RAF Moreton-in-Marsh

RAF Moreton-in-Marsh was a Royal Air Force station near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. It was opened in November 1940 and closed for operational flying in early 1948. The base remained in use as a relief runway and for training. After a period of care and maintenance, the Station was handed over to the Home Office in 1955.

The town's environs are quite flat and low-lying although it is situated at the northern extremity of the Cotswold Hills range. During World War II, a large area of this flat land to the east of the town was developed as an airfield and used by Wellington Bombers. It is highly likely that the airfield inspired the title of the radio show Much Binding in the Marsh. After all, two of its stars, Kenneth Horne and Richard Murdoch, served there as flying instructors.

Current use
The former airfield is now home to the Fire Service College where senior fire officers from brigades all over the UK undergo operational, management and leadership training. The same complex is also now the headquarters of the Institution of Fire Engineers, the professional body for fire fighters, officers and civilians with an interest in fire engineering.