Royal Air Force Carew Cheriton or more simply RAF Carew Cheriton is a former Royal Air Force station of Coastal and Training Command near Carew,

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

. It was sited north west of Tenby. It was built on the site of RNAS Pembroke (aka RNAS Milton) from the First World War, which had been decommissioned and sold off in the inter war years.

History

First World War

Royal Naval Air Station Pembroke or Milton as it was known then opened in August 1915. The base operated SS-class (Submarine Scout or Sea Scout), SSZ-class (Sea Scout Zero) and C-class (Coastal-class or 'Coastals') non-rigid airships which operated over the Irish Sea,

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

and Western Approaches on anti-submarine patrols. In April 1917 the base began operating

Sopwith 1½ Strutter The Sopwith Strutter was a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised ...

and Airco D.H.6 biplanes. Upon the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1 April 1918, the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

(RNAS) ceased to exist. The location acquired the dual designation of RAF Pembroke and Royal Naval Airship Station Pembroke. Use of the designation "RN Airship Station" was entirely valid, because the airships remained the property of the Admiralty, never being transferred to the Air Ministry. RAF Pembroke was part of No.14 Group, RAF, successor to the RNAS "Milford Haven Anti-Submarine Group". No.14 Group included No. 255 Squadron RAF. The entire site closed in March 1920. Airship SSZ17 LandingPembroke1917

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Avro 652a Anson

Second World War

Carew Cheriton was recommissioned in 1938, initially with grass runways. From the early 1940s there were three concrete runways, making the station a Class A airfield. The airfield was used as a support station for the

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

operations at RAF Pembroke Dock. Operational flying ceased in 1942. On 15 April 1941 12 airmen were killed in a Luftwaffe air raid which hit the station's sickbay. In 1942 the station became No. 10 Radio School, a training camp for aircrew wireless operators. RAF Carew Cheriton closed in 1945.

Squadrons

;Units:

Postwar

The base was used as an emergency landing site on two occasions after its closure. A de Havilland Vampire FB.5 from Anglesey made a successful emergency landing on the old runway after experiencing mechanical problems. A

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

in a separate incident also attempted an emergency landing but sadly crashed short of the runway with no survivors. In 2019 a memorial was unveiled to those of the 5,000 soldiers in the US Army's 110th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Pembrokeshire from 1943 to 1944, who died during the liberation of Europe.

Current use

The site is no longer used as an airfield though much remains including the runway and the Second World War control tower (adjacent to the Carew Cheriton Showground) has been restored by the Carew Cheriton Control Tower Group, and turned into a museum which is open to the public. The airfield is also used for various events and activities including car boot sales, auctions and part of the airfield has been converted for use as a go-cart track.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

BBC articleThe control tower restoration project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carew Cheriton Royal Air Force stations in Wales Royal Naval Air Stations in Wales Buildings and structures in Pembrokeshire