Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former
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 ...
satellite station
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
, located in the village of
Westhampnett
Westhampnett (or West Hampnett) is a village and civil parish in the district of Chichester in West Sussex, England, located northeast of Chichester on the former A27 road, now by-passed. The village is pre-Norman and is home to many listed bui ...
near
Chichester, in the
English County of
West Sussex.
It was built as an emergency landing airfield for
fighter aircraft, as a satellite station to
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...
. Built on land belonging to the
Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond,
Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.
History
Royal Air Force use
Squadrons
*
No. 41 Squadron RAF.,
from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating
Supermarine Spitfire Vb
*
No. 43 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 65 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 91 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 118 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 124 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 129 Squadron RAF
No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron active in World War II.
World War I
Like a number of others, No. 129 was first created in the latter months of the First World War as a day bomber unit based at RAF Duxford. It never be ...
.
*
No. 130 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 131 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating
Hawker Hurricane.
*
No. 167 Squadron RAF
No. 167 Squadron RAF is a former Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons, squadron.
History Inter-war years
167 Squadron was formed on 18 November 1918 just after the Armistice of the World War I, First World War at RAF Birc ...
.
*
No. 174 Squadron RAF
No. 174 (Mauritius) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a fighter-bomber unit in World War II.
History
Formation in World War II
The squadron formed on 2 March 1942 at RAF Manston and equipped with Hawker Hurricane, Hurricanes ...
.
*
No. 175 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 184 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 245 Squadron RAF
No. 245 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew as an anti-submarine squadron during World War I and as a fighter squadron during World War II. After the war it was first a jet-fighter squadron and its last role was as a radar-cal ...
.
*
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron.
*
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron.
*
No. 340 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron.
*
No. 402 Squadron RCAF.
*
No. 416 Squadron RCAF.
*
No. 441 Squadron RCAF.
*
No. 442 Squadron RCAF
The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...
.
*
No. 443 Squadron RCAF.
*
No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF.
*
No. 501 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 602 Squadron RAF - operating
Supermarine Spitfire.
*
No. 610 Squadron RAF - operating
Supermarine Spitfire.
*
No. 614 Squadron RAF.
*
No. 616 Squadron RAF.
*
787 Naval Air Squadron.
Units
* No. 83 Group Support Unit (1944-45)
*
No. 121 Airfield RAF
No. 121 Expeditionary Air Wing is a deployable Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England.
The current wing was established on 1 April 2006 the wing has history dating back to May 1944:
Second Worl ...
*
No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield RAF
* No. 402 Air Stores Park
* No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight
* Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett (1941)
United States Army Air Forces
*
31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942.
Current use
Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the
Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and
Chichester/Goodwood Airport.
See also
*
List of former Royal Air Force stations
This list of former RAF stations includes most of the stations, airfields and administrative headquarters previously used by the Royal Air Force.
The stations are listed under any former county or country name which was appropriate for the du ...
*
List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
*
Goodwood Circuit
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Royal Air Force - Battle of Britain 11 Group page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westhampnett
Military units and formations established in 1940
Royal Air Force stations in West Sussex
Military units and formations disestablished in 1946
Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom