RAF Abingdon

RAF Abingdon
Grob 109B 'Vigilant' Motor Glider
IATA: none ICAO: EGUD
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Built	1931 (1931)
In use	1932 - Present
Elevation AMSL	226 ft / 69 m
Coordinates	51°41′27″N 001°19′00″W / 51.69083°N 1.31667°W / 51.69083; -1.31667Coordinates: 51°41′27″N 001°19′00″W / 51.69083°N 1.31667°W / 51.69083; -1.31667
Map
EGUD Location in Oxfordshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18/36 5,911 1,802 Asphalt 08/26 3,500 1,067 Asphalt
612 VGS Radio – 122.10 (Mhz), Satellite and relief landing ground for RAF Benson

Royal Air Force Abingdon or more simply RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps.

The airfield was opened in 1932, initially as a training station for RAF Bomber Command.

No. 10 Operational Training Unit RAF was based at the airfield throughout the Second World War and until 1946. From 1940 to 1942, Abingdon's station commander was Herbert Massey.

After the Second World War RAF Abingdon became part of RAF Transport Command, and also became the home of No. 1 Parachute Training School which is now stationed at RAF Brize Norton. The Parachute Training School, and RAF Abingdon generally, featured heavily in the 1953 Alan Ladd film The Red Beret (called Paratrooper in the USA), and the Parachute Training School was used as a location for some scenes for the films Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) and Operation Crossbow (1965) as well as the French comedy Babette s'en va-t-en guerre (1959) which starred Brigitte Bardot. On 14 June 1968 Queen Elizabeth II conducted a royal review at RAF Abingdon to mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF.

About 1948–49 Headquarters No. 47 Group RAF, Transport Command, was at RAF Abingdon. The station, its personnel and aircraft (Yorks and Hastings) were involved in the Berlin Airlift.