Southern and West Country Airfields of the D-Day Invasion : 2nd Tactical Air Force in Southern and South-west England in WWII (Aviation Heritage Trail) by Peter Jacobs

Author:Peter Jacobs [Jacobs, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / Aviation
ISBN: 9781783376315
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

A Typhoon of No. 609 Squadron with its ground personnel. The squadron arrived at Thorney Island at the beginning of April 1944 and operated from the airfield throughout the D-Day operations.

After Transport Command left Thorney Island in 1975 the airfield closed in March 1976. Part of the site was transferred to the Royal Navy but plans for use by the navy, and then later as a general aviation airfield for Portsmouth, both fell through. For a short period some of the hangars were used by Britten-Norman to store their Islander aircraft but there was no further use of the airfield. Thorney Island was then transferred to the army during the early 1980s and since 1984 has been a base for the Royal Artillery. It is now Baker Barracks and the site is home to 12 and 47 Regiments of the Royal Artillery with 12 Regiment providing close air defence protection and 47 Regiment being one of only two regiments in the Royal Artillery that, through the use of unmanned air systems, provide the British Army’s ‘eye in the sky’ in support of land forces on operations.

Although Thorney Island is easily found from the A27, or from the A259 that runs east-west through the village of Emsworth, it is not accessible to the public as a military check point before reaching the former airfield prevents any access to the public unless by prior arrangement.

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