RAF Defford

Did You Know?

• The airfield site is now owned and used by West Mercia Police as their driver training facility.
• Part of the station’s medical facilities now house the RAF Defford museum within the National Trust property of Croome.
• Light aviation can refer to the nearby Croft Farm Airstrip.

History

When the Second World War began, the Ministry of Works took over Croome Court and its grounds. The main Palladian house was first rented to the Dutch government for a year as a potential safe haven for Queen Wilhelmina, fleeing the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, though records indicate her stay lasted no more than two weeks. Work on RAF Defford started at the war’s start and finished in 1941. For a short period, the airfield served as a satellite base for the Vickers Wellington bombers of No. 23 Operational Training Unit, stationed a few miles away at RAF Pershore. In May 1942, the Telecommunications Research Establishment, which handled radar research and development and had been based near Swanage, relocated to Malvern College. At the same time, the Telecommunications Flying Unit, later renamed the Radar Research Flying Unit, which conducted flight trials for the TRE, moved its aircraft to Defford. The move was so rushed that many personnel initially lived in tents. But the pace of work at Defford grew steadily, and by 1945 the station housed around 2,500 personnel and 100 aircraft. Civilian scientists, flying alongside crews from the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, tested radar systems that transformed the combat effectiveness of Allied planes. Early breakthroughs with Airborne Interception systems were shown by John "Cats Eyes" Cunningham and other night fighter pilots. Air to Surface Vessel radar helped counter the German U-boat threat in 1943, playing a key role in the Battle of the Atlantic. By 1944, H2S radar allowed Bomber Command crews to navigate accurately and identify targets during the strategic bombing campaign. No. 1001 Signals Unit and the Special Installation Unit were also based there at some point. A modified Wellington bomber became the forerunner of modern AWACS aircraft, successfully spotting fast German E-boats and directing their interception. The world’s first automatic, hands-off approach and landing took place at Defford in January 1945, using Boeing 247 DZ203.