RAF Ternhill

RAF Ternhill is a small Royal Air Force station at Ternhill in Shropshire, England, near the towns of Newport and Market Drayton.

The station, home of 632 Volunteer Gliding Squadron, was a helicopter base but is now principally used as an outpost for the tri-service helicopter training establishment at RAF Shawbury. Training flights use the airfield (as do gliders at the weekends) but many of the buildings and some local Ministry of Defence housing (much of which was sold off) are now part of the army base known as Clive Barracks (after Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive).

First World War
The airfield was first opened in 1916 and was initially operated by the Royal Flying Corps before being taken over by its successor the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1 April 1918.

The first squadron posted to RFC Ternhill was 95 Squadron RFC from 8 October 1917 with various aircraft being moving to Shotwick on 30 October 1917.

The next three squadron all arrived on 1 March 1918 and used various aircraft the squadrons were then transferred from the RFC to the RAF on 1 April 1918.


 * 133 Squadron RFC/RAF between 1 March 1918 and 4 July 1918.
 * 134 Squadron RFC/RAF between 1 March 1918 and 4 July 1918.
 * 132 Squadron RFC/RAF between 1 March 1918 and 19 August 1918.

On 1 April 1918 No. 13 Training Depot Station was posted to Ternhill staying until March 1919.

The last two squadrons which were posted here had a status of cadre:


 * 87 Squadron RAF between 9 February 1919 and 24 June 1919
 * 19 Squadron RAF between 18 February 1919 and 31 December 1919.

Second World War
In 1936 the airfield was re-built and opened initially for storage space with the first squadron being No. 78 Squadron RAF which flew from Ternhill as an detachment flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley IVA from June 1939 until August 1939.

Ternhill then turned into a fighter airfield with Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes with the first fighter squadron arriving on 10 October 1939. The squadron was No. 611 Squadron RAF with the Spitfire I and stayed until 13 December 1940. The next squadron was No. 46 Squadron RAF with the Hurricane I as a detachment from the main squadron which was based at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire. The detachment arrived on 13 June 1940 and stayed until 1 September 1940. The next squadron is residence was No. 306 Squadron RAF with their Hurricane I's from 7 November 1940 staying until 3 April 1941.

On 30 May 1941 a new squadron arrived in the shape of No. 403 Squadron RAF with flew three versions of the Spitfire, the marks I, IIA and VB. The squadron moved to RAF Hornchurch on 4 August 1941. During late March 1941 No. 605 Squadron RAF moved in with their Hurricane IIA's but they only stayed for two months leaving on 30 May 1941.

The last fighter squadron to be posted to Ternhill was No. 131 Squadron RAF which arrived on 6 August 1941 with their Spitfire IA and IIA's before leaving on 27 September 1941.

The airfield then began to host training units such as No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit which arrived on 1 April 1942 and left on 12 April 1946.

The following units were posted to RAF Ternhill at some point:


 * A detachment of No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit between 2 April and 1941
 * A detachment of No. 52 Operational Training Unit between September 1942 and October 1942
 * No. 10 Flying Training School between 1 January 1936 and 1 November 1940
 * No. 4 Aircraft Storage Unit between 1 June 1937 and 10 February 1938
 * No. 24 Stores Unit between 10 February and 28 March 1938
 * No. 15 Personnel Transit Centre between 23 August 1939 and unknown
 * Training Command Communication Flight between September 1939 and 12 January 1940
 * No. 25 Group Communication Flight between March 1940 and 23 April 1947
 * No. 5 Service Flying Training School between 16 November 1940 and 1 April 1942
 * No. 22 Group Communication Flt between 1 August 1943 and 1 April 1964
 * No. 10 SFTS
 * 29th Training Wing
 * No. 30 Maintenance Unit RAF

In 1942 the maintenance unit site was remained RAF Stoke Heath.

Postwar
From 30 April 1946 Tern Hill was the home of No. 6 Flying Training School and in 1954 was equipped with Percival Provost T1 piston engine training aircraft. It was one of the RAF stations that provided the first stage of the, then, new Provost/de Havilland Vampire pilot training programme. However on 24 July 1961 the school moved out and the space was quickly filled by the Central Flying School Helicopter Wing which moved in on 18 August 1961.

In 1962 No. 3 Mobile Glider Servicing Party was posted to Ternhill to prepare to assist No. 632 Volunteer Gliding School which was posted to Ternhill on 6 October 1963. During March 1976 CFSHW was posted to another airfield and was replaced by No. 2 (Advanced) Flying Training School on 1 March. However they stay was short and on 8 October 1976 the unit was posted elsewhere and the site was used by No. 2 Flying Training School as a relief landing ground (RLG) which lasted until 30 March 1997.

Current use
The airfield side of RAF Ternhill is used as a RLG by the Defence Helicopter Flying School who were posted here on 30 March 1997 with the accommodation side being turned over to the Army on 31 December 1976 initially into Borneo Barracks before being changed to Clive Barracks.

Clive Barracks
Clive Barracks are currently home to 1 Royal Irish Regiment. The 1st Battalion, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, has assumed a fixed role as a light role battalion, rotating with two other line infantry/rifles battalions in the air assault role as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. As part of this, the battalion moved from Fort George, Inverness to Tern Hill in 2007. In September 2008 the battalion completed a tour in the Operational Mentoring and Liaison role in Afghanistan (Op HERRICK VIII) and returned to Shropshire, following which it became the first unit in the Army to receive three Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses (CGC) in a single operation.

The Battalion has since deployed again to Afghanistan with 16 Air Assault in HERRICK XIII.

IRA bomb attack
On 20 February 1989, two IRA bombers activated two bombs within the accommodation barracks at Tern Hill. At that time the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment and the 1st Battalion, The Duke Of Wellingtons Regiment were located at the base. A sentry spotted two men behaving suspiciously and raised the alarm, the barracks were evacuated shortly before the bombs exploded therefore preventing certain loss of life. One of the accommodation blocks was destroyed in the blast (which was reported to have been heard 20 mi away in Shrewsbury). The bombers escaped by hijacking a car from a house down the road from the barracks.