Robertson Barracks

United Kingdom / England / North Elmham-Swanton Morley Airfield /
 military, regiment, barracks, RAF - Royal Air Force
Garrison of the The Light Dragoons Regiment
Former RAF Swanton Morley

Situated 2.5 miles north-north-east of East Dereham, overlooking the south side of the Wensum valley, the former Royal Air Force Station Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force Station in Norfolk, England, located near to the village of Swanton Morley. The site is now occupied by the British Army, and is now known as Robertson Barracks in honour of Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, the first Field Marshal to rise from the rank of private and who was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1916 to 1918.

Taken over by the Army in 1996 for Robertson Barracks now home to The Light Dragoons, 12 Medical Sqn., Band of the Dragoon Guards and all attached personnel. The Light Dragoons, known as England’s Northern Cavalry, are a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment., formed in 1992 as an amalgamation of 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) and 15th/19th The Kings Royal Hussars.

The Light Dragoons are primarily a reconnaissance (recce) regiment, who are the eyes and ears of the British Army. Wherever the Army is deployed, in war and peace, the recce soldier is at the front, preparing the way for the rest of the force.

RAF History

Swanton Morley was an expansion scheme airfield that was never completed to the usual standard. With the outbreak of war a far more utility station resulted, devoid of the familiar Type C hangars. The camp was built by Richard Costain & Co. Ltd near Mill Street on the eastern side of the aerodrome. The area taken involved the closure of country roads, notably that between the villages of Worthing and Swanton Morley.

This grass surface airfield was first occupied by No. 105 Squadron Blenheims in October 1940, by which time a single Type J hangar had been erected on the technical site. Over the following months a number of tarmac hardstandings were put down round the airfield, work there by Costain eventually totalling £490,000. As with most Blenheim squadrons, No. 105 took heavy losses during 1940-41 but its CO, Wing Commander Hughie Edwards, was awarded a VC for his conduct in leading an attack on Bremen on July 4. 1941. No. 105 remained at Swanton Morley until December 1941 when it was transferred to Horsham St Faith to become the first squadron to convert to the Mosquito IV bomber. Their first two Mosquitos were received before the move to Horsham. No. 105's replacement was No. 226 Squadron with Blenheims, which it soon shed in favour of Bostons. The squadron's first use of the Boston as a bomber was on March 8, 1942 when it flew from a forward airfield in the south to raid a factory near Paris. In the spring No. 226 tutored the USAAF's l5th Bomb Squadron and led it on that unit's first raid, which took place on July 4, 1942. In May 1943, No. 226 converted to Mitchells, shortly before No. 2 Group left Bomber Command.

Unlike most other No. 2 Group squadrons, No. 226 was not moved south during the summer and autumn of 1943 but remained at Swanton Morley until February 1944. Another squadron equipped with Mitchells at Swanton Morley was the Polish-manned No. 305, which cast off its Wellingtons at Ingham in September 1943 only to leave Swanton two months later for Lasham to retrain yet again, this time on Mosquitos.

During March 1944, No. 98 Squadron Mitchells moved back to Norfolk from Dunsfold and carried out operations until October that year when it moved to liberated Belgium. In fact, Swanton Morley was the only Norfolk airfield retained by No. 2 Group, which at the beginning of April 1944, formed No. 2 Group Support Unit at the station. This body was primarily a holding unit for aircrew and other personnel to make good losses in No. 2 Group's squadrons during the forthcoming cross-Channel invasion.

At some time between 1941 and 1943, four T2 hangars were erected on the airfield, 31 loop hardstandings and a perimeter track put down. Other work involved utility buildings for barracks with the station's total accommodation raised to 1,968 males and 390 females.

In response to No. 100 Group's need of an additional airfield near its HQ, in December 1944 No. 2 Group had finally to relinquish Swanton Morley. The support unit moved to Fersfield, an airfield in south Norfolk just vacated by the USAAF. Thereupon No. 100 Group established its Bomber Support Development Unit on the airfield, carrying out a number of experimental operational flights. The group's communications flight was also based at Swanton. Operations launched from Swanton Morley while under Bomber Command incurred a loss of 39 aircraft - 21 Blenheims and 18 Bostons.

With the demise of No. 100 Group in the summer of 1945, little use was made of the station until December 1946 when No. 4 Radio School moved in. Flying Proctors, Prentices and Ansons, the school changed its name to No. 1 Air Signallers, then Air Electronic School, remaining in residence until late 1957. Thereafter, the airfield, still turf surfaced, was little used for RAF flying although the camp continued to serve for ground units until September 1995. A flying club flourished for several years. In 1996 the camp and much of the landing ground was taken over by the Army for Robertson Barracks, the J and T2 hangars being demolished for new AFV buildings

forcesswantonmorley.2day.ws/
www.army.mod.uk/armoured/regiments/1634.aspx
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Swanton_Morley
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   52°43'33"N   0°58'21"E

Comments

  • my bro at swanton morely
  • I was a WRAF at Swanton Morley from Jan 1973 to Aug 1973 and when I revisited with my husband and children, shortly before it closed, most things looked no different. I would swear that the wallpaper in the foyer of the cinema there was the same as when I left in 1973.
  • Was Born at East Crescent Swanton Morley in 1966
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