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RAF Uxbridge

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Coordinates: 51°32′29″N 0°28′19″W / 51.5415°N 0.4719°W / 51.5415; -0.4719
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Royal Air Force Uxbridge
Station Crest
Active1917 to 2010
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Flying Corps,
Royal Air Force
Garrison/HQUxbridge, London, England
Royal Air Force Ensign
EngagementsBattle of Britain,
Evacuation of Dunkirk,
Preparation for D-Day,
Normandy Campaign

RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was best known as the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF during the Battle of Britain. 11 Group was responsible for the defence of London and the South-East of England, and therefore was the main area of combat. The group headquarters were specifically at Hillingdon House within the base grounds. An underground operations room was built nearby to handle the control of the fighter squadrons. The station closed on 31 March 2010.[1]

History

Hillingdon House

The country estate which eventually became RAF Uxbridge was called Hillingdon House, built in 1717 by the Duke of Schomberg,[2] a general serving under William of Orange (later King William III) and subsequently Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, who was knighted for his part in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The Grade II listed[3] mansion was completely rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in 1844[4] and stands on the site of a previous house, also occupied by the Duke and reputed to have been built in 1617.[5]

The Marchioness of Rockingham, widow of Prime Minister The Marquess of Rockingham, purchased the house from the Chetwynd family in 1786 for £9,000[6] following her husband's death and lived there until her own death in 1804. She left the estate to her stepsister Elizabeth,[7] widow of William Weddell MP who, having been left Newby Hall and a house in Mayfair by her late husband, had no need of the house and sold it to Josias Du Pré Porcher in 1805.

In 1810 the estate was sold to Richard Henry Cox of the Cox banking family and grandson of Richard Cox, founder of the travel company Cox & Kings.[5] Cox & Co, as the company was then known, was formed after Richard Cox was appointed agent to the Foot Guards (later the Grenadier Guards) By the end of the 18th century, the company was acting as agent and providing banking services for regiments throughout the British Army.[8]

The London and Middlesex historical and commercial survey of 1816 says of the house, it is "placed on a gentle ascent and forms a conspicuous and pleasing object from the high road. The grounds are of considerable extent, and are rendered attractive by soft undulations of surface. A rivulet (River Pinn) passes through the more level part of the premises, and has been artificially expanded, at some cost and with much correctness of taste."[5]

In 1914 the mansion and lands were marketed for sale[6] by the estate of Frederick Cox, Richard Henry Cox's grandson[9] and was described as "a brick and stone building, partly stuccoed, with extensive outbuildings and ornamental gardens."[10] The house and gardens, together with the surrounding parkland and artificial lake, created by damming the River Pinn, comprised over 200 acres (81 ha).

The estate was purchased by the British Government in 1915 and it became the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, for troops evacuated from the front line. Opened on 20 September 1915 and closing on 12 December 1917, the hospital saw four commanding officers and five Sisters-in-Charge.[11]

Hillingdon House is rumoured to be haunted by a former Maid who died falling over the balcony in the main stairwell. Sightings mainly occur in and around Room 41 and many people have either reported seeing the ghost or hearing other sounds associated with it.

The area from the River Pinn going uphill to Hillingdon House was originally known as RAF Hillingdon and was eventually subsumed into RAF Uxbridge.

Royal Air Force

In 1917 the Royal Flying Corps Armament and Gunnery School was established, which existed until 1919. In 1920 it became the newly formed Royal Air Force's Central Depot, known as RAF Central Depot, Uxbridge. During the inter-war years, RAF Uxbridge saw use by various signals and training units and in 1936 it became the head quarters of 11 Group, Fighter Command, with the responsibility for the air defence of southern England, including London.

In 1922 T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) underwent initial training at the Uxbridge Depot after he enlisted in the RAF under an assumed name. He recounted his experiences in The Mint.[12]

Observer Corps

On the 1 March 1929 Headquarters of the Observer Corps was established at Hillingdon House with [[Edward Masterman|Air Commodore Edward A D Masterman CB CMG CBE AFC RAF (Rtd) appointed as the first Commandant of the Corps. The Observer Corps remained at RAF Uxbridge until 1 March 1936 when it was transferred to RAF Bentley Priory.

In 2008 the Royal Observer Corps' links with RAF Uxbridge were renewed with the closure of RAF Bentley Priory and the removal to Uxbridge of the ROC memorabilia from the Priory officers' mess for safekeeping and display. The Royal Observer Corps was stood down in December 1995.[13]

World War II

Information about air threats would come to Fighter Command headquarters at RAF Bentley Priory, which would filter reports to remove duplication, doubt and confusion. The threats would then be allocated to the Group operations rooms for defensive operations to be taken. No 11 Group under Air Chief Marshall Keith Park operated within RAF Uxbridge.[14]

It was during a visit to the station on 16 August 1940 that Winston Churchill made his quote 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few', to General Ismay. He later repeated the quote in the House of Commons.[15]

No 11 Group was also involved in providing air support for Operation Jubilee in Dieppe and Operation Overlord - the D-Day landings.[15]

The WWII operations room was closed up in 1958 in its original state, and restored in the 1970s. Very little restoration work was required for it to be returned to its 1940s condition. Visits to the operations room and a sizeable museum were possible for limited groups were made possible by contacting the Curator at the Battle of Britain Operations Room, RAF Uxbridge. [16] Following the closure of the station in 2010, the operations room and museum will be preserved for future public visits.[17] The Royal Air Force Ensign was flown outside the operations room until it was lowered as part of the closure ceremony in 2010.[15]

The latter years

The restored Operations Room in the underground bunker.

RAF Uxbridge became part of No. 22 Group. Units stationed at Uxbridge included the Headquarters Music Services and also the Queen's Colour Squadron of the RAF Regiment.[18]

The station became home after the war to the London Area Control Centre which was renamed London Air Traffic Control Centre in 1948 and Uxbridge Air Traffic Control Centre in 1957.[19]

1083 Squadron Air Training Corps became based on station and met on Mondays and Thursdays for parade nights. The Middlesex Wing HQ was also based at RAF Uxbridge with Wing Commander Davison as Wing Commander.[20]

Hillingdon House has been available to be hired as a film location[21] and has been used as the location for productions such as Red Cap, Prime Suspect and The Bill. Having been in state ownership for 90 years, it retains many of its Victorian features. Hillingdon House latterly housed the tri-service Service Prosecuting Authority and the AIRPROX Board.[22]

The River Pinn runs through RAF Uxbridge and the wooded land within it, past the operations room. RAF Uxbridge is situated partly within greenbelt land and is next to a golf course.[23]

Closure and redevelopment

As part of Project MoDEL, RAF Uxbridge closed on 31 March 2010 with most units currently stationed there moving to RAF Northolt. A closure ceremony was overseen by the Mayor of Hillingdon and involved parades and the final lowering of the Royal Air Force Ensign. A Supermarine Spitfire conducted a flypast of the station. The final units marched to their new station at RAF Northolt the following day.[18] The station, which had received the Freedom of the Borough of Hillingdon, returned the award to the London Borough of Hillingdon as part of the ceremony.[1]

A commemorative blue plaque was unveiled by the Mayor at the entrance to the officers' mess dedicated to Douglas Bader.[1] Bader had spent six months at RAF Uxbridge in 1932 at the RAF hospital on station learning to walk on his artificial legs.[15]

1083 Squadron Air Training Corps will remain at RAF Uxbridge and were handed the station crest as part of the closure ceremony.[15]

The Grade I listed wartime operations room bunker will be preserved as a museum , while the Grade II listed Hillingdon House will be converted into luxury apartments or a hotel. The station cinema is Grade II listed. The Battle of Britain War Memorial will become a protected monument.[3]

The remaining 44.6 hectares of the site will be developed, with plans for a primary school and health facilities. Plans for around 1600 homes with at least 560 affordable properties were also submitted to the London Borough of Hillingdon. There will also be 35,000 square metres of commercial floor space.[24]

The London Borough of Hillingdon also plan to include a theatre venue and shops as a continuation of Uxbridge town centre.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Staff Writer (31 March 2010). "Closing ceremony for historic RAF Uxbridge". Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  2. ^ 1636 survey of Colham manor Uxbridge library
  3. ^ a b RAF Uxbridge Environmental Statement, Scoping Report 2009
  4. ^ Newspaper cutting Uxbridge library
  5. ^ a b c London and Middlesex, Edward Wedlake Brayley, Published in 1816
  6. ^ a b National Archives
  7. ^ British History Online
  8. ^ History of Cox & Kings
  9. ^ Cox Family History
  10. ^ M.R.O., Acc 503/107
  11. ^ Official History Of The Canadian Forces In The Great War, 1914-19, Sir Andrew Macphail, 1925
  12. ^ London Borough of Hillingdon (23 October 2007). "T.E. Lawrence". London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  13. ^ "The ROC Museum". The Royal Observer Corps Museum. Undated. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "RAF Uxbridge". Past Scape. Undated. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b c d e "Farewell to RAF Uxbridge". Global Aviation Resource. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  16. ^ Museum details and contact
  17. ^ Staff Writer (22 January 2010). "VSM estates takes its first step towards redeveloping RAF Uxbridge". Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  18. ^ a b Dan Coombs (31 March 2010). "Spitfire flypast to mark closure of RAF Uxbridge". Uxbridge Gazette. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  19. ^ "RAF Uxbridge". Air of Authority. Undated. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Middlesex Wing". Air Training Corps. Undated. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Ministry of Defence (Undated). "RAF Uxbridge: Hillingdon House". Filmlocations.mod.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Civil Aviation Authority (Undated). "Aircraft Proximity (AIRPROX) Report" (PDF). British Gliding Association. Retrieved 12 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b London Borough of Hillingdon (6 July 2010). "RAF Uxbridge: have your say on its future". London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  24. ^ London Borough of Hillingdon (January 2009). "RAF Uxbridge Supplementary Planning Document" (PDF). London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 12 September 2010.

Sources

51°32′29″N 0°28′19″W / 51.5415°N 0.4719°W / 51.5415; -0.4719

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