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Coordinates: 52°09′31″N 000°15′49″W / 52.15861°N 0.26361°W / 52.15861; -0.26361
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{{Short description|Former RAF airfield in England}}
[[Image:Control Tower Tempsford.jpg|thumb|right|The Control Tower at Tempsford during WWII]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
[[Image:Squadron badges in Tempsford church.jpg|thumb|right|The 138 and 161 Squadron badges on display inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford]]
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
[[Image:Plaque in Tempsford church web.jpg|thumb|right|The memorial plaque inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford]]
{{no footnotes|date=February 2013}}
'''RAF Tempsford''' in [[Bedfordshire]], [[England]] was perhaps the most secret [[Royal Air Force]] airfield in [[World War II]]. It was home to the Special Duties Squadrons, [[No. 138 Squadron RAF|No. 138]], which dropped [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE) agents and their supplies into occupied Europe, and [[No. 161 Squadron RAF|No. 161]], which specialised in personnel delivery and retrieval by landing in occupied Europe. [[Adolf Hitler]] personally knew of the existence of an airfield{{Fact|date=May 2008}} from which the RAF was carrying out these activities, but the Germans were never able to find its location in order to bomb it.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RAF Tempsford
| ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
| ensign_size = 90px
| native_name =
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[Tempsford]], [[Bedfordshire]]
| country = England
| image = [[File:Control Tower Tempsford.jpg|250px]]
| caption = The Control Tower at Tempsford during the Second World War
| image2 = <!--secondary image, major command emblems for airfields -->
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| type = [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|Royal Air Force station]]
| coordinates = {{coord|52|09|31|N|000|15|49|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| gridref =
| pushpin_map = Bedfordshire#UK
| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Bedfordshire
| pushpin_label = RAF Tempsford
| pushpin_label_position =
| ownership = [[Air Ministry]]
| operator = [[Royal Air Force]]
| controlledby = [[RAF Bomber Command]]
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
| code = TE/TQ
| built = {{Start date|1941}}
| used = 1941 - February {{End date|1963}}
| builder = John Laing & Son Ltd<BR>Balfour Beatty
| fate =
| condition =
| battles = [[European theatre of World War II]]
| events =
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group -->
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations =
| website =
| footnotes = <!-- catchall in case it's needed to preserve something in infobox -->
<!-- begin airfield information -->
| IATA =
| ICAO =
| LID =
| GPS =
| WMO =
| elevation = {{Convert|19|m|0}}{{sfn|Falconer|2012|p=192}}
| r1-number = 03/21
| r1-length = {{Convert|1420|m|0}}
| r1-surface = Concrete
| r2-number = 06/24
| r2-length = {{Convert|1400|m|0}}
| r2-surface = Concrete
| r3-number = 12/30
| r3-length = {{Convert|1215|m|0}}
| r3-surface = Concrete
| h1-number =
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface =
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!-- end airfield information -->
}}
'''Royal Air Force Tempsford''' or more simply '''RAF Tempsford''' is a former [[Royal Air Force]] [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|station]] located {{Convert|2.3|mi}} north east of [[Sandy, Bedfordshire|Sandy]], [[Bedfordshire]], [[England]] and {{Convert|4.4|mi}} south of [[St. Neots]], [[Cambridgeshire]], England.


The airfield was home to [[No. 138 Squadron RAF|138 (Special Duty) Squadron]] and [[No. 161 Squadron RAF|161 (Special Duty) Squadron]], which dropped supplies and agents into occupied Europe for the [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE). 138 (SD) Squadron handled most of the supply and agent drops, while 161 (SD) Squadron had the Lysander flight, and did the insertion and pick-up operations in occupied Europe.
RAF Tempsford is very close to [[Little Gransden Airfield]] and can be clearly seen from flights climbing out from the westerly runway 28. Other active airfields nearby include the former RAF bases at [[RAF Gransden Lodge|Gransden Lodge]] and [[Bourn, Cambridgeshire#RAF Bourn|Bourn]].


RAF Tempsford is very close to [[Little Gransden Airfield]] and can be clearly seen from flights climbing out from the westerly runway 28. Other active airfields nearby include the former RAF bases at [[RAF Gransden Lodge|Gransden Lodge]] and [[RAF Bourn|Bourn]].
By 2002 part of the former Tempsford airfield was a concrete-making facility and some of the main airfield buildings had been turned into various commercial workshops. A nearby public footpath led to the end of a substantially intact runway and then on to Gibraltar Farm, the agents' final dispatch point. This barn contained several plaques and memorials to the agents, both men and women, who were flown from the airfield, many of whom were later killed after being captured and tortured. A memorial is also to be found in St Peter's Church, in the nearby village of [[Tempsford]].


==People==
==Units==
[[File:Westland Lysander-B-MA.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Westland Lysander]] of the type that was used to drop and pick up [[Special Operations Executive|SOE]] agents from Occupied Europe]]
*[[Andrée Borrel]] and [[Lise de Baissac]] (''Odile''), were the first female SOE agents to be parachuted into occupied France. They flew out from RAF Tempsford on 24 September, 1942.
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
*Flying Officer [http://www.firebynight.co.uk/Cruwys%20-%20Mansbridge%20crew.html Gerald Cruwys] was awarded the [[Croix de guerre]] for his work with the [[French Resistance]] while at RAF Tempsford.
* [[No. 53 Squadron RAF]]{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=45}} detachment (1946) - [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|Consolidated Liberator VI and VIII]]
*Group Captain [[Edward Fielden (RAF officer)|Edward 'Mouse' Fielden]], Station Commander of RAF Tempsford (1942-1944) and a former royal pilot
*Air Chief Marshal [[Lewis Hodges|Sir Lewis Macdonald Hodges]] was the Commander of 161 Squadron from May 1943 to 1944.
*Group Captain [[Percy Charles Pickard]] was awarded a second bar to his DSO in March 1943 for his outstanding leadership in command of 161 Squadron
*Group Captain [[Hugh Verity]], author of ''We Landed by Moonlight''
*[[Violette Szabo]] flew out on both her missions from RAF Tempsford.
*Wing Commander [[F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas]], otherwise known as the White Rabbit, was dropped in France on 27 February 1943 having been flown out from RAF Tempsford by Pilot Officer Foster.

[[Image:Westland Lysander-B-MA.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Westland Lysander]] of the type that was used to drop and pick up [[Special Operations Executive|SOE]] agents from Occupied Europe]]

==Operational units and aircraft==
* [[No. 53 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1946) - [[B-24 Liberator|Consolidated Liberator VI and VIII]]
* [[No. 109 Squadron RAF]] (1942) - [[Vickers Wellington|Vickers Wellington I]]
* [[No. 109 Squadron RAF]] (1942) - [[Vickers Wellington|Vickers Wellington I]]
* [[No. 138 Squadron RAF]] (1942-1944) - [[Handley Page Halifax|Handley Page Halifax II and V]]
* [[No. 138 Squadron RAF]] (1942-1944) - [[Handley Page Halifax|Handley Page Halifax II and V]]
* [[No. 149 Squadron RAF]] (1943-1944) - [[Short Stirling|Short Stirling III]]
* [[No. 149 Squadron RAF]] (1943-1944) - [[Short Stirling|Short Stirling III]]
* [[No. 161 Squadron RAF]] (1942-1945) - [[Westland Lysander|Westland Lysander IIIA]] and other types
* [[No. 161 Squadron RAF]] (1942-1945) - [[Westland Lysander|Westland Lysander IIIA]] and other types
* [[No. 426 Squadron RCAF]] (1945) - [[B-24 Liberator|Consolidated Liberator VIII]]
* [[No. 426 Squadron RCAF]] (1945) - [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|Consolidated Liberator VIII]]
* [[No. 617 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1945) - [[Avro Lancaster|Avro Lancaster I & III]]
* [[No. 617 Squadron RAF]] detachment (1945) - [[Avro Lancaster|Avro Lancaster I & III]]
* No. 1 Transport Aircraft Modification Unit<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/tempsford/ |title=Tempsford |publisher=[[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]]|access-date=25 September 2021}}</ref>
* [[No. 11 OTU|No. 11 Operational Training Unit RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 48 Group RAF|No. 48 Group Communication Flight RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 107 Wing RAF|No. 107 (Special Duties) Wing RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 273 Maintenance Unit RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
* No. 1418 Flight RAF<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 1575 (Special Duties) Flight RAF]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 1586 (Polish Special Duties) Flight]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 2722 Squadron RAF Regiment]]<ref name="ABCT"/>
}}


==Bibliography==
==Tempsford now==
[[File:Squadron badges in Tempsford church.jpg|thumb|right|The 138 and 161 Squadron badges on display inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford]]
[[File:Plaque in Tempsford church web.jpg|thumb|right|The memorial plaque inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford]]
By 2002 part of the former Tempsford airfield was a concrete-making facility and some of the main airfield buildings had been turned into various commercial workshops. A nearby public footpath led to the end of a substantially intact runway and then on to Gibraltar Farm, the agents' final dispatch point.


This barn contains several plaques and memorials to the agents, both men and women, who were flown from the airfield, many of whom were later killed after being captured and tortured. A memorial is also to be found in St Peter's Church, in the nearby village of [[Tempsford]], and the [[Tempsford Memorial]] is outside the church, commemorating the men and women who served as secret agents in occupied Europe during the Second World War and the RAF aircrew who transported them.

Tempsford Museum & Archives in the village of Tempsford houses a vast collection of photographs, papers, maps, uniforms and aircraft parts associated with RAF Tempsford.

===People===
*[[Andrée Borrel]] and [[Lise de Baissac]] (''Odile'') were the first female SOE agents to be parachuted into occupied France. They flew out from RAF Tempsford on 24 September 1942.
*Flying Officer [[Gerald Cruwys]] was awarded the [[Croix de Guerre]] for his work with the [[French Resistance]] while at RAF Tempsford.
*Group Captain [[Edward Fielden (RAF officer)|Edward 'Mouse' Fielden]], Station Commander of RAF Tempsford (1942-1944) and a former royal pilot.
*Air Chief Marshal [[Lewis Hodges|Sir Lewis Macdonald Hodges]] was the Commander of 161 Squadron from May 1943 to 1944.
*Group Captain [[Percy Charles Pickard]] was awarded a second bar to his DSO in March 1943 for his outstanding leadership in command of 161 Squadron.
*Group Captain [[Hugh Verity]], author of ''We Landed by Moonlight''.
*[[Violette Szabo]] [[George Cross|GC]] of the [[Special Operations Executive|SOE]] flew on her first mission into France from RAF Tempsford.
*Wing Commander [[F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas]], otherwise known as the White Rabbit, was dropped into France on 27 February 1943 having been flown out from RAF Tempsford by Pilot Officer Foster.

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Clark, F. ''Agents by Moonlight: The Secret History of RAF Tempsford during the Second World War''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd., 1999.
* Clark, F. ''Agents by Moonlight: The Secret History of RAF Tempsford during the Second World War''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd., 1999.
* Clark, F. ''Peter Five''. Bromley: Independent Books, 1993.
* Clark, F. ''Peter Five''. Bromley: Independent Books, 1993.
*{{cite book |last1=Falconer|first1=Jonathan|title=RAF Airfields of World War 2 |year=2012 |publisher= Ian Allan Publishing|location= UK|isbn=978-1-85780-349-5}}
* Griffiths, Frank "Winged Hours". London: William Kimber, 1981. ISBN 0-7183-0128-5.
* Griffiths, Frank "Winged Hours". London: William Kimber, 1981. {{ISBN|0-7183-0128-5}}.
* O'Connor, B. ''Tempsford Airfield: Now the story can be told…'' 1998. ISBN 1-902810-03-1 <!-- The ISBN as written on the back of the booklet is "1902810 03 7" which is invalid (see [[ISBN]]. Amazon and others have the ISBN as "1902810031".-->
*{{cite book |last1=Jefford |first1= C.G. |title= RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 |year=2001 |publisher= Airlife |location= [[Shrewsbury]] |isbn= 1-84037-141-2}}
* Verity, H., ''We Landed By Moonlight'' (revised edition). Manchester: Crecy Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-947554-75-0.
* O'Connor, B. ''Tempsford Airfield: Now the story can be told…'' 1998. {{ISBN|1-902810-03-1}} <!-- The ISBN as written on the back of the booklet is "1902810 03 7" which is invalid (see [[ISBN]]. Amazon and others have the ISBN as "1902810031".-->
* Verity, H., ''We Landed By Moonlight'' (revised edition). Manchester: Crecy Publishing, 2000. {{ISBN|0-947554-75-0}}.


== External links ==
==External links==
{{Commons category|RAF Tempsford}}
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s48.html MOD site for Tempsford] - Details about Tempsford on the Bomber Command section of the MOD website.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051108085717/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s48.html MOD site for Tempsford] - Details about Tempsford on the Bomber Command section of the MOD website.
* [http://www.tempsford-squadrons.info/ RAF Tempsford Special Duties Squadrons.] RAF Tempsford Special Duties Squadrons.
* [http://www.tempsford-squadrons.info/ RAF Tempsford Special Duties Squadrons] RAF Tempsford Special Duties Squadrons.
* [http://tempsford.20m.com/ Tempsford Airfield] - A non-commercial website about the secret wartime activities of this R.A.F. airfield in Bedfordshire, England
* [http://tempsford.20m.com/ Tempsford Airfield] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219150801/http://www.tempsford.20m.com/ |date=19 December 2017 }} - The secret wartime activities of this airfield
*[http://www.161squadron.org/ Final Flight of Hudson FK790] - In memory of F/Lt J W Menzies DFC, his crew and agents.
* [http://www.161squadron.org/ Final Flight of Hudson FK790] - In memory of F/Lt J W Menzies DFC, his crew and agents.
*[http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/airfields/tempsford.html Wartime Memories Project] - Recollections from the war years.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061231023035/http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/airfields/tempsford.html Wartime Memories Project] - Recollections from the war years.
* [http://harringtonmuseum.org.uk/HistoryTempsford.htm/ A History of RAF Tempsford] - A chronology of some of the main events at RAF Tempsford.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061031153405/http://www.harringtonmuseum.org.uk/HistoryTempsford.htm A History of RAF Tempsford] - A chronology of some of the main events at RAF Tempsford.
* [http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/TempsfordAircrewLost1942.html RAF Tempsford Roll of Honour]
* [http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/TempsfordAircrewLost1942.html RAF Tempsford Roll of Honour]
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history%5Fold/h138.html RAF history of 138 Squadron]
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history%5Fold/h138.html RAF history of 138 Squadron]
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history%5Fold/h161.html RAF history of 161 Squadron]
* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history%5Fold/h161.html RAF history of 161 Squadron]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9ezQASfCRg A walking tour of the Airfield and Gibraltar Farm in 2002]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiGCROGB-1c A look at the memorials in Tempsford Church]

{{Royal Air Force}}


{{authority control}}
{{coord|52.159323|N|0.264487|W|region:GB_type:airport|format=dms|display=title}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Tempsford}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tempsford}}
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Special Operations Executive]]
[[Category:Special Operations Executive]]
[[Category:World War II airfields]]

Latest revision as of 18:15, 24 October 2024

RAF Tempsford
Tempsford, Bedfordshire in England
The Control Tower at Tempsford during the Second World War
RAF Tempsford is located in Bedfordshire
RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford
Shown within Bedfordshire
RAF Tempsford is located in the United Kingdom
RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates52°09′31″N 000°15′49″W / 52.15861°N 0.26361°W / 52.15861; -0.26361
TypeRoyal Air Force station
CodeTE/TQ
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Bomber Command
Site history
Built1941 (1941)
Built byJohn Laing & Son Ltd
Balfour Beatty
In use1941 - February 1963 (1963)
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation19 metres (62 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
03/21 1,420 metres (4,659 ft) Concrete
06/24 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) Concrete
12/30 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) Concrete

Royal Air Force Tempsford or more simply RAF Tempsford is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England and 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, England.

The airfield was home to 138 (Special Duty) Squadron and 161 (Special Duty) Squadron, which dropped supplies and agents into occupied Europe for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). 138 (SD) Squadron handled most of the supply and agent drops, while 161 (SD) Squadron had the Lysander flight, and did the insertion and pick-up operations in occupied Europe.

RAF Tempsford is very close to Little Gransden Airfield and can be clearly seen from flights climbing out from the westerly runway 28. Other active airfields nearby include the former RAF bases at Gransden Lodge and Bourn.

Units

[edit]
A Westland Lysander of the type that was used to drop and pick up SOE agents from Occupied Europe

Tempsford now

[edit]
The 138 and 161 Squadron badges on display inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford
The memorial plaque inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford

By 2002 part of the former Tempsford airfield was a concrete-making facility and some of the main airfield buildings had been turned into various commercial workshops. A nearby public footpath led to the end of a substantially intact runway and then on to Gibraltar Farm, the agents' final dispatch point.

This barn contains several plaques and memorials to the agents, both men and women, who were flown from the airfield, many of whom were later killed after being captured and tortured. A memorial is also to be found in St Peter's Church, in the nearby village of Tempsford, and the Tempsford Memorial is outside the church, commemorating the men and women who served as secret agents in occupied Europe during the Second World War and the RAF aircrew who transported them.

Tempsford Museum & Archives in the village of Tempsford houses a vast collection of photographs, papers, maps, uniforms and aircraft parts associated with RAF Tempsford.

People

[edit]
  • Andrée Borrel and Lise de Baissac (Odile) were the first female SOE agents to be parachuted into occupied France. They flew out from RAF Tempsford on 24 September 1942.
  • Flying Officer Gerald Cruwys was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his work with the French Resistance while at RAF Tempsford.
  • Group Captain Edward 'Mouse' Fielden, Station Commander of RAF Tempsford (1942-1944) and a former royal pilot.
  • Air Chief Marshal Sir Lewis Macdonald Hodges was the Commander of 161 Squadron from May 1943 to 1944.
  • Group Captain Percy Charles Pickard was awarded a second bar to his DSO in March 1943 for his outstanding leadership in command of 161 Squadron.
  • Group Captain Hugh Verity, author of We Landed by Moonlight.
  • Violette Szabo GC of the SOE flew on her first mission into France from RAF Tempsford.
  • Wing Commander F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, otherwise known as the White Rabbit, was dropped into France on 27 February 1943 having been flown out from RAF Tempsford by Pilot Officer Foster.

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Falconer 2012, p. 192.
  2. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 45.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Tempsford". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 25 September 2021.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Clark, F. Agents by Moonlight: The Secret History of RAF Tempsford during the Second World War. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Ltd., 1999.
  • Clark, F. Peter Five. Bromley: Independent Books, 1993.
  • Falconer, Jonathan (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
  • Griffiths, Frank "Winged Hours". London: William Kimber, 1981. ISBN 0-7183-0128-5.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • O'Connor, B. Tempsford Airfield: Now the story can be told… 1998. ISBN 1-902810-03-1
  • Verity, H., We Landed By Moonlight (revised edition). Manchester: Crecy Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-947554-75-0.
[edit]
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