Site Records

Site Name: RAF Upper Heyford

RSG site visit 5th July 2001

[Source: Nick Catford]

Each of the Squadrons within the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing had its own headquarters building, spread around the base these each consists of prefabricated unhardened building containing offices, canteen, recreation area, briefing room etc leading into a hardened blockhouse at one end. We visited the 55th and 77th Squadron HQ but only went inside the 77th as they are both identical. The building is currently derelict and in a poor state of repair with ceiling tiles littering the floor. The building has been totally stripped. At one end the main corridor leads into the hardened area through a dog leg and a blast door. Again there are two routes into the bunker, one clean and one dirty where the decontamination is similar to the command centre. This gives access to a main reception area where there is a large counter. All the rooms in the bunker are empty apart from the plant room which is intact and in good order.

Photo: 55th Squadron HQ
Photo by Nick Catford

Alongside the 55th Squadron HQ is a gate into the inner compound with a heavily defended guardroom with a pillbox on the top. There are also a number of WW2 hangers that are now used by Thames Valley Police for training.

Having spent three hours at the base this was now the end of our tour, although we did take a look at the domestic site. The multi-million pound hospital lies empty and disused despite repeated efforts to find a buyer; it seems likely that this will now be demolished along with the supermarket alongside. A smaller supermarket (shopette) has been renovated and reopened for the local community. The petrol station is currently derelict but this may be reopened as the 'new town' develops. It is a vast site and the development plan includes the demolition of a large number of the buildings including most of the hardened aircraft hangers. There are plans to build 1000+ houses on the site so it will indeed become a town.

Brief history of the Tactical Fighter Wing

The base was originally opened during World War I, but not transferred to USAF control until the early 1950s. It was initially an SAC base housing rotational stateside-based B-47 aircraft, commencing with the 22nd Bombardment Wing from March Airforce Base in December 1953. Other units rotated to Upper Heyford until 1958 when the Reflex Action system was introduced, with wings deploying small quantities of aircraft for three-week periods instead of whole wings for months at a time.

The 20th Tactical Fighter Wing relocated from RAF Wethersfield to RAF Upper Heyford on 1 June 1970. For the first time since it left Virginia in 1952, all three of its flying squadrons were united on one base. Less than three months later, the wing began converting to a new aircraft - the General Dynamics F-111E Aardvark. (left)

These aircraft had terrain-following radar and electronic surveillance systems with a 24 hour all weather flying capability. Their primary role was to carry NATO's intermediate-range nuclear weapons and throughout the 1970's they represented one of the key assets of the NATO alliance.

On 12 September 1970, the first two F-111Es arrived at RAF Upper Heyford. The 20th Tactical Fighter Wing participated in F-111 NATO and US unilateral operations Shabaz, Display Determination, Cold Fire, Ocean Safari, Datex, Priory, Reforger, Dawn Patrol, Highwood, Hammer, and others from January 1972 to October 1993. The wing gained a fourth flying squadron on 1 July 1983, with the activation of the 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron.

On February 1984, the first Grumman (General Dynamics) EF-111A Ravens of that squadron arrived at Upper Heyford. Following the end of the cold war, the base was quickly wound down with the last of the fighter squadrons, the 55th, inactivated on 15 October 1993 and the last of the wing's three aircraft departed from Upper Heyford on 7 December 1993

For more photographs of RAF Upper Heyford click on one of the galleries below
  1    2   3   

For further information and photographs and a detailed history of the 20th Tactical Fighter wing see the RAF Upper Heyford Memorial web site.

For more excellent photographs of RAF Upper Heyford including photographs taken during the construction of the airfield and pictures of the bomb dumps see RAF Upper Heyford web site.

Sources:

• RAF Upper Heyford Memorial web site.
• Cold War - Building for nuclear confrontation 1946 -1989. Published by English Heritage ISBN 1 873592 69 8

Those taking part in the visit were Nick Catford, Dan McKenzie, and Tony Page

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