RAF Westhampnett
Former Royal Air Force station in West Sussex, England (1940–1946)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English county of West Sussex.
RAF Westhampnett .png) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westhampnett, West Sussex in England | |||||||||||
 Aerial photograph of RAF Westhampnet, the technical site is to the right, 19 April 1946 | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||
| Code | WQ[1] | ||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces 1942 | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Fighter Command * No. 11 Group RAF 1938-42 & 1942-45 RAF Second Tactical Air Force * No. 83 Group RAF | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
  RAF Westhampnett Shown within West Sussex | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°51′40″N 000°45′33″W | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1938 & 1940 | ||||||||||
| In use | July 1940 - 1946 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 33 metres (108 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[2] | |||||||||||
It was built as an emergency landing airfield for fighter aircraft, as a satellite station to RAF Tangmere. Built on land belonging to the Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond, Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.
The airfield is now the civilian Chichester/Goodwood Airport.
History
Royal Air Force use
Squadrons
- No. 41 Squadron RAF.,[3] from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating Supermarine Spitfire Vb
- No. 43 (China-British) Squadron RAF[4]
- No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF[5] (1941)
- No. 91 (Nigeria) Squadron RAF[6] (1943)
- No. 118 Squadron RAF[7] (1943 & 1944)
- No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF[8] (1942 & 1944)
- No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron RAF[9] (1941 & 1942)
- No. 130 (Punjab) Squadron RAF[9] (1944)
- No. 131 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF[9] (1942-43)
- No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating Hawker Hurricane.[10] (1940)
- No. 167 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF[11] (1943)
- No. 174 (Mauritius) Squadron RAF[12] (1943-44)
- No. 175 Squadron RAF[12] (1944)
- No. 184 Squadron RAF[13] (1944)
- No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron RAF[14] (1943-44)
- No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron[15] (1940-41)
- No. 303 Squadron RAF[16] (1944)
- No. 340 (GC IV/2 Île-de-France) Squadron RAF[17] (1942)
- No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron[18] (1944)
- No. 402 Squadron RCAF[19] (1944)
- No. 416 Squadron RCAF[20] (1942)
- No. 441 Squadron RCAF[21] (1944)
- No. 442 Squadron RCAF[21] (1944)
- No. 443 Squadron RCAF[21] (1944)
- No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF[22] (1943)
- No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron AAF[23] (1943 & 1944)
- No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron AAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire[24] (1940)
- No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron AAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire[25] (1941, 1943 & 1944)
- No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron AAF[25]
- No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron AAF[25]
- 787 Naval Air Squadron.[26][27]
Units
- No. 83 Group Support Unit during November 1944[28]
- No. 121 Airfield Headquarters RAF between October 1943 and April 1944[29]
- No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield Headquarters RAF during April 1944[29]
- No. 402 Air Stores Park between October 1943 and January 1944[30]
- Detachment of No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight between June and July 1943[31]
- Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett during November 1941[32]
- No. 1307 Mobile Wing RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2703 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2704 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2709 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2713 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2742 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2761 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2766 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2778 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2793 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 2795 Squadron RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 4001 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment[26]
- No. 4067 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment[26]
United States Army Air Forces
- 31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942.[33]
Current use
Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and Chichester/Goodwood Airport.
