RAF Staverton

RAF Staverton was a Royal Air Force station near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

History
An airfield previously existed at Down Hatherley, and plans were in place pre-war to develop the new site. The RAF took over the site as a training school on 16 July 1936 for training until August 1946. Flying training was conducted at the site on Tiger Moths, but for 18 months during construction the practical element of the course had to be undertaken at the relief landing ground at RAF Worcester.

During World War II there was a number of units and flights based at the airfield including No. 44 Group Communication Flt which operated between 15 August 1941 and 9 August 1946, also before the war No. 31 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School used the airfield to train basic flying between 29 September 1938 and 3 September 1939. No. 6 Air Observer & Navigation School was also based at Staverton from 1 November 1939 until 17 January 1942.

A number of small units and detachments used the airfield including a sub site of No. 7 Maintenance Unit between 4 June 1945 and 11 August 1953.

The Ministry of Aircraft Production Guard Dog School was formed in late 1942, located at Woodfold in Down Hatherley. In 1946 the unit, by now called the RAF Police Dog Training School, moved from Woodfold to RAF Staverton. In February 1951, the School left RAF Staverton and moved to RAF Netheravon.

During World War II, it was a satellite strip of Staverton that hosted the first flight of the Gloster 1 jet aircraft. Various testing took place at Staverton, including a plan for Lancasters to tow Spitfires from their airfields to targets such as Tokyo. This plan of course was not needed following the surrender of the Japanese after two A-Bomb attacks.

Staverton Airport
In civilian hands the site was known as Staverton Airport before changing its name to Gloucestershire Airport in 1993.