RAF Worcester

RAF Worcester
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Worcester
Built	1940
In use	1940 - 1945
Elevation AMSL	96 ft / 30 m
Coordinates	52°12′59″N 002°12′14″W / 52.21639°N 2.20389°W
Map
RAF Worcester Location in Worcestershire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 12/30 2,955 900 Grass

RAF Worcester was a Royal Air Force relief landing ground (RLG) which was located 1.7 miles (2.7 km) north east of Worcester city centre, Worcestershire, England and 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south west of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire.

Based units

No.2 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) flying Tiger Moths were based at Worcester between 27 October 1940 and 9 July 1945.^[1]

Accidents and incidents

5 June 1940 Bristol Blenheim L1232 of No.5 Operational Training Unit overshot at night and hit a house.^[2]

17 October 1941 Tiger Moth T5856 of 2 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) crashed when landing.^[3]

15 July 1942 Miles Magister R1956 of No.6 Flying Instructors School (FIS) hit a gunpost on take-off.^[4]

September 1942 Douglas Dakota en route from Pershore with a film crew crashed blocking the Bilford Road. The co-pilot was the American film actor Clark Gable who was involved with a planned gunnery training film.^[5]

16 May 1943 Airspeed Oxford R9983 of No.15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit crashed on take off.^[6]

The airfield today

The airfield has been turned into Perdiswell Park and Ravenmeadow Golf Course.

References

1. Aviation Archaeology - flying units within the south-west midlands
2. Aviation Archaeology - crashes in the south west midlands during 1940
3. Aviation Archaeology - crashes in the south west midlands during 1941
4. Aviation Archaeology - crashes in the south west midlands during 1942
6. Aviation Archaeology - crashes in the south west midlands during 1943

External links

• BBC History - A Memory of Worcester During the War