RAF Worcester

{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force Relief Landing Ground in Worcestershire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Use British English|date=May 2013}} {{Infobox military installation | name = RAF Worcester | ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg | ensign_size = 90px | native_name = | partof =  | location = Worcester, Worcestershire | nearest_town =  | country = England | image = | alt = | caption = | image2 =  | alt2 = | caption2 = | type = | coordinates = {{Coord|52|12|59|N|002|12|14|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}} | gridref = | image_map = | image_mapsize = | image_map_alt = | image_map_caption = | pushpin_map = Worcestershire | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Worcestershire | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_image = | pushpin_label = RAF Worcester | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_mark = | pushpin_marksize = | ownership = Air Ministry | operator = Royal Air Force | controlledby = RAF Flying Training Command | open_to_public =  | site_other_label =  | site_other =  | site_area =  | code =  | built = {{Start date|1940}} | used = 1940-{{End date|1945}} | builder = | materials = | height =  | length =  | fate =  | condition = | battles = Second World War | events = | current_commander =  | past_commanders =  | garrison =  | occupants =  | designations = | website = | footnotes =   | IATA = | ICAO = | FAA = | TC = | LID = | GPS = | WMO = | elevation = {{Convert|30|m|0}} | r1-number = 12/30 | r1-length = {{Convert|900|m|0}} | r1-surface = Grass | h1-number = | h1-length =  | h1-surface = | airfield_other_label =  | airfield_other =   }}

'''Royal Air Force Worcester''', or more simply '''RAF Worcester''', is a former Royal Air Force relief landing ground (RLG) which was located {{Convert|1.7|mi}} north east of Worcester city centre, Worcestershire, England and {{Convert|4.4|mi}} south west of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. It was also known as RAF Perdiswell.

==Posted units==

The following units were here at some point:<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/worcester-ii-perdiswell/ |title=Worcester II (Perdiswell) |publisher=Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust|access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref> * No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (2 EFTS)<ref name="ABCT"/> became No. 6 (Supplementary) Flying Instructors School RAF<ref name="ABCT"/> became No. 6 Flying Instructors School RAF<ref name="ABCT"/> became No. 6 Flying Instructors School (Elementary) RAF<ref name="ABCT"/> became 2 EFTS{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=102}} * No. 24 Group Communication Flight RAF<ref name="ABCT"/> * No. 81 Group Communication Flight RAF<ref name="ABCT"/> * No. 2790 Squadron RAF Regiment<ref name="ABCT"/>

==Accidents and incidents==

5 June 1940 Bristol Blenheim L1232 of No. 5 Operational Training Unit overshot at night and hit a house.<ref>[http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/marg/crashes1940.htm Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1940]</ref>

17 October 1941 de Havilland Tiger Moth T5856 of No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) crashed when landing.<ref>[http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/marg/crashes1941.htm Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1941]</ref>

15 July 1942 Miles Magister R1956 of No. 6 Flying Instructors School (FIS) hit a gunpost on take-off.<ref>[http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/marg/crashes1942.htm Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1942]</ref>

September 1942 Douglas Dakota en route from Pershore with a film crew crashed blocking the Bilford Road. The co-pilot was the American film actor Clark Gable who was involved with a planned gunnery training film.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/content/articles/2005/10/12/clarke_gable_perdiswell_feature.shtml Clarke Gable Perdiswell Feature – BBC]</ref>

16 May 1943 Airspeed Oxford R9983 of No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF crashed on takeoff.<ref>[http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/marg/crashes1943.htm Aviation Archaeology – crashes in the south west midlands during 1943]</ref>

==Postwar== Between 1954 and 1968 a Spitfire was used as a gate guard at the site.<ref name=Banner /> Since 2005 the spitfire in question has been in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.<ref name=Banner>{{cite news |last=Banner |first=Tom |date=18 August 2020 |title=What happened to the Worcester Spitfire? Iconic plane's story revealed |url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18658960.happened-worcester-spitfire-iconic-planes-story-revealed/ |work=Worcester News |access-date=29 September 2023}}</ref>

The airfield has been turned into Perdiswell Park and Ravenmeadow Golf Course.<ref name="ABCT"/>

==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}

===Bibliography=== *{{cite book |last1=Lake |first1=A |title= Flying units of the RAF |year=1999 |publisher= Airlife |location= Shrewsbury |isbn= 1-84037-086-6 }}

==External links== * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/51/a3125251.shtml BBC History – A Memory of Worcester During the War]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worcester}} Category:Royal Air Force stations in Worcestershire Category:Military airbases established in 1940 Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom Category:Military airbases closed in 1945

RAF Worcester

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