| RAF Calveley | |
| Ensign: | Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg |
| Ensign Size: | 90px |
| Location: | Nantwich, Cheshire |
| Country: | England |
| Pushpin Map: | Cheshire |
| Pushpin Label: | RAF Calveley |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Cheshire |
| Type: | Royal Air Force station |
| Ownership: | Air Ministry |
| Operator: | Royal Air Force |
| Used: | 1942- |
| Elevation: | 62m (203feet) |
| R1-Number: | 04/22 |
| R1-Length: | 1280m (4,200feet)[1] |
| R1-Surface: | Concrete |
| R2-Number: | 17/35 |
| R2-Length: | 1006m (3,301feet) |
| R2-Surface: | Concrete |
| R3-Number: | 11/29 |
| R3-Length: | 1190m (3,900feet) |
| R3-Surface: | Concrete |
| Footnotes: | Opening Date[2] |
Royal Air Force Calveley or more simply RAF Calveley is a former Royal Air Force station near Nantwich, Cheshire.[3] [4]
In December 1940, it was decided to build an airfield near the village of Wardle, Cheshire, north-west of Nantwich, as one of a number of airfields intended to boost the fighter defence of Merseyside. The airfield was built by Peter Lind Ltd in 1941–1942, and had three concrete runways of between 1100yd and 1400yd.[5]
By the time the airfield was complete, the need for fighter defences for the North-West of England had declined, so it was decided to use it for training, with the station opening as a Relief Landing Ground for No. 5 Service Training Flying School (SFTS) based at RAF Ternhill in Shropshire on 14 March 1942.[6] 5 STFS was renamed No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit ((P)AFU) on 13 April 1942, continuing operations both from Ternhill and its satellites, including Calveley, which was the only one of Ternhill's satellites to have hard runways.[7] In May 1943 RAF Calveley became the main base for No. 17 (P)AFU, equipped with 174 Miles Master trainers, which moved from RAF Watton in Norfolk. To accommodate the unit's large number of aircraft, RAF Wrexham served as a satellite airfield.[8]
17 (P)AFU disbanded on 1 February 1944, as part of a shuffle of training units which saw No. 11 (P)AFU, equipped with 132 Airspeed Oxfords, move from RAF Shawbury, freeing the well equipped Shawbury for the Vickers Wellingtons of the Central Navigation School to move from RAF Cranage.[9]
The airfield is now farmland and part of an industrial estate.[2]