Summary : A former Second World War and Cold War military headquarters for the Royal Air Force (RAF), constructed by 1940, when it was the administrative centre for 10 Group RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. This group was responsible for the south-west of England and south Wales. Whilst not as hard pressed as 11 Group in the south-east, it also played a part in the Battle by supporting that former Group and by rotating exhausted squadrons through its airfields. The non-flying station was built over stone quarry workings and may have had subterranean elements as well as the above ground station. It included an operations block. The nearby manor house may have been utilised for officers' accommodation. During the Cold War the station was renamed RAF Rudloe Manor. In the Cold War it served as a communications centre for Number 1 Signals Unit, managing the RAF's communications network. From 1952 to 1980, it was also a regional headquarters of the Royal Observer Corps. The station closed in 2000, but the site is still maintained by a Ministry of Defence agency and it is not open to the public. |