Former RAF Andover (Andover)

 airport, Second World War 1939-1945, military

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) opened a station near Andover in August 1917 during the First World War. The station was mainly built by German prisoners of war, some of whom left their signatures in roof spaces of buildings on the station. It is close to the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre at Amport House and the Army Air Corps Centre at Middle Wallop.
Is currently being developed as a business park with the co op building a 550,000 sq ft distribution centre on the site

Between the wars, the airfield housed a number of RAF units, including from 1919 the RAF School of Navigation, as No. 2 School of Navigation and Bomb Dropping was retitled. The RAF Staff College was originally established here in 1922 before it moved to RAF Cranwell

During the Second World War RAF Andover was the headquarters of RAF Maintenance Command, and it was one of four airfields in Hampshire to be given a decoy site in 1940, to deceive enemy aircraft into attacking a spurious target. Andover's decoy site was at Hurstbourne Tarrant, and was a type 'K' decoy site with fake aircraft and buildings. From September 1940, fake machine gun posts were added to Hurstbourne Tarrant.

On 14 September 1955, RAF Andover was honoured with the freedom of the Borough of Andover. No. 12 Squadron RAF took part in the ceremony with a flypast of its English Electric Canberra B Mk. 6 bombers, to mark the Squadron's pre-war association with RAF Andover.

Andover continued its association with pioneering the use of helicopters in Britain when the Joint Helicopter Unit, which was a joint Royal Navy, Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force unit exploring operational helicopter roles, was based at the station from 1958 to 1959. The unit used Westland Whirlwind (rotary wing) helicopters and was disbanded at the end of 1959 to form 225 Squadron Royal Air Force.

RAF Andover was subsequently the home of a number of communications squadrons, the last one of which was No. 21 Squadron RAF, which used de Havilland Dove and Percival Pembroke aircraft.


The Hawker P.1127The station's association with aviation research continued, as trials of the Hawker P.1127, the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel FGA 1 (both were experimental vertical take-off aircraft), and the Hawker Siddeley Harrier partially took place on the station. The Harrier was the developed form of the P.1127 and Kestrel and was the world's first operational vertical/short take-off and landing aircraft.

A Hawker Siddeley Andover C1.Trials of the Hawker Siddeley Andover (the second RAF aircraft of that name) were also partially carried out at RAF Andover. In commemoration of this, Hawker Siddeley presented the Borough of Andover with a framed photo of the aircraft, and the type was also named after RAF Andover. The Andover's main role in RAF service was tactical transport, for which its unique ability to “kneel” - to allow vehicle entry at a shallow angle via a rear ramp – was an asset. Other roles included aero-medical evacuation, STOL, and parachute and 1 ton container drops. The Andover could also be fitted with long-range ferry tanks, which enabled the short-range Andover to fly surprisingly long distances, such as across the Atlantic Ocean. Andovers are still in RAF service for the photo reconnaissance role under the Open Skies Treaty and for use by the Empire Test Pilots School.

The RAF station was closed on 10 June 1977 and the airfield was handed over to the British Army. It is in use by Army Air Corps units based at Middle Wallop, as well as Defence Equipment & Support (formerly the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO)), and retains an RAF link through the presence of 1213 (Andover) Squadron, Air Training Corps.