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Coordinates: 52°05′06″N 002°47′42″W / 52.08500°N 2.79500°W / 52.08500; -2.79500
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Infobox-removed all British Army info and entered RAF dates. As created new article Stirling Lines for base use by British Army. Intro-changed moved info into WW2. Renamed current use to Closure-date and Army info. Used council ref.
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{{Refimprove|date=April 2012}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox military installation
{{Infobox military installation
|name = Credenhill Barracks<BR><s>RAF Hereford</s>
|name = RAF Credenhill
|ensign=[[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|90px]]
|ensign=[[Image:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]]
|partof =
|partof =
|nearest_town = [[Credenhill]], [[Herefordshire]],
|nearest_town = [[Credenhill]], [[Herefordshire]],
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|image =
|image =
|caption =
|caption =
| coordinates = {{Coord|52|05|06|N|002|47|42|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
|coordinates = {{Coord|52|05|06|N|002|47|42|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
|image_map =
|image_map =
|image_mapsize =
|image_mapsize =
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|pushpin_mapsize =
|pushpin_mapsize =
|pushpin_map_alt =
|pushpin_map_alt =
|pushpin_map_caption =RAF Hereford within Herefordshire
|pushpin_map_caption =RAF Credenhill within Herefordshire
|pushpin_relief =
|pushpin_relief =
|pushpin_image =
|pushpin_image =
|pushpin_label = Credenhill Barracks
|pushpin_label = RAF Credenhill
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_mark =
|pushpin_mark =
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|type =
|type =
|code =
|code =
|built = {{Start date|1939}}<ref name="Council">{{cite web|title=RAF Credenhill (originally RAF Hereford No. 11 School of Technical Training), nr Hereford|url=http://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/her-search/monuments-search/search/Monument?ID=27693|website=Herefordshire Archaeology|publisher=Herefordshire Council|accessdate=23 June 2017}}</ref>
|built = {{Start date|1999}}
|builder =
|builder =
|materials =
|materials =
|used = 15 June 1940 - April 1994<ref name="Council" />
|used = 1999 - Present
|demolished =
|demolished =
|condition =
|condition =
|ownership = [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]
|ownership = [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]
|operator = [[British Army]]
|operator = [[Royal Air Force]]
|controlledby =
|controlledby =
|garrison =
|garrison =
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|h1-surface = Asphalt
|h1-surface = Asphalt
}}
}}
'''Royal Air Force Hereford''' or '''RAF Hereford''', and also known as '''RAF Credenhill''', was a non-flying station of the [[Royal Air Force]] situated in the village of [[Credenhill]] near [[Hereford]], United Kingdom. It was commissioned in 1940 and served as home for a range of training schools from 1940<ref>https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/474/raf-hereford/</ref> until closure in 1999. RAF Hereford was home to Administrative Apprentice training until the final entry (330) graduated and passed out in August 1973, following which the station continued to provide Supplier trades training to adult entrants to the RAF, and 'in service' junior command and leadership/promotion training until 1999. The station was subsequently redeveloped for use by the [[British Army]] and established as a depot for the [[Special Air Service]].
'''Royal Air Force Hereford''' or '''RAF Hereford''', and also known as '''RAF Credenhill''', was a non-flying station of the [[Royal Air Force]] situated in the village of [[Credenhill]] near [[Hereford]], [[United Kingdom]]. It was commissioned in 1940 and served as home for a range of training schools from 1940 until closure in 1994.<ref name="Council" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Unit History: RAF Credenhill|url=https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/1802/raf-credenhill/|website=Forces War Records|accessdate=23 June 2017}}</ref> The site was subsequently obtained by the [[British Army]].<ref name="Council" /><ref name="BBC" />


==History==
==History==
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*No. 11 School of Technical Training from 15 June 1940 until 30 September 1945.<ref name="RAFWEB">{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-H.htm#Hereford|title=RAF Hereford (Credenhill) |publisher=Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation|accessdate=9 April 2012}}</ref>
*No. 11 School of Technical Training from 15 June 1940 until 30 September 1945.<ref name="RAFWEB">{{cite web|url=http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-H.htm#Hereford|title=RAF Hereford (Credenhill) |publisher=Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation|accessdate=9 April 2012}}</ref>
*School of Torpedo Maintenance from 1942 until 1946.<ref name="RAFWEB"/>
*No. 7 Mobile Parachute Servicing Unit from 17 April 1944 to February 1945.<ref name="RAFWEB"/>
*No. 7 Mobile Parachute Servicing Unit from 17 April 1944 to February 1945.<ref name="RAFWEB"/>
*HQ, No. 24 Group from September 1944 until December 1944.<ref name="RAFWEB"/>
*HQ, No. 24 Group from September 1944 until December 1944.<ref name="RAFWEB"/>
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*RAF Chef Apprentices, 1964 to ?.
*RAF Chef Apprentices, 1964 to ?.
*No. 3 School of Technical Training from April 1959 until 17 May 1974.<ref name="RAFWEB" />
*No. 3 School of Technical Training from April 1959 until 17 May 1974.<ref name="RAFWEB" />
*Administrative Apprentice Training School from 1953 to August 1973, culminating in the graduation of the final Admin Apprentices entry (#330).{{Citation needed|date=April 2013}}
*Administrative Apprentice Training School from 1953 to August 1973, culminating in the graduation of the final Admin Apprentices entry (#330), following which the station continued to provide Supplier trades training to adult entrants to the RAF, and 'in service' junior command and leadership/promotion training until 1994. {{Citation needed|date=April 2013}}
[[File:RAF Hereford - 330 Entry Admin Apprentices graduation photograph - August 1973.gif|thumb|Graduation photograph of 2 Squadron RAF Admin Apprentices, RAF Hereford, August 1973; the final entry to graduate from No. 3 School of Technical Training]]
[[File:RAF Hereford - 330 Entry Admin Apprentices graduation photograph - August 1973.gif|thumb|Graduation photograph of 2 Squadron RAF Admin Apprentices, RAF Hereford, August 1973; the final entry to graduate from No. 3 School of Technical Training]]
* School of Basic Training for WRAF, 25 March 1974 to August 1982.<ref name="Council" />
* Youth Training Squadron from September 1983 to ?<ref name="Council" />


==Current use==
==Closure==
By April 1994 the station had closed.<ref name="Council" /> The site was obtained by the British Army to redevelop for the [[Special Air Service]] headquarters base with the SAS subsequently moving from Hereford in 1999 and in 2000 the base was designated as [[Stirling Lines]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|last1=Goodwin|first1=Nicola|title=SAS: Troopers tell their stories|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/herefordandworcester/low/people_and_places/history/newsid_8638000/8638149.stm|accessdate=23 June 2017|work=BBC|date=6 May 2010}}</ref>

[[No. 658 Squadron AAC]] has been posted here.<ref name="AFMJAN14">{{cite journal|author=Gary Parsons|title=News briefs|journal=[[AirForces Monthly]] |location=[[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] |publisher=[[Key Publishing]]|date=January 2014|pages=pg.7 }}</ref> [[22 Regiment Special Air Service|22 Regiment, Special Air Service]] is also based here.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Geographic|first1=National|title=Operation Nimrod (Documentary)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAejENocQB0|website=YouTube|accessdate=1 March 2017}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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*[http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?348-RAF-Hereford-RAF-Credenhill/page5 Airfield Information Exchange - RAF Hereford / RAF Credenhill]
*[http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?348-RAF-Hereford-RAF-Credenhill/page5 Airfield Information Exchange - RAF Hereford / RAF Credenhill]


{{Army Air Corps}}
{{Royal Air Force}}
{{Royal Air Force}}

[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Herefordshire|Hereford]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Herefordshire|Hereford]]
[[Category:Special Air Service]]

Revision as of 22:11, 23 June 2017

RAF Credenhill
Near Credenhill, Herefordshire, in England
RAF Credenhill is located in Herefordshire
RAF Credenhill
RAF Credenhill
RAF Credenhill within Herefordshire
Coordinates52°05′06″N 002°47′42″W / 52.08500°N 2.79500°W / 52.08500; -2.79500
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Site history
Built1939 (1939)[1]
In use15 June 1940 - April 1994[1]
Battles/warsSecond World War
Airfield information
Helipads
Number Length and surface
01 40 metres (131 ft) Asphalt

Royal Air Force Hereford or RAF Hereford, and also known as RAF Credenhill, was a non-flying station of the Royal Air Force situated in the village of Credenhill near Hereford, United Kingdom. It was commissioned in 1940 and served as home for a range of training schools from 1940 until closure in 1994.[1][2] The site was subsequently obtained by the British Army.[1][3]

History

First World War

After the outbreak of the First World War, the Ministry of Munitions were required to create a number of Royal Ordnance Factory munitions production facilities quickly and cheaply. In 1912 Herefordshire County Council had bought 185 acres (75 ha) of the former Rotherwas estate from the Lubienski-Bodenham family, overlooked by Dinedor Hill and bordered by the Wye meadows.[4][5]

A site of 100 hectares (250 acres) was acquired by the Ministry on 15 June 1916, at Lower Bullingham just south of Hereford on the junction of the Welsh Marches Line and the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway. Laid out to a standard design, ROF Rotherwas encompassed:[4][5]

  • 27 miles (43 km) standard gauge railway
  • 3 miles (4.8 km) of roads
  • 9 miles (14 km) of guard fence
  • 10 miles (16 km) of footpaths and sentry paths
  • 370 buildings varying in floor area; like a typical munitions facility, the buildings were widely spaced on safety reasons, to avoid complete destruction of the facility in case of an explosion

For storage purposes, the ROF also acquired railway-connected lands at Credenhill.[4][5]

All components were produced elsewhere, with the facility responsible for final production: inserting explosive into shells and fitting detonators. Shell filling began on 11 November 1916, with both Lyddite and Amatol explosives being used in production. From June 1918, supplied with dichloroethyl sulphide by the National Smelting Company at Avonmouth Docks, the facility produced mustard gas shells.[6][7] By the end of WW1, the average output of shells from the facility was 70,000 per week.[4][5][8]

Second World War

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the same site at Credenhill was leased from the farmer land owner. This housed:

  • No. 11 School of Technical Training from 15 June 1940 until 30 September 1945.[9]
  • No. 7 Mobile Parachute Servicing Unit from 17 April 1944 to February 1945.[9]
  • HQ, No. 24 Group from September 1944 until December 1944.[9]
  • No 50 Gliding School, Mar 1944 - Jan 1946*
  • The Air Crew Officers School from 3 May 1944 until 1 November 1944.[9]
  • No. 1 Air Crew Officers School from 1 November 1944 until 1 May 1946.[9]
  • No. 2 School of Administration Training. May 1948.[9]
  • No. 533 Sqn RAF Regiment from 1 July 1952.[9]
  • No 11 School of Technical Training, 15 Jun 1940 – 30 Sep 1945.
  • WRAF Depot / WRAF clerical trades training school.
  • RAF/WRAF catering trade training school (the Royal Air Force School of Catering).
  • RAF Chef Apprentices, 1964 to ?.
  • No. 3 School of Technical Training from April 1959 until 17 May 1974.[9]
  • Administrative Apprentice Training School from 1953 to August 1973, culminating in the graduation of the final Admin Apprentices entry (#330), following which the station continued to provide Supplier trades training to adult entrants to the RAF, and 'in service' junior command and leadership/promotion training until 1994. [citation needed]
Graduation photograph of 2 Squadron RAF Admin Apprentices, RAF Hereford, August 1973; the final entry to graduate from No. 3 School of Technical Training
  • School of Basic Training for WRAF, 25 March 1974 to August 1982.[1]
  • Youth Training Squadron from September 1983 to ?[1]

Closure

By April 1994 the station had closed.[1] The site was obtained by the British Army to redevelop for the Special Air Service headquarters base with the SAS subsequently moving from Hereford in 1999 and in 2000 the base was designated as Stirling Lines.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "RAF Credenhill (originally RAF Hereford No. 11 School of Technical Training), nr Hereford". Herefordshire Archaeology. Herefordshire Council. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Unit History: RAF Credenhill". Forces War Records. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b Goodwin, Nicola (6 May 2010). "SAS: Troopers tell their stories". BBC. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "Royal Ordnance Factory Rotherwas". Herefordshire County Council. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d Edmonds, John (2004). The History of Rotherwas Munitions Factory, Hereford. Logaston Press.
  6. ^ Haber L.F. (1986). "10". The Poisonous Cloud. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198581420.
  7. ^ Ian F.W. Beckett. "The Home Front 1914-1918: How Britain Survived the Great War". Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Rotherwas Ordnance, Hereford". archaeologists.tv. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h "RAF Hereford (Credenhill)". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
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