# RAF Throckmorton



## Colin1 (Mar 19, 2010)

I wasn't sure where to put this
I've been working on one of our other sites for the last ten days or so, a place called Pershore in Worcs. It's an old, disused (but still commissioned) airfield. Funnily enough, it seems it wasn't called RAF Pershore but RAF Throckmorton. It had one of the longest runways in the country but that's been cut up now by roads.

It was home during WWII to the Canadians of 23 OTU who flew Wellingtons, then 1 Ferry Unit, followed (a little confusingly) by the RAF Pershore Advanced Flying School. Its final role was as a dispersal airfield for Vulcan bombers if NATO went to high alert and the RAF needed to get all of her nuclear delivery platform eggs out of the same basket and away from each other.

We have a grand total of nine staff up there doing all the EMC stuff, which must be fun because as you can imagine, the place is huge. They occupy the HQ hangar and the EMC chamber is inside an adjacent hangar. There are still plenty of tell-tale signs of the war around the place, the earthing points around the perimeter of the apron for refuelling, the perimeter light locations (lights long gone) and an interesting point gleaned from inside the EMC hangar; there are two light bulbs per light installation on the aircraft hangar ceiling, at different frequencies to each other. This is because with only one light (and one frequency), it is possible for a prop under power to appear stationary, with the obvious potential for disaster that that entailed - some WWII Health Safety in action.

Alot of little concrete pillboxes full of electrics dotted around the runways too, painted black and yellow checkers but long ago faded.

Didn't take any pics, so it's not mine but here's the disused tower which is a stone's throw from the HQ hangar.


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## Airframes (Mar 19, 2010)

Great stuff Colin. That's a typical 1960's modification of a WW2 tower. Disused airfields have always fascinated me, and I ty to visit them whenever I'm near one, and able to do so. If only the crumbling concrete could talk, what stories would it tell?


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## Wayne Little (Mar 21, 2010)

Cool stuff Colin!


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## RabidAlien (Mar 21, 2010)




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## Gnomey (Mar 21, 2010)

Cool stuff Colin. Would be great to see some pics.


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## smackers (Mar 29, 2010)

Would love to see more pics Colin, i too am fascinated by disused airfields and would like to see more of this one as i'm unlikely to visit it myself.
I just recently moved from Middlesbrough to Brandon in Suffolk which isn't far from RAF Lakenheath, still in use by the USAAF as a base but there are plenty of disused airfields around here which i intend to visit once finances will permit me to.
I'll get some pictures posted of the places i visit too.
Mike


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 29, 2010)

Very cool Colin!! How long was the runway in it's heyday?


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## antoni (Apr 5, 2010)

It was RAF Throckmorton during the war. After the war RAF Pershore, the better known name. Now notorious as the resting place of 100,000 cattle exterminated during the last outbreak of foot-and-mouth.


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## Colin1 (Apr 10, 2010)

Aaron Brooks Wolters said:


> Very cool Colin!! How long was the runway in it's heyday?


Sorry Aaron, just saw this

*Wartime runways:*
04/22 was 6,000 x 150ft
10/28 was 4,500 x 150ft
16/34 was 4,500 x 150ft

*Surfaces were:*
2 x concrete
1 x asphalt

*Main buildings:*
4 x T2 hangars
1 x Type J hangar

Tower type - Watch office with Met section 518/40, post-war VCR added 5871c/55 (_I'm sure that means something to some of you_)
31 x dispersal hard standings

*Base personnel (wartime):*
1,937 x RAF
412 x WAAF

*Base opened/closed:*
June 1934/1978


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## wheelsup_cavu (Apr 14, 2010)

Cool pics Colin.


Wheels


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## Throcky (Nov 18, 2019)

Colin1 said:


> I wasn't sure where to put this
> I've been working on one of our other sites for the last ten days or so, a place called Pershore in Worcs. It's an old, disused (but still commissioned) airfield. Funnily enough, it seems it wasn't called RAF Pershore but RAF Throckmorton. It had one of the longest runways in the country but that's been cut up now by roads.
> 
> It was home during WWII to the Canadians of 23 OTU who flew Wellingtons, then 1 Ferry Unit, followed (a little confusingly) by the RAF Pershore Advanced Flying School. Its final role was as a dispersal airfield for Vulcan bombers if NATO went to high alert and the RAF needed to get all of her nuclear delivery platform eggs out of the same basket and away from each other.
> ...


Hi Guys came across your post & thought I would let you know a thing about this historic site,
Bad news it seems it going under the planners knife!! going to make it into a small village


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