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RAF Akeman Street

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RAF Akeman Street
Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire in England
RAF Akeman Street is located in Oxfordshire
RAF Akeman Street
RAF Akeman Street
Shown with Oxfordshire
Coordinates51°49′22″N 1°31′01″W / 51.82278°N 1.51694°W / 51.82278; -1.51694
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Site history
Built1939 (1939)
In use1940-1947 (1947)
Airfield information
Elevation134 metres (440 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Grass field

Royal Air Force Akeman Street or more simply RAF Akeman Street is a former Royal Air Force Relief Landing Ground located 2 miles (3.2 km) north east of Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire, England. It was named after the Roman road which crosses the airfield.

The airfield was a Relief Landing Ground (RLG) for RAF Brize Norton, with building starting in 1939 and opening on 10 July 1940.[1] Active flying stopped on 15 August 1945, and the site was closed on 1 February 1947.

Based units

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Units that used the airfield were No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAF (2 SFTS)[2] from Brize Norton with Airspeed Oxford aircraft and then No. 6 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF based at RAF Little Rissington (later became 6 SFTS) between 1942 and 1945.

Other unit posted to the site included a sub site of No. 3 Maintenance Unit RAF between 9 April 1938 and January 1947 and a sub site of No. 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit RAF.

A German bombing raid on Brize Norton on 16 August 1940 forced the Advanced Training Squadron to move to Akeman Street.[2]

The station closed on 1 February 1947.[3]

Current use

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Little of the 10 Blister hangars and single large Bellman hangar remain today.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1990). Action stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 60. ISBN 1-85260-372-0.
  2. ^ a b c "Akeman Street (Crawley)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  3. ^ Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1990). Action stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 61. ISBN 1-85260-372-0.
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