RAF Ashbourne

RAF Ashbourne is a former Royal Air Force airfield located approximately 1.5 mi south-east of the town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire.

Opened on 12 June 1942 before closing on 23 August 1954.

Ashbourne was home to Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle and Bristol Blenheim aircraft.

Post Second World War it was used for storage and maintenance of ordnance where the bombs were stored along the runways.

Based units
There was a small units at Ashbourne such as:


 * No. 42 Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU).
 * No. 81 OTU.
 * No. 28 Maintenance Unit RAF.

Current use
The site is now an industrial estate, appropriately named Airfield Industrial Estate. Actually there is part of the 14/22 runway still in use for two light aircraft kept nearby. The runway is in poor condition but with care about 600m is still usable. It is marked as active on the aeronautical charts.