RAF Burtonwood

RAF Burtonwood was probably the largest military base in Europe during World War II, processing over 11,500 aircraft between 1943 and 1945 alone, but beyond that it was responsible for the support of initially the 8th Air Force, then additionally the 9th and ultimately the 12th and 15th Air Forces as well. Over 35,000 men were under the direct control of Burtonwood with 18,500 on the base itself. Nothing was too big or small, from rebuilding battle-damaged bombers to manufacturing valve springs for aero engines, manufacturing timber packing cases or converting gliders into powered aircraft.

After World War Two Burtonwood returned to the RAF for two years as a maintenance unit and then reverted to the USAF in 1948 to support the US bases here, and it undertook all the major servicing for the C-54 Skymaster aircraft involved in the Berlin Airlift. Major redevelopment took place with the construction of the Header House on Site 8, the extension of the runway to 9,000ft to be one of the longest in the UK and the construction of the new control tower and passenger terminal. After eleven years of maximum use, the mission reduced and by 1965, the base passed back to RAF control. Two years later, however, the US Army took command and remained there until its closing in 1993, albeit occupying only a fraction of the original site.

The main runway now forms the base of the M62 motorway. RAF Burtonwood celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary on 1 April, 1990.

Facts and Figures

The following schedule was prepared by Colonel William Arnold, Chief of Maintenance Division at BAD I, and is the total production at BAD I, Royal Air Force Burtonwood between I July 1943 and 8 May 1945.

Aircraft Assembled, Modified or Repaired
A-20	14
A-29	23
AT-6 & 16	18
B-17	4,243
B-24	694
B-25	12
B-26	444
C-45	50
C-46	6
C-47 & 53	325
C-64	16
L-1,4&5	158
P-38	1,004
P-47	4,381
P-51	5
P-61	102
Mosquito	27
Other	53
Total aircraft	11,575

Aircraft Engines Overhauled: 30,386

Aircraft Engine Accessories Overhauled
Spark Plugs	2,476,462
Carburettors	31,812
Magnetos	61,409
Harnesses	30,245
Cylinders	331,021

Aircraft Instruments/Accessories/Armament Overhauled/Modified

Armament
Machine guns	38,526
Solenoids	37,381
20mm cannons	836
Turrets	330
Hoist assy	984
Miscellaneous armament	261

Bombsights
Automatic pilot equipment	1,887
Stabilizers	4,521
Bombsights	2,270
Miscy bombsight equipment	5,184
K-14 gunsights & accessories	2,447

Control Surfaces
Wings & Wing tips	729
Flaps & ailerons	741
Elevators	218
Rudders	338
Horiz & vert stabilizers & fins	186
Misc wings & controls	339

Hydraulic & Tank
Wheels & brakes	4,043
Glycol heaters	7,475
Hydraulic cylinders	3,343
Hydraulic inst. & accessories	4,612
Oil temp & reg & coolers	8,462
Tanks	671
Radiator coolers	775

Paint, Dope and Fabric
Parachutes repaired & packed	71,422
Fuel cells	9,936
Life rafts	13,796
De-icers	4,586
Oxygen masks	28,394
Life vests	47,595
Control surfaces	2,194

Propeller
Propeller assemblies	11,798
Propeller blades	18,177
Propeller governors	558
Propeller power-units	3,617

Ground & Airborne Signal Work
Radio or radar installation in a/c	13,346
Modification of existing equipment in shop	126,684
Manufacture of kits or units of equipment in shop	32,232

Modification Kits Manufactured
A-20	879
B-17	56,351
B-24	17,181
B-26	1,353
C-47	3,113
P-38	11,400
P-47	58,889
P-51	4,543
P-61	80
Miseries	355,575
Miscellaneous	458,299
L-4	471

World War II Production Figures
Date	Aircraft	Engines
Jan 1944	379	544
Feb 1944	465	724
Mar 1944	493	1,228
Apr 1944	521	1,300
May 1944	(inc 212 B-24) 587	1,872
June 1944	865	1,387
July 1944	914	1,534
Aug 1944	1,019	2,048
Sep 1944	782	2,207
Oct 1944	726	2,022
Nov 1944	671	1,813
Dec 1944	449	?
Jan 1945	503	2,128
Feb 1945	1,014	2,155
Mar 1945	822	?
Apr 1945	?	?
May 1945	322	?
Jun 1945	254	2,044
Jul 1945	?	Engine line closed
Aug 1945	100
Sep 1945	(100+ scrapped) 354
Oct onwards	Scrapping

Base Air Depot Area (BADA)
Station	AAF	Officers	W/O	Enlisted	Total
Burtonwood (AAF 590) contained the HQ of all maintenance of aircraft and support equipment throughout the British Isles including storage and some bomb sights. The following is a list of the bases controlled by BADA together with their compliments as at 31 March 1945.

Sudbury, Derby	158	35	4	945	984
Stansted	169	44	3	716	163
Greencastle	237	5		211	216
Constitution Hill	362	1		10	11
Bristol	473	17	1	322	340
Tostock Park	502	13	3	312	328
Liverpool	513	4		80	84
Wapley Common	515	1		10	11
St Mellons	516	1	1	40	42
Little Heath	517	9		180	189
Melton Mowbray	520	14		628	642
Braybrooke	521	14	2	479	495
Smethwick	522	12	5	386	403
Bures	526	4		266	270
Leicester	527			15	15
Haydock	530	5		175	180
Riseley	541	12	1	255	268
Earsham	545	14		468	482
Watford	549	20	3	150	173
Williamstrip	550	1	1	76	78
Huyton	552	22	1	571	594
Eggington, Derby	564	24	3	553	580
Poynton	571	20	1	487	508
Melchbourne	572	25	3	553	607
Wortley	581	14	1	205	220
Warton	582	256	77	8,828	9,161
Sharnbrook	583	22		457	479
Barnharn	587	16	1	390	407
Burtonwood	590	495	109	15,163	15,757
Groveley Wood	592	9		268	277
Langford Lodge	597	91	15	1,121	1,227
Baverstock	802	63	4	1,687	1,754
TOTAL		1,283	229	36,033	37,545

April 1945 Facts

Value $50M, 1,823 Buildings, 2.5 miles of runway, 3.5 miles of perimeter track, 28.76 miles of road, 4.05 miles of railway track. Total Area -1,253 acres.

4,006,852 sq ft of covered facilities comprising:
1,263,442 sq ft for Supply and Storage; 1, 112,965 sq ft for Shops and Technical Operations; 1,629,445 sq ft for Administration and Housing.
7,096,181 sq ft of open facilities. Original surfaced area 781,200 sq ft. Including Canada Hall, Living Site total accommodation for 18,063 personnel.

1948 - 1958 Facts

250,000 British visitors. 800,000 cups of coffee per annum. 3,000 British cars purchased. 46,800,000 telephone calls made. 50,000 photographs taken by base photo lab. 11,000,000 miles covered by Base Motor Pool. 25,000,000 passengers carried by Base Motor Pool. 6,500 Americans married English girls. 600,000 Coca Colas served. 23,381,200 gallons of petrol consumed.

Base Contained

18 miles of surfaced roadway. 4.65 miles of railway track. 13 hangars. 1,054 nissen huts. 22 warehouses covering an area of 3,535,990 sq ft. 16.85 miles of fencing. 1,471 acres. 3,940,740 sq ft of aircraft parking apron.

The Burtonwood Association

The Burtonwood Association was formed in 1987 to maintain the records and history of the work undertaken at Burtonwood and to remember all those men and women, British and American, who have served there or have an interest in the base. Also it was established to allow ex-personnel to maintain contact with one another throughout the world and as a means of disseminating material relating to activities there throughout its history and at the present time.

Anyone is welcome to join the Association; those who served there as civilians or military are entitled to full membership and interested parties may become associate members. Widows of serving personnel are also especially welcome.

For more information and an application form please contact the following:

UK

Aldon P Ferguson
18 Ridge Way
Wargrave
Reading
Berkshire RG 10 8AS
England
079 121 48938

US

George Loomis
359 Bittlewood Avenue
Braddock Preserve at Winslow Berlin, NJ 08009-9491
856-767-4582

Or visit the Burtonwood Association web site at http://www.rafburtonwood.com/

The contents of this page are taken from the book Royal Air Force Burtonwood by Aldon P. Ferguson. The AEHS sincerely appreciates Mr. Ferguson’s generosity in allowing the use of this material. His book, ISBN 0-9511113-1-0, is available from:
Aldon P Ferguson
18 Ridge Way
Wargrave
Reading
Berkshire RG 10 8AS
England
079 121 48938

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