RAF Shepherds Grove

RAF Shepherds Grove
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in England
RAF Shepherds Grove Shown within Suffolk
Coordinates	52°18′55″N 000°55′13″E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command 1944-45 RAF Fighter Command 1945
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)/44
In use	April 1944 - July 1963 (1963)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	61 metres (200 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 01/19 1,845 metres (6,053 ft) Concrete 08/26 1,220 metres (4,003 ft) Concrete 14/32 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) Concrete

Royal Air Force Shepherds Grove or more simply RAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force station located in Suffolk, active from 1943–44 to 1966. Shepherds Grove was host to units of the United States Army Air Forces, Eighth Air Force. During the Cold war it was also one of the 20 Thor IRBM missile bases in the UK, as part of Project Emily.

Units

The following units were here at some point:^[2]

• 78th Fighter-Bomber Squadron between 1952–1956 and 1957–1958
• No. 82 Squadron RAF between 22 July 1959 and 10 July 1963 with Thor^[3]
• No. 196 Squadron RAF between 26 January 1945 and 16 March 1946 with the Short Stirling IV & V^[4]
• No. 299 Squadron RAF between 25 January 1945 and 15 February 1946 with the Stirling IV & V^[5]
• No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF (May - October 1944)^[6]
• No. 1677 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (January - April 1945)^[7]
• Detachment of the Air Despatch Letter Service Squadron (4 - 15 March 1946)^[8]
• Flying Wing of the Radio Warfare Establishment (June - September 1946)^[9] became the Flying Wing of the Central Signals Establishment (September 1946 - October 1948)^[10]

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• United States Air Forces in Europe
• United States Air Force in the United Kingdom

References

Citations

1. Falconer 1998, p. 78.
2. "Shepherd's Grove (Hepworth)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 50.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 67.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 84.
6. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 97.
7. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 129.
8. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 45.
9. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 215.
10. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 86.

Bibliography

• Falconer, J (1998). RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2175-9.
• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.

External links

• The Grover's Site
• RAF Shepherds Grove photos
• Shepherds Grove at www.controltowers.co.uk
• The 1954 Shepherds Grove Album
• The 1958 Shepherds Grove Album
• Aerial photo from Multimap.Com
• RAF Shepherds Grove photos taken in 2006
• the UnOfficial 81st SPS RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge Site the UnOfficial gathering place for the men and women who served in the USAF 81st Security (Air) Police Squadron at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge.