| Summary : A former RAF military airfield and army base constructed during the 'expansion period' and opened in 1938. The airfield was mainly used during World War Two for training and maintenance purposes. In 1942 three concrete runways were laid. The main units using the base were Number 6 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Training Unit and 8 Maintenance Unit. A large number of buildings, structures, earthworks and cropmarks associated with the pre-war and wartime use of the airfield have been recorded from aerial photographs taken in 1946 and 1947, although most of the buildings and structures have been destroyed on aerial photographs taken in 1961, 1975 and 1993. The buildings include circa 50 airfield buildings, including barracks, hangars, Nissen huts, married quarters, a battle headquarters, a fuel store and at least 12 pillboxes including 9 type 24s and three air raid shelters. The structures include roads, paths, hard standings, dispersals, taxiways, runways, three radio stations, sewage works, four light anti-aircraft batteries, three blast shelters, five bomb stores and several transformer boxes. The earthworks include at least 14 gunposts, circa 35 air raid shelters, a slit trench, a spoil heap a pair of emergency water supplies and a pair of building platforms defined by scarps. The cropmarks include a number of paths between the airfield buildings, football and rugby pitches, circa 4 barbed wire obstructions, five blister aircraft hangars. A number of the original pre-war buildings are still extant, and are described in records SP 21 NW 23 to 28. An outlying pillbox and gunpost are described in records SP 21 NW 6 and 30. The RAF police dog enclosure is described in record SP 21 NW 38. A dispersed site is described in record SP 21 NW 45. A bombing decoy was located circa 7 kilometres to the southwest (SP 11 NW 49). This site has been mapped as part of the Cotswold Hills National Mapping Programme. |
More information : Little Rissington, Airfield, Gloucestershire, SP 210 188. (1)
RAF Little Rissington was constructed during the RAF's "Expansion Period" and was opened in 1938. Its construction was influenced by consultation with the Council for the Protection of Rural England, resulting in the use of sympathetic local material such as Cotswold stone for some buildings and some dry stone walling. Most of the airfield buildings were located to the north of the flying field. There were various types of hangars situated to the north, east and south of the airfield. The airfield was mainly used during World War Two for training and maintenance purposes. In 1942 three concrete runways were laid. The main units using the base were Number 6 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Training Unit and 8 Maintenance Unit. Post-war the site was used by the Central Flying School and by display teams. In 1981 the site was used by the United States Air Force Contingency Hospital, which would have been used in the event of a major conflict in Europe. It was activated but never used during the Gulf War (1991) and was closed in 1992. The base was also used by the British Army in the 1980s (including the Royal Irish Rangers). The wartime runways and a number of original buildings are extant. Part of the airfield is now a "business park". The website includes detailed history of the airfield, a virtual tour of the site as it stood in the early 2000s and recollections of ex sevicemen. (2)
A former RAF military airfield and army base, constructed during the 'expansion period' and opened in 1938. The site is centred on SP 213 186, and extends over a total area which covers 2.52 kilometres east-west and 3.29 kilometres north-south.
A large number of buildings, structures, earthworks and cropmarks associated with the pre-war and wartime use of the airfield have been recorded from aerial photographs taken in 1946 and 1947, although most of the buildings and structures have been destroyed on aerial photographs taken in 1961, 1975 and 1993, particularly during the 1990s when the site was converted into a business park and housing.
The buildings include circa 50 airfield buildings, including barracks, Nissen huts, married quarters, messes, a battle headquarters, a fuel store and at least 12 pillboxes including 9 type 24s and three air raid shelters.
The structures include roads, paths, hard standings, dispersals, taxiways, runways, three radio stations, sewage works, four light anti-aircraft batteries, three blast shelters, five bomb stores and several transformer boxes.
The earthworks include at least 14 gunposts, circa 35 air raid shelters, a slit trench, a spoil heap, a pair of emergency water supplies and a pair of building platforms defined by scarps.
The cropmarks include a number of paths between the airfield buildings, circa 4 barbed wire obstructions, the airfield code letters, five blister aircraft hangars and football and rugby pitches.
Most of the airfield buildings appear to be stone built, and are linked by a regular network of roads and paths. Many of the wartime temporary buildings appear to have been inserted into this arrangement. The married quarters are defined by a U shape of terraced houses in the north western corner of the site, centred on SP 2046 1971 and are still extant on the latest available photographs.
The battle headquarters is centred on SP 2102 1915, and is extant on aerial photographs taken in 1961, but has been destroyed and levelled on aerial photographs taken in 1993. It comprises a large bunker, which is mostly covered in earth and extends over an area which measures 28 metres north-south and 22 metres east-west. There appears to be observation hatches facing southwards towards the centre of the airfield, and a series on entrances to the rear of the headquarters.
The fuel store is centred on SP 2066 1901, and comprises a 34 metre by 13 metres rectilinear building, which has been demolished on aerial photographs taken in 1993.
The pillboxes are arranged around the perimeter of the airfield, often in strategic locations such as the corners of fields and opposite entrances, so as to command a more effective field of fire.
A pair of dispersals are visible extending from the southern edge of the airfield. These, together with their associated hangars, formed the technical maintenance and storage units. Most of the dispersals have been removed, with some of their extents visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs taken in 1993.
A road is visible extending from the south eastern dispersal site, from SP 2204 1846 to SP 2284 1765. Six probable storage buildings are dispersed along the road. Another road extends from SP 2075 1811 to SP 2095 1658, branching into three at the southern end, where a breakers yard is located in 1946 and 1947. Parts of these roads are visible as cropmarks on the aerial photographs taken in 1993 and 1996.
A radio station is visible in the south western corner of the site, defined by a pair of small buildings on a hard standing. This radio beacon is located at the end of the runway, at SP 2065 1812, and was used to guide in aircraft on a radio beam. It has been demolished on aerial photograph taken in 1975. Another radio station is located at SP 2054 1689, and is defined by a tower surrounded by a square enclosure. The square enclosure is still visible on the latest available aerial photographs. A third probable radio station is located in the north eastern corner of the site, centred on SP 2165 1949, and comprises a parabola of small structures (circa 2 metres square) which form a semi-circle facing north. The semi-circle measures 56 metres east-west and 31 metres north-south.
A pair of the light anti aircraft batteries are located at the centre of the site at SP 2102 1947. A further two are located on the eastern and western sides of the field, facing the centre of the airfield. These are partly enclosed, partly open concrete structures, partially or completely surrounded by earthwork banks, which cover an area which measures circa 18 metres square. Three of these LAA batteries have been levelled on aerial photographs taken in 1996, though the easternmost one has been levelled.
The bomb stores are located around SP 2133 1964, and comprise four small (2 metres by 4 metres) dispersed rectilinear buildings located on sub circular hard standings.
The blast shelters and transformer boxes are located throughout the airfield, mainly around the perimeter. The blast shelters are circa 5 meters along their longer sides, with external blast walls and internal baffles, but no roofs. They often have spoil heaps around three sides.
The gunposts are located throughout the site, mainly around the perimeter. These comprise sub circular mounds, sometimes with a central depression, which typically measure 3 to 5 metres in diameter. A concrete gunpost is located at SP 2073 1936, which measures 6 metres square and has been removed on aerial photographs taken in 1993.
The air raid shelters are typically defined by chevron shaped ditches with spoil heaps flanking both sides or by broader linear banks. Two lines of the chevron shaped open shelters can be seen extending from SP 2120 1948 to SP 2139 1954 and from SP 2111 1972 to SP 2108 1981 and to SP 2093 1981. The broader linear banks, probably Stanton shelters, are largely located around the centre of the site. They measure either 9.5 by 3.5 metres or 36 metres by 6 metres.
The emergency water supplies are defined by square cut features which measure 11 metres square, one of which is surrounded by a bund. They are located at SP 2205 1926 and SP 2100 1944.
The barbed wire entanglements are partly visible as structures, but largely as cropmarks on the 1946 and 1947 aerial photographs. A gunpost located at SP 2209 1901 is surrounded by a sub circular enclosure which extends over an area which measures 145 metres in diameter. The north eastern perimeter of the site has been extended into the arable farmland by a sinuous barbed wire entanglement.
At least three football and two rugby pitches are visible as cropmarks on the post-war photographs. Some of the pre-war taxiways are visible as cropmarks, beneath the 1942 concrete runways. A series of eleven probable ammuntion stores are visible as small amorphous cropmarks, extending from SP 2047 1874 to SP 2050 1857.
A number of the original pre-war buildings are still extant, and are described in the following records:
The guardhouse SP 21 NW 23 / UID: 1402007
The sergeant's mess SP 21 NW 24 / UID: 1402010
The Station Headquarters SP 21 NW 25 / 1402016
The sick quarters SP 21 NW 26 / UID: 1402021
The officer's mess SP 21 NW 27 / UID: 1402025
Four type C aircraft hangars SP 21 NW 28 / UID: 1402031
An outlying gunpost to the north of the airfield is described in SP 21 NW 6 / UID: 332321. An outlying pillbox and gunposts on the western edge of the airfield is described in SP 21 NW 30 / UID: 1422333. The RAF police dog enclosure is described in record SP 21 NW 38 / UID1507542. A dispersed site is described in record SP 21 NW 45 / UID: 1507671.A bombing decoy was located circa 7 kilometres to the southwest (SP 11 NW 49 / UID: 1465420) (3-8).
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