Royal Air Force Honington or more simply RAF Honington (IATA: BEQ, ICAO: EGXH) is a Royal Air Forcestation located 6 mi (9.7 km) south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. It was used as a bomber station during the Second World War and through the Cold War, hosting Handley Page Victors and Hawker Siddeley (Blackburn) Buccaneers. RAF Honington has been the RAF Regiment depot since 1994.
History
Royal Air Force use
Construction of Honington airfield, which was undertaken by John Laing & Son, began in 1935, and the facility was opened on 3 May 1937.[4] Squadrons of RAF Bomber Command using the airfield prior to the Second World War were:
IX Squadron (Wellington Mk Is, later changing to Mk lAs.) (4 September 1939 – 1940).[8]
IX Squadron flew the first RAF bombing raid of the Second World War on 4 September 1939 flying a mission against the Kriegsmarine in the Baltic resulting in the loss of two Wellingtons.[9]
Then, in May 1941, a Wellington returning from a night trip attempted to land at Honington with its wheels retracted. It skidded to one side and crashed into the main bomb dump where it burst into flames. Group Captain J. A. Gray and Squadron Leader J. A. McCarthy, the station medical officer, were the first on the scene of the crash. Both entered the burning aircraft in an attempt to rescue the crew who were trapped and, between them, two crew-members were saved. For this gallantry, both officers were awarded the George Medal.[11]
United States Army Air Forces use
Aerial photography of RAF Honington, 25 January 1944 oriented north. The pre-World War II Honington Airfield is on the right, the 1st Strategic Air Depot is to the left. Note the large number of B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft parked on numerous hardstands at both the airfield and depot
In June 1942, the airfield was transferred to the USAAF and was upgraded to a Class A Bomber base. Honington was assigned USAAF designation Station 375.[12]
Under USAAF control, an additional facility, called Troston, was constructed to the west of the main airfield as a specialized air depot for the repair of badly-damaged B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and supporting the 3d Bomb Division located in the area. Badly damaged Fortresses were often instructed to crash land at Honington on return from operations, particularly if their landing gear could not be lowered, as this avoided the necessity to dismantle and transport the aircraft from its home base for repair.[12]
364th Fighter Group
North American P-51D-15-NA Mustangs of the 385th Fighter Squadron. 44-15493 "Jeannie II" in foreground, 44-14322 "Coffin Wit Wings" behind
Converted from Lockheed P-38 Lightnings to North American P-51 Mustangs in the summer of 1944 and from then until the end of the war flew many long-range escort missions heavy bombers that attacked oil refineries, industries, and other strategic objectives at Berlin, Regensburg, Merseburg, Stuttgart, Brussels, and elsewhere. The 364th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for an escort mission on 27 December 1944 when the group dispersed a large force of German fighters that attacked the bomber formation the group was escorting on a raid to Frankfurt.[15]
The group patrolled the English Channel during the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and, while continuing escort operations, supported ground forces in France after the invasion by strafing and bombing locomotives, marshalling yards, bridges, barges, and other targets.[16]
The 364th also flew air-sea rescue missions, engaged in patrol activities, and continued to support ground forces as the battle line moved through France and into Germany. Took part in the effort to invade the Netherlands by air, September 1944; the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 – January 1945; and the assault across the Rhine, March 1945.[16]
The US flag comes down for the last time at RAF Honington in February 1946
Although the last mission by the 364th took place on 25 April 1945, the group did not depart until November, returning to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, for inactivation. Even then, Honington remained the lone Eighth Air Force outpost in the UK becoming Fighter Command HQ on 5 October. Honington was the last USAAF station to be returned to the RAF. By the beginning of 1946, the airfield remained the only active station which had been used by the Eighth Air Force and a fitting ceremony was planned to mark its closure and official handing back to the Royal Air Force. On 26 February, Brigadier General Emil Kiel – the Eighth Fighter Command commander – was present to hand over the keys of the station to Air Marshal Sir James Robb, AOCRAF Fighter Command. An RAF band played The Star-Spangled Banner as the Stars and Stripes were lowered for the RAF Ensign to be hoisted in its place. The airfield, which was the first transferred to the United States Army Air Forces for its use in 1942, was the last to be returned to the Air Ministry.[17]
Back to Royal Air Force control
RAF Honington was then used by RAF Transport Command. The station provided support the Berlin Airlift and was transferred to RAF Bomber Command in 1949.[18] It accommodated storage facilities for No. 94 Armament Maintenance Unit in the 1950s and a 9,000 ft concrete runway was completed in 1956.[18]
Bomber squadrons, 10, XV, 44, and 57 flying the English Electric Canberra were based at the station from 1955 to 1957 and 10 and XV Squadrons saw action in the Suez Crisis.[18]
In 1965 the station was put into reserve to accommodate the proposed General Dynamics F-111 fleet: the married quarters were used for evacuees from the Aden Emergency at that time.[19]
The station was then selected to become a base for the RAF's Panavia Tornado fleet in 1981. In August 1982 IX(B) Squadron was reformed at RAF Honington, becoming the world's first operational Tornado squadron. Equipment included the WE.177 nuclear bomb. IX Squadron relocated to RAF Bruggen in Germany in 1986. No. 45 Squadron was the sole occupant until XIII Squadron formed there in January 1990.[18]
RAF Regiment Depot
On 15 July 1992, it was announced that the Tornados would depart Honington and that the station would relinquish its primary flying role and become the RAF Regiment Depot.[20] As a result, the TWCU moved to Lossiemouth (to replace the Buccaneers) in November 1993. Honington ceased to be a flying station on 1 February 1994 when No. 13 Squadron relocated to RAF Marham.[21] The Depot moved in June 1994, when RAF Catterick in North Yorkshire, home of the previous depot, transferred to the British Army.[21]
RAF Honington became the home to 611 Volunteer Gliding Squadron due to the closure of RAF Watton in April 2012, requiring their conversion to the Grob 109B Vigilant motor glider until the closure of that unit in 2016.[22]
RAF Honington's mission statement is "Delivering Air Force Protection Capability for the RAF and Defence".[26] The station is the single hub for RAF Force Protection, incorporating the RAF Regiment Headquarters and the RAF Police Headquarters. Together they are responsible for protecting the RAF at home and abroad. The station is home to over 1,500 military personnel, civil servants and contractors.[27] RAF Honington is home to three RAF Regiment field squadrons. Through the RAF Force Protection Centre and RAF Regiment Training Wing, the station also provides initial and advanced training for members of the RAF Regiment and specialist training for the RAF's entire Force Protection capability.[27] The RAF Police is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force and Honington is home to the RAF Police Headquarters. It also accommodates No. 1 (Tactical) Police Squadron which provides field policing, and reserve unit No. 3 (Tactical) Police Squadron (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) which provides a general policing and aviation security capability.[27]
RAF Honington's badge, awarded in June 1956, features the head of St. Edmund in front of two crossed arrows pointing downwards. The head of St. Edmund represents the nearby town of Bury St Edmunds which is approximately 9 km (5.59 mi) to the south east of the station, in whose coat of arms the representation is featured. The arrows in saltire, represent St. Edmund's martyrdom.[32]
The station's motto (Pro anglia valens) is in Latin and translates into English as Valiant for England.[32]
Two Second World War era hardened field fortification survive within the airfield boundary. The Pickett-Hamilton forts were designated as scheduled monuments by English Heritage (now Historic England) in September 2002. The forts were constructed in late 1940 in order to provide ground defence for the airfield. A third example is thought to have been destroyed during redevelopment of the station after the war.[33]
The forts were designed to be lowered into the ground while not in use, as such they would be inconspicuous and would not interfere with the passage of taxiing aircraft or other vehicles. The forts could be raised to about 2 feet 6 inches (0.76 m) above ground level where it would be a physical impediment to aircraft and vehicles and from where a small crew could fire with rifles or light machine guns.[34]
The examples at Honington are described by Historic England as having "importance as comparatively rare surviving examples of an unusual and innovative type of airfield defence installation. The outer structure and lifting heads of both remain in good condition, and the example which is in working order, with its principal internal fittings intact, is of particular interest."[33]
^March, Peter R. (1998). Brace by Wire to Fly-By-Wire – 80 Years of the Royal Air Force 1918–1998. RAF Fairford: Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises. p. 158. ISBN1-899808-06-X.
^ abMarch, Peter R. (1998). Brace by Wire to Fly-By-Wire – 80 Years of the Royal Air Force 1918–1998. RAF Fairford: Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises. p. 162. ISBN1-899808-06-X.
