WWII Dorset: discovering RAF Warmwell (1)

Image: © Mike Searle Taken: 10 Jan 2020

- Cinema/Gymnasium Today this is Crossway's village hall that during the war served a dual purpose as RAF Warmwell's Station Cinema and Gymnasium. The lower attached building fronting the car park comprised both officer's and men's changing rooms, and two store rooms. Image OVERVIEW RAF Warmwell was opened in May 1937 as 6 Armament Training Camp, a gunnery school. It was known then as RAF Woodsford, but was renamed the following year as RAF Warmwell due to the possibility of it being confused with Woodford, near Manchester. By July 1940 it came under the control of Fighter Command's 10 Group, to become a satellite of RAF Middle Wallop. Dorset's only RAF fighter station during the Battle of Britain, its airfield would play a major role in the defence of the naval base at Portland, as well as providing protection for other important south coast areas. The three runways were of grass, and remained so for the duration of the war. The airfield came under attack by the Luftwaffe on several occasions, one in particular in the spring of 1941 left several personnel dead. Inevitably as the war progressed, the role emphasis changed when offensive operations into German occupied Europe were undertaken with Spitfires, Hurricanes, Tempests, and the Westland Whirlwind, the RAF's first twin engined heavy fighter. Although RAF Warmwell was mainly an RAF station, the USAAF also made use of the airfield for brief periods during 1942, and again in March 1944 when the station came under USAAF control completely to become USAAF Station AAF-454. When the 474th Fighter Group with their Lockheed P-38 Lightnings departed for continental Europe in August 1944, the station reverted back to the RAF. The last RAF squadrons left in October 1945, and the following month the station entered a period under Care and Maintenance before closing down in 1946.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0