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The
airfield was built a secret Relief Landing Ground (RLG) for
RAF Exeter and great trouble was taken to ensure its
identity was not revealed both during, and after,
construction. Hedge rows, pathe and ditches were replaced to
help camouflage the site. The three living quarters sites
were widely dispersed and heavily camouflaged, there were no
dispersal areas or hangars on the original site, and no
runways were laid, the landing area was an irregular grass
surface.
RN use of the airfield
By the time
the airfield opened at the end of May 1942 the need for a
secret RLG had passed and the station was offered to the
Admiralty on loan. The Fleet Air Arm was granted lodger unit
status from July and the first two squadrons ,886 & 887
Fleet Fighter squadrons, arrived from RNAS Yeovilton on July
10th, each equipped with 6 Fulmar Mk.II, possibly to make
space at Yeovilton for other squadrons, but also to receive
further training. Neither stayed long, 887 moved to RNAS
St.
Merryn on July 25th while 886 moved to RAF Turnhouse on
August 11th.
No. 790 Fighter Direction Training Squadron wasformed at
Charlton Horethorne on July 27th 1942 as part of the Fighter
Direction School based at RNAS Yeovilton. The squadron
operated aircraft for trainee fighter directors to control
and vector during training; Oxfords (as simulated enemy
bombers) and Fulmars (as the friendly Fighters); it was to
be the stations main resident flying unit.
Next to
arrive was another fighter squadron, 891 moved here from
RNAS Lee-on-Solent with 6 Sea Hurricane IIb on August 11th,
replacing 886. After a month spent on interception training
the squadron moved to RNAS
St.
Merryn on September 9th. Two
days later 893 arrived with 6 Martlet II fighters from RNAS
St.
Merryn, again for a month’s interception training before
departing for RNAS
Hatston on October 6th. More Fulmars
arrived on October 10th when 879 squadron began their
interception training and work-up on the 10th after forming
up at RNAS
St.
Merryn at the start of the month with 6
aircraft. A further 6 Fulmars arrived on November 26th, 809
squadron having moved from RNAS
Machrihanish , their stay was
only short however; they departed for RAF Doncaster on
December 9th. 879 departed for RAF Old Sarum the same day.
On December 1st 808 Squadron moved here from RNAS
Stretton
with 9 Seafire L.IIc, they were joined by 895 Squadron with
6 Sea Hurricane Ib, which arrived from RNAS
Stretton on New
Year’s Eve 1942.
Commissioned as an RN Air Station
By the end
of 1942 it was clear that the RAF had no use for the
Charlton Horethorne RLG and the airfield was transferred to
the Admiralty; the station commissioned as H.M.S. HERON II
on New Year’s Day 1943.
On taking
over Charlton Horethorne the RN began improving the very
primitive facilities on airfield, hangars were erected and a
control tower was built to replace the original watch house.
Additional hangars and storage area were added for the use
of No. 2 Seafire Servicing Unit, the stations only resident
support unit.
No. 808
squadron departed to RNAS
St.
Merryn on January 8th and were
soon replaced by the 6 Fulmar IIs of 897 Squadron which
arrived from RNAS
Stretton on the 11th. 895 completed their
training and moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent on February 23rd,
897 followed them a month later on March 23rd. One final
fighter squadron arrived on April 6th when the 9 Sea
Hurricane IIc of 804 squadron arrived from RNAS
Hatston;
they departed for RNAS
Eglinton on June 20th 1943, leaving
only 790 squadron the station.
Towards the
end of 1943 more training squadrons arrived; 760 Pilot
Training Squadron arrived from RNAS Lee-on-Solent on October
9th operating a collection of with Tiger Moth, Harvard III,
Master II, and Swordfish II. No. On December 1st 794 Air
Towed Target Unit retransferred from RNAS Henstridge with
their Swordfish, Martinet, Defiant, Blenheim, and Spitfire
Vb aircraft; they had been operating with the No. 1 Naval
Air Fighter School at Yeovilton since 1940.
No. 765
squadron (Travelling Recording Unit) was formed here on
February 10th 1944, and was to be equipped with a small
number of Wellingtons; it is not clear if any aircraft were
received at Charlton Horethorne, or if the field could
handle the bombers. The squadron moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent
on March 18th. During the remainder of 1944 the training
role was scaled back; 794 disbanded here on June 30th and
780 returned to RNAS Lee-on-Solent on November 28th leaving
only the original squadron, 790 in residence.
Returned to RAF Control
In the
spring of 1945 the Admiralty agreed to exchange Charlton
Horethorne for the RAF field at Zeals in Wiltshire and 790
squadron relocated to this station on April 1st 1945. RNAS
Charlton Horethorne was paid off on April 17th 1945 and
returned to RAF custody.
Click here for a list of
Primary sources
Additional sources:
Admiralty Fleet Orders:
Confidential Admiralty Fleet Orders:
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