With Britain’s nuclear capability moving from aircraft to the Polaris submarine in the mid nineteen sixties, the V bomber force became obsolete and Victor and Valiant training at RAF Gaydon ceased in June 1965. All formal flying at the base came to an end following the departure of the Air Navigation School for RAF Finningley in May 1970.
Transit camp
After closure, some of the Gaydon domestic quarters were used as a temporary transit camp for families from Uganda and other overseas countries who had been displaced from their homes by war and civil strife.
In 1975, the 850 pupils of Southam High School were accommodated there for 12 months following enforced evacuation from their Southam building, which had been declared unsafe due to to the high alumina cement used in its construction. Jim Skinner, headmaster at the time joked that he knew of no other school anywhere in the world which could land Concorde within its grounds! Jim knew that in earlier times the long Gaydon runway had been one of a small number of designated emergency landing strips for Concorde during the aircraft’s test flights. For a period, the airfield was also considered as a likely site for the third London airport when plans for the expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick were being hotly debated.
Postscript
In 1978 the airfield was bought by British Leyland who developed the site as a proving ground, transforming the old runway into a high speed test track. The Heritage Motor Museum now occupies part of the site and Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover each have extensive research and production facilities there.
The former high-security bomb stores at Lighthorne have been adapted as a store by the British Film Institute and now house the BFI National Archive, one of the largest film archives in the world where irreplaceable and highly flammable early nitrate films are stored for posterity.
Sources/Acknowledgements
RAF Gaydon :An information Handbook for station personnel. Undated but circa 1966
RAF Station Gaydon 1942 – 1945. Privately published by Barry Hope – undated
Royal Air Force Gaydon: A brief history. Published by British Motor Industry Heritage Trust [2001]
Cold War: Building for Nuclear Confrontation 1946 – 1980. English Heritage [2004]
Southam School 25 years. Edited E M Rumary & G A Hayward
Fly Past magazine June 1982
Leamington Spa Courier
Tony Cunnane (Ex RAF Gaydon instructor)
The late Jack Pratley (Wellesbourne)
Comments
Great story, I was there 69 to 70 and moved to Finningley, my daughter was born in Banbury and was possibly the last Gaydon RAF baby as she was born on 31st March 1970 and we moved to Finningley 2 weeks later—I lived in 19 Edgehill Road.
Where can I get hold of a RAF Gaydon arm badge and a 2 ANS badge–any advice?
I remember doing Shakespeare’s birthday parade in Stratford when I had to help the Japanese ambassador unfurl his flag—he was too short.
I was also on the Guard of Honour for the closing ceremony with the Queen—and remember the Duke looking out of the 148 door and laughing as the engines started and we were lined up behind the aircraft—and lost our hats.
Thanks for the comments John, I’m glad you found the article of interest. I have sent you an email and have posted to you the embroidered RAF Gaydon badge which is now surplus to requirements after publication on the website.
Lived in Gaydon village till I was about seven, though as the village didn’t have it’s own junior school at the time, we village kids had to go to the school on the RAF Gaydon base.
In about 1974, (aged 6) won second prize in an art competition at one the last airshows there, sadly there were only two entrants.
Sure that due to a lack of any artistic ability in the slightest that the judges would have looked for anything in the rulebook that could have prevented me even getting second out of two!
My father in law came from southern Ireland and my late husband told me they lived on the camp site for a while. He even told me that they stole a telegraph pole to cut up for fuel as they were so cold. I can also remember they used to hold dances every Saturday and send coaches to fetch the “girls” I wasn’t allowed to go as my own parents were very strict and said I wasn’t old enough and not that kind of girl??
I remember the canteen. I worked as an apprentice with the GPO back in 1966. If they were working in the area, the linesmen used to go there for their lunch time meal. If I remember it correctly they cost 2/6 for a full lunch.
I’m fascinated by your write up about Gaydon but had quite a laugh reading the comment by Wendy Lucey (18/02/2016). Little did she know that ‘the girls’, myself included, came mainly from the Teacher Training College at Newbold Revel, which was a convent run by the sacred Heart order of nuns. The rules that prevailed there in the 1960s left little room for anything untoward to take place as girls were signed out and signed back in again by a very strict nun. No men were allowed past the common rooms.
As I remember there were similar strict rules at Gaydon, where no girls were allowed in the trainees’ rooms. However, the dances were wonderful and we all had great, but mainly innocent, fun!
When I lived at Wellesbourne, whilst attending Kineton High School, we went on a school outing to RAF Gaydon, I can remember going inside a Varsity plane sat on the runway, and we were shown around the still active Radar control room.
As a Venture Scout in Leicestershire we went to Gaydon a few times to Parascendaround 1975-76. This was with, I believe, a club for off duty RAF serving personnel. The sport was then in its infancy using modifed service parachutes and landrovers (didn’t see it on beaches yet). There was a gate security presence as the base was still MoD property. There seemed to be a number of things going on in the hangers, accommodation and on the aprons including gliders. However we were focussed on our task. The control tower was intact but the interior trashed.
We were stationed at RAF Gaydon in the mid 1960s, and I was told that my father Sqn Ldr LH (John) Cooper was involved in the closing down of the station. It would be nice to hear from anyone who remembers anything about him or his role in this.
I lived with my parents in RAF Gaydon from 1966-1967, then my Dad was sent to Cyprus. I think the road we lived on was called Stratford Road. My best friend lived next door and I’m almost sure her name was Alison. She had red hair and wore specs. I have a photograph of me and her together which would be wonderful to pass on. I wish there was some way of finding her!
I went to school in Gaydon when Southam High School was closed for repairs. It was in the 1970s. I remember the school doing a sponsored walk around the airfield. I am now 59 years young, and my family moved to Hastings in 1977.
I went to School at Gaydon in 1974-5 we were doing a double physics lesson when there was a lot of noise outside the classroom everyone rushed to the the windows to see what the noise was and above us hovering over the road was a Harrier jet even the Teacher was impressed
I lived in Gaydon in 1974 my husband was stationed at CAD Kineton I had two children one born in Worcester and the other born in Leamington we lived there for 6 months we were then given a house in CAD Kineton remember shopping in the NAFFI and the mother and baby club in Gaydon loved those days.
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