The

RNAS 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 ...

Naval Air Station Prawle Point was a British

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

airfield outside the village of East Prawle in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

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 ...

and south east of

Salcombe Salcombe is a popular resort town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, mostly built on the steep west side of the estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area o ...

, Devon.The Archaeology and Heritage of Chivelstone Parish
The airfield was opened in 1917 to provide a base for de Havilland DH.6 and de Havilland DH.9s of the Royal Naval Air Service to carry out anti-submarine patrols.

History

With the formation of the

Royal Air Force 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) an ...

in April 1918 the airfield became RAF Prawle Point and aircraft flights became 254 Squadron. The squadron was divided into flights with 492 (Light Bomber) Flight operating the DH.9s and 515 and 516 (Special Duties) Flights the DH.6s. The squadron disbanded on 22 February 1919 and flying at Prawle Point ended.

Current use

The airfield is now used for farming.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prawle Point Royal Naval Air Stations in England Royal Air Force stations in Devon Military history of Devon