RAF Windrush

RAF Windrush Sunday 18th August 1940.

By August 1940, the Battle of Britain was reaching its conclusion. On that single day, the RAF shot down or severely damaged thirty-six Luftwaffe aircraft. That day, 129 Germans died. The cost to the RAF was eleven pilots and aircrew.

24

Hangar at RAF Windrush

RAF Windrush Sunday 18th August 1940. By August 1940, the Battle of Britain was reaching its conclusion. On that single day, the RAF shot down or severely damaged thirty-six Luftwaffe aircraft. That day, 129 Germans died. The cost to the RAF was eleven pilots and aircrew. One of the men who died that day was Sergeant Bruce Hancock. But he didn’t die over Dover. He died in a Gloucestershire field without having fired a shot. He had almost finished training with No6 SFTS at RAF Little Rissington and was about to go on leave. He was 26.

Hancock had just taken off from RAF Windrush in his Anson L9164. It was dark, and Hancock was practising night flying. At four minutes to midnight, he collided with a Heinkel HE111 of the Luftwaffe's 5/KG27. The plane had been detailed to attack RAF Brize Norton, ten miles SE of RAF Windrush, but the pilot had mistaken Windrush for Brize and attempted an attacking run.

Hancock's body was not found until the following day, lying 100 yards from the wreckage of his plane. Local firewatchers who found his body claimed that had more of an effort been made to find him on the night of the crash, he may have lived.

The German plane came down at Blackpits Farm near Aldbourne (now just off the A40). The four German flyers were buried with full military honours at Northleach Parish Church. Hancock was buried in the RAF cemetery at Hendon.

But what happened? Did Hancock deliberately use his Anson to ram the German Heinkel, or was it a simple mid-air crash? Reports from ground observers at the time say that the German plane opened fire on Hancock’s Anson. They also say that he slowed his plane, allowing the German aircraft to overfly him. Then, once the Heinkel’s pilot was committed to the manoeuvre, Hancock climbed, ramming the German plane out of the sky.

Although the RAF never recognised Hancock’s action, he had apparently told his brother-in-law that he would be quite prepared to deliberately ram an enemy aircraft' if he had to...

Hancock has two memorials today - one on a plaque in Windrush Church, the other on the control tower at RAF Windrush. It was the latter I set out to find...

A gorgeous Saturday morning. Too good to head into the office, so instead I decided to head out and do some history.

I’m lucky enough to live in probably the most airfield-dense part of the country. There are around thirty disused RAF stations around Oxfordshire and into Gloucestershire. I’ve always been fascinated by them, so I often get on the bike and end up standing on an old concrete peri track, somewhere in a field – all that’s left of an old training base or satellite strip.

So, the Panzermoto saddled up, I primed the GPS and headed off to find RAF Windrush.

It’s a bit of a challenge as it’s not on any roads anymore. In fact, you get to the old airfield on a track off the A40 that links Cheltenham and Witney. Like many airfields, it’s private land so best to get permission before visiting.

25

It’s a gorgeous ride, with views over the countryside for miles. It doesn’t take long to realise you’re on the right track for an airfield – you can see the old concrete link roads that link the parts of the old camp.

In the woods on the left of the track are the remains of an old, brick-built, standard pattern, blast shelter. The roof’s gone, but you can still see the banking and internal structure.

On the right of the road are the remains of the old sick quarters and, further south, the WAAF site - Windrush was a big base with more than 2,000 personnel and nearly 180 WAAFs. It even had its own sewage disposal plant.

The accommodation and domestic sites were to the North West of the landing ground, some close to the A40. On the same side, other concrete and brick buildings were training facilities. Plenty are still there, dotted around the site. In fact, the building site to the north of the A40 that has stood derelict for some years was part of the base too. The woods around RAF Windrush still hold many disused buildings

The control tower is still there, restored, and some of the taxiways and perimeter track. You can still see one of the blister hangars and a T1 aircraft shed too. The machine gun range still stands in the valley below the airfield.

A look on Google Maps will give you some idea of how the base was laid out originally. But the runways were the temporary Sommerfield tracking type, so nothing remains.

The first time I visited Windrush, the plaque to Sgt Hancock was faded, but still firmly on the NE wall of the control tower. Now, in 2012, it had gone. I can’t believe anyone would steal something like this, so I imagine it’s simply been removed for safekeeping or restoration. I certainly hope so.

26