RAF Warboys

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RAF Warboys is a former Royal Air Force heavy bomber base near the village of Warboys in what is now Cambridgeshire, England. It was built in 1940 and used from 1941 to 1963. The airfield had three runways on tarmac, including a very long main runway built to help with its heavy bomber role.

The station was given to No. 3 Group in 1942 and became one of the original Pathfinder Force stations. It was built to relieve nearby Upwood for No. 17 Operational Training Unit, which worked with Bristol Blenheims. By mid-1941 the airfield had strong defensive features, including barbed wire and anti-aircraft guns.

Warboys hosted a variety of squadrons and training units. The first operational units included a detachment of Short Stirlings and the 15 Squadron D Flight of No. 17 OTU. The first fully operational squadron to arrive was No. 156 Squadron in August 1942, which started with Vickers Wellingtons and later switched to Avro Lancasters. The station also hosted No. 1507 (Beam Approach Training) Flight with Airspeed Oxfords in 1943.

Pathfinder Force navigation training arrived after 1943, and in January 1943 the base switched to Avro Lancaster bombers, which stayed until March 1944 when the aircraft moved to Upwood. The airfield’s defenses were tested in 1943 when the Home Guard unsuccessfully tried to seize the base. In March 1944 the RAF Regiment took over ten Bofors gun sites to strengthen the defenses.

As Upwood upgraded its runways to concrete, Warboys became busier. No. 156 Squadron left in March 1944, and No. 1655 (Mosquito) Training Unit moved in. The AOC of the Pathfinder Force visited in March 1944. In October 1944, 428 Squadron arrived with Lancasters. Throughout late 1944, other small units and training flights operated at Warboys, including No. 1323 (Automatic Gun Laying Turret) Flight in January 1945.

After VE Day, the base saw reorganizations and new equipment. The Navigation Training Unit ended, and No. 128 Squadron re-equipped with de Havilland Mosquitos in July 1945. A few more units arrived, including No. 1696 (Bomber) Defence Training Flight and No. 571 Squadron, which operated Mosquitos for a short time. In July 1945 the airfield was inspected again by senior officers, who were impressed, but activity began to slow.

From December 1945 Warboys went into care and maintenance and was gradually returned to agricultural use. The airfield’s buildings fell into decline, and the runways were torn up over time. In 1960 Bloodhound air-defense missiles of No. 257 Squadron were stationed at Warboys, with crews living at Upwood. The missiles were withdrawn by the end of 1963, and the airfield was closed for good.

Today much of the airfield has been returned to farmland, with only a few remnants. A battle headquarters bunker and two pillboxes survive, along with scattered storage and testing areas. The domestic sites were dispersed and later redeveloped, and the site was sold into private ownership. A small part near the southern end is used by the Ramsey Aero Model Club for radio-controlled aircraft.