Bicester Airfield
Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester, is a private airfield on the outskirts of Bicester, Oxfordshire, England.
The location of the first flight of the prototype Handley Page Halifax in 1939, it was used by the Royal Air Force until 2004. Originally built as a bomber station as part of the 1920s Home Defence Expansion Scheme, the airfield consists of of well-drained short-mown grass, with two mown grass runways of 06/24 and 16/34 long. The surface is bumpy in places, due to collapsing field drains, requiring care on the part of pilots operating aircraft in those areas.
History
In 1911 Captain H. P. P. Reynolds flew from Oxford in a Bristol Boxkite biplane and touched down near Launton. His rural landing is thought to be the first time an aircraft skimmed the grass at this location.Organised flying began in 1916 when a Training Depot was established. In January 1917, the Royal Flying Corps moved into the site, then, with the arrival of 118 night bomber squadron. Canvas-covered Bessonneau hangars were used until more substantial aircraft sheds were built.
In November 1918, No. 44 Training Station Depot arrived, followed in 1919 by 5 Squadron, flying Bristol F.2 Fighters returning from France, having flown in the First World War. All the squadrons disbanded by 1920, and the airfield was closed in 1920 after being used briefly as a clearing centre for repatriated soldiers.
In 1925, work began on redeveloping the site as a bomber station, and flying began again in January 1928. Various large RAF bombers operated from the field, including the Vickers Virginia. Other aircraft included Hawker Horsleys and, in 1935, Hawker Harts arrived. In November 1932, the only RAF squadron of Boulton Paul Sidestrands arrived, replaced by Overstrands n 1936.
Development of the station continued throughout this period, with many new buildings being erected. This included the construction of a connection from the nearby 'Varsity Line' railway to supply the airfield.
Second World War
In 1937/1938, two squadrons of the new Bristol Blenheim bomber arrived, followed in 1939 by two more squadrons with Supermarine Spitfires and Avro Anson support aircraft, forming the No. 1 Camouflage Unit RAF. The aircraft were used for training, with no operational sorties being flown from the field.However, the Winter War of 1939 between Finland and Russia had proved that 18 Finnish Bristol Blenheim Bombers were insufficient and further air support from Britain was needed. Due to Britain's delicate political situation with Russia, the delivery of such important equipment was to be kept secret.
The aircraft had been stripped of armaments and non-essential equipment, with all RAF livery removed and replaced with the blue swastika, the insignia of the Finnish Airforce. This insignia had been hastily whitewashed over to disguise it for the journey. At 6 am on the 23rd February 1940 all twelve aircraft took off for the first leg from RAF Bicester to Dyce Airport at Aberdeen in Scotland. The rain had removed the white wash, making them more visible and their mission more dangerous than ever. However, after hopping from RAF Bicester to Aberdeen, Stavanger, Vasteras and finally landing safely at Lake Juva in Finland, all twelve aircraft successfully arrived.
Later in 1939, having been built in Cricklewood just before war broke out, the first prototype Handley Page Halifax was taken by road to RAF Bicester and assembled in secret there before the company's chief test pilot Major Jim Cordes and flight test observer E A 'Ginger' Wright made its first flight on 25 October 1939. The type went on to become the first four-engined bomber to drop bombs on Germany in the Second World War.
In July 1940, the second RAF Bomber Command Training Group was formed, with its headquarters at RAF Bicester. This was required due to a demand in operational training, supplying squadrons of No. 2 Group. No. 6 Group RAF and No. 92 Group RAF were both connected to the airfield.
Throughout the war, RAF Bicester was used as a training centre, and in April 1940 became home to No. 13 Operational Training Unit RAF, under the control of RAF Bomber Command. In June 1943, the unit transferred to No. 9 Group RAF, RAF Fighter Command, flying Spitfires and de Havilland Mosquitos. Although no offensive missions were flown, flights were not without risk. On 8 April 1940, 13 OTU experienced its first loss. On 6 December 1941, a Blenheim stalled on take-off, killing all three crew members. Just four days later, a second Blenheim crashed in an identical accident, again with no survivors.
Squadrons
Units
Post-war
At the end of 1944, Bicester became a non-flying unit, used for maintenance, and later as a Motor Transport depot. In 1953, No. 71 Maintenance Unit RAF arrived, that salvaged, repaired, and then transported damaged aircraft.In 1956, Windrushers Gliding Club arrived, having moved from Little Rissington, and gliding began at the field. In 1963, the Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association began using the site, eventually merging with Windrushers Gliding Club. Gliding has taken place at the airfield since 1956. In 1966, No. 1 LAA Squadron RAF Regiment arrived from RAAF Butterworth, Malaysia, along with No. 26 LAA Squadron RAF Regiment − from RAF Changi, Singapore.
in 1965, Queen Elizabeth II visited RAF Bicester with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The visiting Royals were given a full tour of the site before watching various demonstrations of aircraft at the airfield.
In 1976, the RAF ceased to use the airfield as a military base, but still maintained staff there to run the gliding training operation as adventure training for servicemen. In the mid-1980s, the USAF briefly used the Technical and Domestic Area for storage.
In 1982 the USAF created a wartime contingency hospital with 500 beds and all ancillary medical services using restored RAF World War II dormitories. There were between 12 and 20 USAF personnel stationed on site until the beginning of Operation Desert Storm, when they were augmented by 1200 USAF medical personnel from USAF medical Center, Wilford Hall, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The facility was used to treat minor physical injuries and possible PTSD patients. The unit was deactivated in 1992.
Between 1979 and 1992, the RAFGSA Centre allowed US servicemen from RAF Upper Heyford to become members. US servicemen, from the US Armed Forces family housing next to the airfield in Bicester, learnt to fly at Bicester as a result.
In 1990, during Operation Desert Shield, the USAF deployed medical personnel to the site, and equipped a number of buildings in both the Technical and Domestic area as a hospital. This was done in anticipation of large numbers of casualties that never materialised, during the 1991 First Persian Gulf War. The blood fridges installed by the USAF still exist in Hangar 109 along with a large amount of graffiti relating to the servicemen based there, 109 is now used as a car storage facility.
In 1997 the Ministry of Defence placed the Married Quarter sites at RAF Bicester up for disposal by formal tender. The successful buyer was the Welbeck Estate Group from the City of Wells, Somerset, this being their 35th successful acquisition of military sites from the Ministry of Defence since 1980. They renamed the NCO Married Quarters 'The 'Rowans'.
Recent History
The airfield is a substantially unmodified pre-war RAF station with 19 listed buildings. The brick-built 1934 "Fort" type 1959/34 control tower survives, as do the two C-type and two A-type aircraft hangars.During the late 1990s, The Welbeck Estate Group/Hodge Group acquired 300 post-war and modern Officers and NCO married quarters on the Stratton Fields and The Rowans housing estate. In the late 1990s, plans were proposed to develop the airfield for housing and industry, but they were abandoned due to strong local opposition and the historic nature of the site. In 2002, Cherwell District Council designated the aerodrome as a Conservation Area.
In June 2004, the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association moved to RAF Halton. The airfield became home to both Windrushers Gliding Club who leased the site from the MOD until 2013, with Oxford University Gliding Club and, for a few years, Cranfield University Gliding Club, as sub-sections within the Windrushers club. The club continued to operate from Bicester along with the Oxford University club, but after the existing lease expired the Club went into hibernation on 30 June 2020. At the same time, the Oxford University group moved to Weston on the Green, rejoining Oxford Gliding Club after over 40 years at Bicester.
In 2012, further plans for housing were refused permission by Cherwell District Council.
At around 18:39 BST on Thursday 15 May 2025, a fire broke out at the Bicester Motion area of the site. The fire was initially fought by ten crews. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. Bicester Motion said in a statement that they are "working closely with the emergency services", and that the site was to be closed on 16 May, and over the weekend of 17–18 May, with a further statement to come out "as appropriate". Two firefighters – later named as Jennie Logan, a member of the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, and Martyn Sadler, also a member of the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service as well as the London Fire Brigade – died tackling the fire, and a member of the public – later named as David Chester, a man from Bicester – also died. Two firefighters were also brought to hospital with serious injuries. The council have stated that the fire is now "under control", with four fire and rescue crews still remaining on site. A further statement was released by Bicester Motion on Friday 16 May at around 10:00am, which stated that they were "deeply saddened" by the news of the deaths of the firefighters, and the member of the public – who they referred to as "a close friend of the site". Thames Valley Police stated that they "have commenced an unexplained death investigation". They said it is "currently not a criminal investigation" but that they would "follow the evidence as our enquiries continue".