RAF Honiley
The site of RAF Honiley, a Second World War airfield. Some of the airfield buildings still remain but large areas of the runway have been dismantled. The airfield site is located 1km north west of Honiley.
1 A WW2 Airfield subsequently modified to be a base for night fighters. Mostly sold in 1961. The domestic quarters survived in 1989, but parts of the runways had been removed for hardcore.
2 Vertical AP.
3 Online information including photographs of the structures on the site. There were 15 hangers, a cinema and workshop.
4 Constructed 1940/1, during which time it was known as Ramsey. Formally opened on 3rd August 1941. Served as a Sector Station within No 9 Group. Airfield provided with three tarmac runways in the typical triangular layout and conforming to the standard lengths. The main runway was later extended to 2350 yards long. Fifteen hangars were built on the site, three Bellmans and the rest Blisters. The main operations block was situated 1 mile away from the main airfield for safety reasons, along Bree’s Lane. Detailed information.
- For the sources of these notes, see the
- Timetrail record
- produced by the Historic Environment Record.
Comments
The western edge of the site still has the perimeter track and remains of an open air holding pen with an unidentified building and equipment plynths there is also a pill box of cicular shape made of blue bricks and concrete close to watcote farm on the edge of woodland .
The Tipperary Inn has many photos of the aircraft and airfield. I wonder if – apart from the originals on display in the pub – whether they have been catalogues anywhere online or in copy format.
I remember exploring the derelict offices built underground on the edge of the airfield in Holly Lane. A secret network of chambers used as battle headquarters to co-ordinate the defence in the event of a land or air attack.
Can anyone help I wonder? I have vague memories of our family have a picnic on a grassy bank with a hedge behind us to our right was a large pill box with convoluted steps to the entrance. It had several slits. It was on the edge of what I think is this airfield. I think we went there a couple of times. On one occasion we watched the men parachute training from a static air ballon. This is a memory from the 1950’s
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