RAF Harrowbeer

My chosen location for all of my shoots is going to be at RAF Harrowbeer Airfield. The site sits in the Parish of Buckland Monachorum, Devon. At about 9 miles NNE of Plymouth and 6 miles south of Tavistock it sits within the boundary of Dartmoor National Park. Although in the village of Yelverton, the airfield was called Harrowbeer due to the close similarity to R.N.A.S Yeovilton.

In June 1940, French air bases were now in German hands due to the efficiency of the German Blitzkrieg. Plymouth now faced imminant danger of aerial assault. The land at Yelverton had already been earmarked for construction. During 1940, Plymouth was succumed to air raids however it was the devastating attacks in 1942 that razed the city to the ground. What remained of buildings after previous attacks nnow lay in piles of rubble all over the city.

The Air Ministry had decided that all new airfields would be built with tarmac runways, due to the consistent amount of problems with using grass runways. The rubble from Plymouth Blitz was then transported up to Yelverton to be used as part of the core material for building the runways. Rocks from local quarries and mines nearby were also transported to help build the runways and multiple buildings around the airbase. The construction of the airfield provided welcome employment for local residents. The shops in Yelverton were all reduced to single storey to avoid risk to low flying aircrfta either taking off or landing.

Both Yelverton and Horrabridge railway stations were used to bring materials to the construction site of the airfield. It had 3 runways in an 'A' shaped layout with two Belman hangers and eight smaller blister hangars. Ravenscroft, a large house nearby, was used at the station HQ, which is now a nursing home. Another building, Knightstone, became the control tower (or Watch Office) and is now a reasturant and tea-rooms. During 1941 a new Watch Office was built nearer to the centre of the airfield.

In 1941 the first operational unit to use the bas was 500 Squadron, flying Bristol Blenheims. The first machine to land was a Blenheim 1F Bomber. The RAF modified this bomber to become a fighter with the adition of four additional machine guns. In the autumn of 1941 Hurricane fighters also landed at the airfield. Harrowbeer was solely used as a fighter station. In October 1941, 130 squadron, flying Spitfire Mk II's stayed briefly until Novembr when a specialist air sea rescue unit arrived, 276 Squadron. Later in November, the Polish Poznan Squadron arrived, flying Spitfire VBs.

In 1942 the polish 302 Squadron was replaced with the 312 Squadron. This was a Czech unit flying Spirtife VCs. The Czech spitfies were dispatched to intercept a new german fighter, the Focke Wulf 190 (or FW190). They engaged with the FW190s over South Hams and were destroyed. After flying thre required number pf combat missions from RAF Harrowbeer, the unit were posted to delivery flight an the commander was flying the new Hawker Typhoon from Westozoyland in SOmerset. Theses new Typhoons were then based at RAF Harrowbeer in blast shelters which still remain at Harrowbeer today.

On December 18th 1942, 193 Squadron arrived flying the Typhoon fighters. Initially the Typhoon suffered from teliability problems and was a difficlut aircraft to start. However the typhoon was an effective part in the Battle of Normandy, used in a ground attack role against German Armour.

In 1944, Harrowbeer was preparing to play a key role in the upcoming invasion of German occupied Europe: Operation OVerlord, the greates amphibious assault in the history of warfare. At this point the Typhonns left Harrowbeer and were replaced by multiple Squadrons of Spitfires who would defend the base from enemy air attacks. The end of Operation Overlord begain the fall of RAF Harrowbeer as an RAF Fighter Station. In august, the station became a sattelite of Exeter and the Free French 329 Squadron was the last operationl unit using Spitfirs IX firhgters until 1945.

The war in Europe came to and end and RAF Harrowbeer had implemented its invaluable role and no longer required as a firhgter station. In 1947, it was decided that Parliamentary approvel was needed to consider the cintinued use of the airfield and in 1950 the Air Ministry decided that it no longer required the airbase at Yelverton. To begin with only hangars, huts and fences were removed with the runways left intact. In 1960, Plymouth Corporation put forward the idea for Harrowbeer to become the CIty's airport however there was strong local opposition to the proposal and after the Harrowbeer Airport Bill was presented to the House of Lords Select Committee, it was eventually rejected. The airfield was to be demolished and a road be built across the former airbase.

All that is left are the remains of the runways and hangar bases, but the blast pens ('E' bays) on the perimeter of the airfield still form a prominent feature of the airbase which played such a crucial role in the Allied victory in the Second World War.

1981 - A granite memorial was erected at Harrowbeer as a tribute to all who served there. It reads:

RAF Harrowbeer Operational 1941-1949

From this station flew pilots of many Commonwealth and Allied Countries, including Britain, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Poland and the United States of America, with the support of their ground crews and Airfield Defence units.

This stone is in memory of all who served here and especially of those who gave their lives.