RAF Harwell airfield

1938 (© Steve Bond)

RAF Harwell airfield

Harwell International Business Centre, HQ of UKAEA - United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Co-located on the former airfield are Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the National Radiological Protection Board. 4,000 workers.

Watch Office with Tower (Fort Type) 1959/34. The Tower was later removed and a new first floor control room built to size of ground floor 4698/43

Other Buildings:

Three hangars, water tower, ambulance hut, barrack blocks, decontamination centre

02/37 to 09/39, Bomber Command station with 105, 107 and 226 Sqns in training.
09/39 to 03/44, No. 3 Group Pool with Wellingtons, became No. 15 OTU 04/40. Flew many leaflet missions to France, later bombing raids to Bremen, Cologne and Essen. 08/40 to 09/41, Many Luftwaffe attacks on the airfield. 07/41 to 11/41, 15 OTU moved to Mount Farm while the airfield closed and new concrete runways were built.
04/44 to 09/44, No. 38 Group Airborne Forces, 295 and 570 Squadrons with Albermarles (Stirlings after D-Day) towing Horsa gliders in training for drops on D-Day and over Nijmegen.
07/44 to 09/44, secret operations over Europe for SOE.
10/45 to 07/45, No. 13 OTU training with Mitchells, Bostons then Mosquitoes. Moved to Middleton St George.
07/45 to 12/45, Transport Command briefly used the airfield before its closure and transfer to Ministry of Supply for use as an atomic research centre.

RAF Harwell airfield

1975 (© copyright UKAEA)

RAF Harwell airfield

1980 (© copyright UKAEA)

RAF Harwell airfield

Grass then 3x - concrete

6 miles S of Abingdon

RAF Harwell airfield

RAF Harwell airfield
Airfield:	OTU
Opened:	/1937
Closed:	/1945
Code:	HW
USAAF Station:	N/A
Runways:	Grass then 3x - concrete
Hangars:	4x - C Type
County:	Berkshire
Location:	6 miles S of Abingdon
OS Ref:	SU475865
Links:
©:	1938 Photograph copyright © Steve Bond All other photographs copyright © UKAEA, via Nick Hance MBE "These images are reproduced by kind permission of UKAEA who own the copyright. These images MUST NOT be used for any other purpose without permission of UKAEA. High resolution versions of these and other photographs of RAF Harwell 1937-45 may be obtained at cost from nick.hance@ukaea.org.uk"
RAF Harwell airfield

RAF Harwell airfield
Airfield Today:	Harwell International Business Centre, HQ of UKAEA - United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Co-located on the former airfield are Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the National Radiological Protection Board. 4,000 workers.
Tower Type:	Watch Office with Tower (Fort Type) 1959/34. The Tower was later removed and a new first floor control room built to size of ground floor 4698/43
Tower:	Demolished 1990
Other Buildings:	Three hangars, water tower, ambulance hut, barrack blocks, decontamination centre
History:	02/37 to 09/39, Bomber Command station with 105, 107 and 226 Sqns in training. 09/39 to 03/44, No. 3 Group Pool with Wellingtons, became No. 15 OTU 04/40. Flew many leaflet missions to France, later bombing raids to Bremen, Cologne and Essen. 08/40 to 09/41, Many Luftwaffe attacks on the airfield. 07/41 to 11/41, 15 OTU moved to Mount Farm while the airfield closed and new concrete runways were built. 04/44 to 09/44, No. 38 Group Airborne Forces, 295 and 570 Squadrons with Albermarles (Stirlings after D-Day) towing Horsa gliders in training for drops on D-Day and over Nijmegen. 07/44 to 09/44, secret operations over Europe for SOE. 10/45 to 07/45, No. 13 OTU training with Mitchells, Bostons then Mosquitoes. Moved to Middleton St George. 07/45 to 12/45, Transport Command briefly used the airfield before its closure and transfer to Ministry of Supply for use as an atomic research centre.
RAF Harwell airfield