RAF Desford

RAF Desford RFC Peckleton.
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Royal Air Force station
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force
Location	Peckleton, Leicestershire
Built	1916 (1916)
In use	1916-1946 (1946)
Elevation AMSL	387 ft / 118 m
Coordinates
Map
RAF Desford Location in Leicestershire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt

Royal Air Force Station Desford or RAF Desford is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.0 mile (1.6 km) south of Desford, Leicestershire and 6.7 miles (10.8 km) south west of Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

History

Geoffrey Wellum, Battle of Britain pilot and author of First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War-Torn Skies Above Britain, which later became a television show, took his initial flying training here.

• No. 3 Air Observers Navigation School.
• No. 3 Civil Air Navigation School.
• No. 5 Basic Flying Training School.
• No. 7 Elementary & Refresher Flying Training School.
• No. 7 Elementary Flying Training School.
• No. 7 Reserve Flying School.
• No. 9 Maintenance Unit RAF.
• No. 664 Squadron RAF was reformed at the airfield on 1 September 1949 with no aircraft. The squadron moved to RAF Hucknall on 17 January 1953.
• No. 1969 (Reserve AOP) Flight.
• Leicester Aero Club.

Current use

The site is currently used by Caterpillar Inc. as an design office and assembly facility for Caterpillar Backhoe Loaders and Compact Wheel Loaders

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Bibliography

• Jefford, C.G, MBE,BA ,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.