985–1987: Group Captain

Timothy Garden Air Marshal Timothy Garden, Baron Garden, , FRUSI, FCGI (23 April 1944 – 9 August 2007) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF) who later became a university professor and a Liberal Democrat politician. Garden gained degrees fro ...

* 1987–1989: Group Captain John Day * 1989–1991: Group Captain

Joe French Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Charles French, (born 15 July 1949), often known as Sir Joe French, is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who was the last Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Strike Command (2006–07). RAF career French joi ...

* 1991–1993: Group Captain Chris Chambers * 1993–1995: Group Captain Peter Crawford * 1995–1997: Group Captain

Paul Luker Air Vice-Marshal Paul Douglas Luker, is a former Royal Air Force officer who served as Commander of Joint Helicopter Command from 2002 to 2005. RAF career Luker joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1968, trained as a support helicopter pilot and ...

* 1997–1999: Group Captain Al Campbell * 1999–2001: Group Captain Mike Barter * 2001–2003: Group Captain

Andrew Pulford Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Douglas Pulford, (born 22 March 1958) is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. A helicopter pilot with operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and Iraq War, Pulford commanded RAF Odiham ...

; later Chief of the Air Staff * 2003–2005: Group Captain Trevor Milburn * 2005–2007: Group Captain Sean Reynolds * 2009–2011: Group Captain Steve Shell * 2011–2013: Group Captain Dom Toriati * 2013–-2015: Group Captain Richard Madison * 2015–2017: Group Captain Philip Robinson * 2017–2019: Group Captain Lee Turner * 2019–2021: Group Captain Nicholas Knight * 2021–present: Group Captain Donal McGurk

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
RAF Odiham Defence Aerodrome ManualUK Military Aeronautical Information Publication – Odiham (EGVO)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odiham Royal Air Force stations in Hampshire Airports in England 618 VGS

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom