RAF Westley 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) and ...
satellite airfield located to the west of
Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...
, Suffolk, England, between 1938 and 1946. It was established by the
Straight Corporation which set up the West Suffolk Aero Club in May 1938,
before the airfield was taken over by the
RAF Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) ...
.
History
In 1942
No. 652 AOP Squadron moved in to provide training, using
de Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
s and
Taylorcraft Auster
The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited company during the Second World War.
Design and development
The Auster was a twice-removed development of ...
s. This continued until 1943.
The following units were also here at some point:
*
No. 241 Squadron RAF
No. 241 Squadron is a former squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed during the First World War.
History
No. 241 Squadron was formed in August 1918 from the former Royal Naval Air Service flights operating at the RNAS seaplane station a ...
(April - July 1941)
*
No. 268 Squadron RAF
No. 268 Squadron RAF was a Second World War Royal Air Force squadron that operated the North American Mustang on missions over occupied Europe and in support of the D-Day landings.
History First World War
No.268 Squadron Royal Air Force was orig ...
(September 1940 - April 1941
*
No. 656 Squadron RAF
No. 656 Squadron RAF was an Air Observation Post unit of the Royal Air Force in India and Burma during the Second World War and afterwards in British Malaya. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadron of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely ...
(December 1942 - March 1943)
*
No. 657 Squadron RAF
No. 657 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force in North Africa, Italy and the Netherlands during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany.
Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely ...
(May - June 1943)
*
No. 662 Squadron RAF (February - June 1944)
*
No. 103 Gliding School RAF (October 1943 - April 1944 & June - December 1946)
Current use
By 1946 the airfield closed and is now the site of the
Westley suburb of Bury St Edmunds.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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Westley
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