Christchurch Airfield

Christchurch Airfield was located southeast of the A337/B3059 intersection in Somerford, Christchurch, Dorset, England.

It was a civil airfield starting from 1926, then it was used during World War II by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force. After the war the airfield returned to civilian use and the airfield complex was then demolished in 1966.

Flying at Christchurch started in July 1926 when Surrey Flying Services began offering five shilling pleasure flights from an area known as "Burrysfield". In May 1928, the Hampshire Aero Club operated from the area. The next step was when Francis C Fisher leased some open fields where he operated a flying facility in the summers until his lease ran out in 1932 by which time Fisher had flown over 19,000 passengers. In 1933 Sir Alan Cobhams Air Circus put on a show there attended by around 8,000 spectators. In the same year, the Rambler Air Station was established and airline services commenced on 14 May 1934 with Western Airways operating a de Havilland Dragon Rapide and the airfield was known as Christchurch Airport. In February 1935 the airfield temporarily became known as Bournemouth Airport (not to be confused with Bournemouth Airport at Hurn).

In World War II the airfield became RAF Christchurch. The Air Defence Research and Development Establishment was built at the northeastern end of the airfield, and in May 1940 the RAF Special Duties Flight, operating a very mixed bag of aircraft arrived to take part in the experiments with radar. The Airspeed factory was also built on part of the original airfield and began production of Horsa Mk I gliders, AS.10 Oxfords, and de Havilland Mosquitos for the RAF.

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