RAF Bampton Castle explained

RAF Bampton Castle
Ensign:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Ensign Size:90px
Location:Bampton, Oxfordshire
Country:England
Type:Royal Air Force station
Pushpin Map:Oxfordshire
Pushpin Map Caption:Shown within Oxfordshire
Pushpin Label:RAF Bampton Castle
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Operator:British Army
Royal Air Force
Used:1939 -
Battles:Second World War
Cold War

Royal Air Force Bampton Castle or RAF Bampton Castle is a former non-flying Royal Air Force station near Bampton Castle, Oxfordshire, England.

The base was established by the Royal Corps of Signals in 1939 and handed over to the RAF in 1969.[1] It was the home of No. 2 and No. 81 Signal Units, which dealt with high frequency radio communications.[2] [3] Day-to-day operations were overseen (parented in RAF speak) by RAF Brize Norton due to the larger base's proximity to Bampton Castle and that Brize was the home of No. 38 Group Tactical Communications Wing RAF (and successors until 2006).[4]

The station closed progressively between 2003 and 2006 when the RAF's high frequency communications system was replaced by the Defence High Frequency Communications Service.[5] [6] Approximately seventy-two masts were removed in December 2003 and the final two removed in 2015. The site is now in use as a business centre.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bampton and Weald. british-history.ac.uk. 26 August 2017.
  2. Web site: No 81 Signals Unit, RAF Bampton Castle. nationalarchives,gov.uk. 26 August 2017.
  3. Book: Heyman. Charles. The armed forces of the United Kingdom : 2006-2007. 2006. Pen & Sword. Barnsley. 1-84415-489-0. 190.
  4. Taylor. Mark. RAF Brize Norton through the 1960s and 1970s. 51 Degrees North. 2017. 5. 31. Forces & Corporate. Rushden. 57432971.
  5. Wise. Andrew. Bampton Castle set for closure. RAF News. 18 April 2003. 1,071. 17. RAF. Innsworth. 0035-8614.
  6. Web site: Defence High Frequency Communications Service. 5 September 2012. High Frequency Industry Association. Babcock International Group. 1 October 2017.