Since 2015, the former married quarters have been used as temporary accommodation for refugees, under the name 'Siedlung Petersholz' (Petersholz Estate) within the 'Zentrale Unterbringseinrichtung Wegberg' (Wegberg Central Accommodation Facility).[23][24]. 1985 Gp Capt I A D MacBride, xx xxx 1945/6 In the late 1950s to 1970, Wildenrath was home to Nos. Gp Capt Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Allison entered the Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a flight cadet in 1961. Gp Capt. In the 1970s, Wildenrath became the home to the RAF "Harrier Force" which included 21(AS) Signal Regt. 2009, also notice the debris on the platform Sole remaining hangar (#7) at RAF Wildenrath in 2011 (RonaldV) A 3 meter wide track on the runway had appearantly recently been cleared, reexposing that part of the runway from the treshold all the way to the Siemens test track. Also on site were 724 Signals Unit (Fighter control radar) 402 Air Stores Park, a unit of the RAF Regiment and an Army detachment that maintained land lines (AFS). The form of anonymisation is no longer acceptable. Wg Cdr Elwyn-Jones, xx Feb 1954 Gp Capt D S [Ahlhorn| Bruggen| Brussels-Evere| Buckeburg| Butzweilerhof| Celle| Detmold| Eindhoven| Fassburg|Fuhlsbuttel| Gatow|Geilenkirchen| Goch| Gutersloh| Hambuhren| Jever| Laarbruch| Lubeck| Oldenburg|Rheindalen| Scharfoldenorf| Finally I found someone who told me to go down the corridor and book in for an X-ray. More arrived from RAF Wildenrath in March and April. WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that operated from 1952 to 1992. Since I was well, with only a slight cut to the chin and not even back pain (I be able to play golf the next day albeit with a sore head), I decided to celebrate my lucky escape in the traditional way by putting on a barrel of beer in the mess. | Schleswigland | Sundern | In 19745, the Wildenrath station commander was Group Captain Patrick 'Paddy' Hine, who later rose to Air Chief Marshal and Joint Commander of all British forces during the Gulf War. Unlike other former RAF airbases in Germany (such as Airport Weeze, previously named Niederrhein), it was not turned into a civilian commercial airport. Gp Capt J D Thirlwell, xx xxx Stn Patch. Gp Capt D McL Scrimgeour, 14 Jan He is a keen restorer of vintage cars and old airplanes, and is president of the Light Aircraft Association. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. Gp Capt M H Dwyer, xx xxx 1946 1998A/Cdre I W McNicoll, xx xxx Webraf wildenrath station commanders. 1974 Gp Capt P B Hine, xx Jul of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation, RAF Station Commanders - Royal Air Force, Strike Command Media Services (Video) (Production company) Production date 2005-05 Place made GB Dimensions. The station itself still has a NAAFI but more reduced in size; and now moved to where the YWCA had previously been. 1960 Gp Capt B Barthold, 27 Jul 1962 Gp Capt J B Hill, 1 Apr 1988Gp Capt G L McRobbie, 1 May 1990Gp Capt N A Buckland, 1 Oct 1992 Gp Capt P V Harris, 26 Oct 1994Gp Capt M G F White, 31 Oct 1996Gp Capt C R Loader, 14 May 1999 1968 Notice the Bloodhound site in the background (1978 Frank "Stinks" Swinkels, viaKLu104, Facebook) Capt J E Johnson, xx Apr Visiting SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 of No. Royal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military airbase near Wildenrath in North RhineWestphalia, Germany that operated from 1952 to 1992. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. Notice the removed HASs on the southwest dispersal area. It initially had a 1830 meter long runway, which was later lenghtened by 610 meters. Aircraft and crews had been generated, and the aircraft loaded with live weapons in accordance with normal policy for exercising quick-reaction forces in NATO. Gp Capt Wg Cdr L A Ferguson, xx Feb 1963 By 06/07/2022 ether spiritual energy 06/07/2022 ether spiritual energy WebOn March 1st 1958 the Squadron was formed at Royal Air Force Laarbruch equipped with Canberra B (i)8, the first ones being delivered in February 1958. The locations of their quick-readiness dispersals can still be seen to the south of the former main gate. Full description (Tape 1) Band performing at a Kremlin Parade. Wg Cdr M A Williams, 30 Nov 1999 The housing areas of the former RAF Wildenrath were originally used as overspill housing for RAF Bruggen, and then used to accommodate other UK military personnel until the end of September 2012, when the land was formally handed back to German local authorities. 1992 country = Germany allegiance = UK: British Armed Forces branch = Royal Air Force command_structure = RAF Second Tactical Air Force, then Royal Air Force Germany type = Flying station They were questions for later, since a bottle of brandy had now been produced and hospitality offered (not by daughter, unfortunately). 1982 Gp Capt J S Allison, 8 Mar [Ahlhorn| Bruggen| Brussels-Evere| Buckeburg| Butzweilerhof| Celle| Detmold| Eindhoven| Fassburg|Fuhlsbuttel| Gatow|Geilenkirchen| Goch| Gutersloh| Hambuhren| Jever| Laarbruch| Lubeck| Oldenburg|Rheindalen| Scharfoldenorf| Since I did not know the F-4 crew, I invited them to attend to show that there were no hard feelings. Indeed the party was subsequently mis-reported in the press as us celebrating the loss of one of Her Majestys aircraft, a fact I tried to correct by a letter to The Telegraph. WebBelow are just some of our members who have served at RAF Wildenrath. Welcome to Forces Reunited the place where you can find information and friends from RAF Wildenrath. 1976 Gp Capt J B Mitchell, xx xxx 1979 Stn Patch. [6] Alison was unharmed. Giving up on the medics, we decided it was time for the bar and he offered me a lift home. RAF career. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. It also housed the two operational 'Battle Flights' for both fighter squadrons. [1], He returned to the Ministry of Defence as Director of Air Force Plans and Programmes in 1987 and then became Assistant Chief of Defence Staff, Operational Requirements (Air) in 1989. Google may use your Personal Data to contextualize and personalize ads in its advertising network. Air Chief Marshal Sir John Shakespeare Allison, KCB, CBE (born 24 March 1943) is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. Wildenrath airfield (Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath, also known as RAF Wildenrath, in German: Fliegerhorst Wildenrath, ICAO: EDUW) was an airfield close to the German-Dutch border. The other stations were at RAF Geilenkirchen, opened on 24 May 1953, RAF Brggen, formed in 1 May 1953 and completed in July of that year, and RAF Laarbruch, opened on 15 October 1954. I was waved off for a rather wobbly ride to Wegberg hospital for X-rays, etc; at that point there was still no news of what had occurred. Of the technical site, virtually all but one of the bigger buildings are now knocked down. Set your Throttles to Full AB and Join The Aviation Geek Club! Gp Capt P G Jameson, xx xxx 1947 Wg Cdr W E V Malins, 14 Mar 1946 I confirm that I have read, consent and agree to The Aviation Geek Club Privacy Policy. In 1953, the Station Commander was Group Captain JE 'Johnnie' Johnson, a top-scoring British ' ace ' fighter pilot of the Second World War . M H Miller, 20 Jan 1973Gp Capt 19 Sqn re-formed at Wildenrath in October 1976, and 92 Sqn formed there in April 1977. 1976-77 saw Wildenrath's role within RAF Germany change, as it became home to the command's air defence squadrons, with 19 Squadron and 92 Squadron moving in from RAF Gutersloh, having converted from the English Electric Lightning to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, and taking advantage of the Phantom's longer range. A very small part of the runway, the taxiways, dispersals and hangars still existed, although much of it was covered with dirt and overgrown. It also operated DH Devon and DH Heron aircraft. Indeed on the way back I understand that they had some difficulty in convincing agencies of the reality of the event. This is a photo of the Mobile MCS Rig Exodus taken around Aug 1986 at Wildenrath. I would have compromised the blood test. whole: Number Of Items/reels/tapes 1. Supplied by Gary Binnie. All rights reserved. A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch concluded that Allison had manually operated the cooling system of the Daimler Benz DB605A engine into a level of overheating, and had interpreted the thermostat-controlled release of coolant fluid to be an indicator of imminent engine failure. Alpha and Echo were not used in the normal flying operations of the station. It is now known as the Test- and Validationcenter Wegberg-Wildenrath, which opened in 1997. Did you see what happened? I asked the farmer.He did not, and neither did I know what had happened, except that I though that it was odd for the F-4 to be alone they normally flew as pairs. Result I eject. The anonymization works by shortening the IP address of the Users within the borders of the member states of the European Union or other countries that are members of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Wg Cdr R W F Sampson (OC, No 145 Wing), 8 The last flying squadron still present at the time the airfield was to close, 60 Squadron, moved to the nearby RAF Brggen. Supplied by Jim Haywood. Web5 X 4 patch, good condition.The former Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military airbase which opened on 15 January 1952. The former RAF Wildenrath is now much reduced in size. More arrived from RAF Wildenrath in March and April. | Celle | Detmold | Eindhoven | Fassburg | Gp Capt M Arnold, xx Mar 1987 Gp The transfer of data can only take place anonymously and with prior consent. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. R G Knott, 28 Jul 1961Gp Capt A simulated bomb incident forced them to evacuate the aircraft shelter and they were allocated another, which was also still armed with live weapons. Charlie Dispersal was also used by cross-trained 60 Squadron ground crew to turn around visiting aircraft during station exercises. WebRAF Wittering - Station Commanders Station Commanders The Station Commander ordinariily holds the rank of Group Captain. Video shot around the closedown of RAF Wildenrath in March 1992 byTristan Cossey, who kindly shared the video with us. Wegberg hospital was worse than useless. Gp Capt F W Mitchell, 12 Dec 1986 Both units flew Phantom FGR2 (F-4M Phantom II's), providing air defence for RAF Germany (RAFG) and its allies. During a visit in April 2011 I found about half the parking area in front of the remaining hangar was covered with piles of debris from demolished buildings. The board of inquiry found the crew of the Phantom to be negligent, but were they solely to blame? Wildenrath had five dispersals around its single runway. WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992. Gp Capt H Day, xx xxx 1953 1961 Handed over to German Air Force, 1 Jun 1954Gp Capt G W Petre, 29 Dec 1957Gp Sqn Ldr R G English, xx Jan 1957 Wg Cdr N Arden, xx xxx xxxx (1946) Gp Capt A E Clouston, 7 Jun 1960 Wg Cdr C V 11 Group in 1991. RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Keen half-marathon runner and Formula One motor racing fan, Squadron Leader Rick Fryer, from Eccles, Lancashire, is the new Royal Air Force station commander at RAF Mildenhall. Aircraft and crews had been generated, and the aircraft loaded with live weapons in accordance with normal policy for exercising quick-reaction forces in NATO. K A Williamson, 4 Jan J F G Howe, 5 Dec 1973 Gp Capt J F H Tetley, 30 Jan [3] Flying the F-4 Phantom, he went on to command No. Wildenrath was th [4] He served as Air Officer Commanding RAF Strike Command from 25 July 1997 to 28 March 1999 when he retired from the RAF. View towards Hangar 7 and the debris piled in front of it from treshold 09, RAF Wildenrath, April 2011 (RonaldV) The domestic site is now predominantly military. Gp Capt W E Hedley, 9 Feb 1961 Gp Capt D B The eastern runway threshold had been turned into a Golf course, rather than the site of Bloodhound surface to air missiles that used to be there. WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that operated from 1952 to 1992. 2000 Gp Capt T M Anderson, xx xxx 1944 I cannot begin to imagine what was going through the poor guys minds their way back to Wildenrath; it is a bit difficult to explain away returning to base after a training flight with one missile fewer than when you started out! This site uses cookies. 1954 Gp Capt R J Gosnell, xx Dec We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! A communications flight was provided by 60 Sqn (RAF Germany Communications Squadron ), initially with Hunting Percival Pembrokes, later with DeHavilland Devon and DeHavilland Heron aircraft. It can be seen today in the RAF Museum at Hendon, London. No. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this blog contents without express and written permission from this site's author/owner is strictly prohibited. By 2007 the railway test tracks had taken over considerable areas of the airfield. [6] The flight had its own hangar facilities on the base and various flight designations throughout its tenancy. Eject! Thought process he must know what is going on because I certainly dont! There was a violent explosion, my head was driven down to the breast plate of my lifejacket, I had a vision of the floor of the cockpit dropping away, a snatch of parachute opening, a wrenching pain in my right hand (fool, let go of the seat handle! Deputy Commander Operations Air Marshal Harvey Smyth The Deputy Commander of Operations is based at Air Command as the Royal Air Forces senior war fighter. Several glasses of brandy later (not sure if they went onto the bill), the sound of a chopper was heard and a lift back to Brggen given courtesy of the German air force. The base was also used for 'CasEvac' (emergency casualty evacuations) usually to the United Kingdom. Since 1972, the Squadron Facebook Like button and social widgets (Facebook, Inc.). Known initially as 12 Independent Liaison Flight, it then was renamed to 31 Flight, then 131 Flight Royal Corps of Transport (ex RASC), No. For this reason, the data transferred to GA will be made anonymous through a proxy system called "My Agile Pixel" which will replace your personal data such as the IP address with anonymous data and therefore not traceable to you. Wildenrath was the first of four 'clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. 1967 Gp Capt P P Walker, xx xxx Indeed, the operations officer at RAF Wildenrath had not passed the information to the SOC because he was not aware of it himself. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Mar 1946 [1] He went to become Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of RAF Strike Command in 1994[1] and then Commander-in-Chief of RAF Logistics Command in 1996. Wildenrath was the first of four 'clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. The organisation behind them was seen to be at fault, and following a comprehensive review numerous changes were made to procedures. 1992 country = Germany allegiance = UK: British Armed Forces branch = Royal Air Force command_structure = RAF Second Tactical Air Force, then Royal Air Force Germany type = Flying station WebIn the 1970s, Wildenrath served as the initial domestic of the RAF 'Harrier Force', which listed numbers 3, 4, and 20 Squadrons, as living as 21ASRegiment. He was the Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State. G A Brown, 30 Jul 1957Gp Capt Sqn Ldr P D J Wood, xx Jan 1953 With the Royal Air Force having no use for site of the former RAF Wildenrath after the end of the Cold War, it closed the airfield on 1 April 1992. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Harrier GR1/T2 - later converted to GR3/T4, Wegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre, List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons, "Army Air Corps in Germany - 31 Flight/ RASC and 131 Flight, Wildenrath", "Gunmen slay British soldier and 6-month-old daughter", "Test- and Validationcenter Wegberg-Wildenrath", "Wegberg-Petersholz: Die ersten Flchtlinge haben Quartier bezogen", "Bis zu 1200 Menschen sollen in Petersholz unterkommen", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RAF_Wildenrath&oldid=1128375133, Articles needing additional references from September 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 December 2022, at 20:38. Gp Capt D G Bailey, 6 Jun Gp Capt J E Johnson, 1 May 1946 It is now an amalgamation with the nearby former RAF Bruggen, now Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. He was the Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State. RAF Wildenrath, photographed in 1984 (Mick Gladwin, on Flickr). By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. 60 Squadron operated from the hangar close to the main Squadron Servicing hangar on the 'soft side' (northern) of the airbase. Capt M L Feenan, xx xxx 1957 Cant remember in time and thump, I land completely out of control in a field and it hurts. Full description (Tape 1) Band performing at a Kremlin Parade. From 1953 there were two North American F-86E Sabre squadrons [67 and 71], and a Sabre conversion flight. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. For the purpose of such exercises, other RAF Germany aircraft were generally regarded as hostile targets, with fighter controllers scrambling the F-4s to intercept targets for training. It was later that evening that the Brggen station commander discovered they were in the bar with me, and pointed out that this would not look good for the subsequent board of inquiry since we could be accused of collaborating. Maddox, 11 Dec Google uses the Personal Data collected to track and examine the use of this site, compile reports on its activities and share them with other services developed by Google. [10], One of his sons is a glider pilot, while another, James, is a Technical Director of a Formula One team.[11]. A communications flight was provided by 60 Sqn, initially with Hunting Percival Pembrokes which were replaced by Hawker Siddeley Andovers in the mid-to-late 1980s. A very small part of the runway still exists, however, much of it is overgrown. P S Collins, 8 Dec 1976 Gp Capt T O Prickett, 1 Dec 1955 The F-4s from Wildenrath often painted aircraft to ensure their separation. WebAir of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. In the early 1960s, 88 Squadron Canberras were also based at Wildenrath. Always ready / ever prepared: RAF Phantom FGR2 XV439 'D' on short finals for runway 27, RAF Wildenrath, At this time, the CO of 2ATAF (former Battle of Britain fighter pilot, Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris) had a Vickers Valetta aircraft as his personal transport, its lower fuselage and wings kept highly polished by the ground-crew of the RAF Germany Communication Flight (who later took the colour of ex-Singapore Gloster Javelin No. WebThe former Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military airbase which opened on 15 January 1952. Hours before this the hooter had sounded at RAF Wildenrath (the Phantom FGR2 base) in the early hours of the morning for a station exercise. 1974 RAF Wildenrath Station Crest. | Lubeck | Oldenburg | The flight was manned by members of the corps under which the flight was named with the REME providing the technical servicing and maintenance of the aircraft. RAF Canberras on the flightline at Wildenrath, ca. Gp Capt A Ingle, 6 Jul 1945 Wildenrath was also home to an army flight operating light helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, examples of which were the Westland Scout and De Havilland Beaver respectively to give an idea of aircraft size. On 1 May 1988, two airmen from the RAF Regiment squadron based at RAF Wildenrath were attacked by IRA armed assailants whilst sitting in a car in the nearby Dutch town of Roermond. Military Airfield Directory - Airfields of the Cold War, Paul Freeman's Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields. WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992.