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TEMPSFORD AIRFIELD was used by the Special
Operations Executive (S.O.E.); it was from here
that underground agents ("Joes") and their
supplies were flown or dropped into enemy
occupied Europe.
The following brief summary of events uses
information, gratefully acknowledged, gained from
several websites and a number of other sources.
One should mention particularly the web pages
maintained by Steve Harris. This comprehensive
website can be viewed at
http://www.geocities.com/uksteve.geo/blunhistory2.html
and offers detailed descriptions of the
activities at this RAF station during WWII.
During the wartime years Tempsford Airfield
became associated with a number of legendary
names such as Odette and Peter Churchill,
Violette Szabo, Nancy Wake and Wing Commander
Yeo-Thomas (a.k.a. 'The White Rabbit').
Operations such as the destruction of the heavy
water plant at Telemark were also mounted from
Tempsford. There were two RAF squadrons based at
Tempsford airfield from 1942 until the end of the
war - No. 138 Squadron and No. 161
Squadron.
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THE VIEW FROM EVERTON (see the previous page)
towards Tempsford overlooking the Ivel Valley and
Everton Heath. The road to Tempsford is visible
on the left. To the right of the road in the
middle distance are a number buildings of which
some formed part of the old Tempsford
airfield.
RAF Tempsford was located largely in the parish
of Everton. In 1936 the area was surveyed as a
possible site for a new airfield and in July 1940
the contractors, John Laing and Balfour Beatty,
started to build an airfield to RAF Class A
standard on the five hundred acres of land known
as Tempsford Flats. It was to serve as a
satellite airfield for RAF Bassingbourn.
Three concrete runways, each of approximately
1300 yards in length, were constructed on the
site and 36 pan hard-standings were placed around
the perimeter track. Although the station was far
from complete, in December 1941 Wellingtons from
No. 11 OTU at Bassingbourn commenced using the
runways while work was in progress on those at
the home station. But Tempsford had been selected
as a base for the special duty units, which
mostly operated under No. 3 Group.
In January 1942, No. 109 Squadron arrived with
Wellingtons (later to be joined by the
Wellingtons of No. 1418 Flight) and engaged in
experiments with new radio equipment
(OBOE).
Photographs: Tempsford
Airfield in 1943. (above left) View from Everton
Hill (above right)
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TO MEET the requirements of SOE, the airfield
was subjected to further development in 1942. Two
of the runways were extended on their northern
ends to make them almost two thousand yards long.
Perimeter track extensions were also added to the
ends of the runway extensions together with more
pan hard-standings. Hangar building ultimately
reached six large Type T2 hangars on the
technical site to the south of the runways and a
B1 hangar was constructed on the west side of the
airfield not far from the Everton level-crossing
gates on the LNER main railway line.
In addition to the large hangars, Blister type
hangars were put up to provide shelter for
Lysanders. The airfield domestic, communal and
sick quarters site was dispersed in fields
alongside the Tempsford-Everton road and a WAAF
communal and domestic site was placed in Everton
village. Total camp personnel at its peak
occupation numbered around 1,700 men and 250
women.
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On 11 March 1942 No.138 Special Duty Squadron
moved into Tempsford together with their Whitley
and Lysander aircraft to start its secret supply
and agent delivery missions. Container packing
facilities were organised at Gaynes Hall close to
nearby St Neots. The first covert supply mission
to Northern France was carried out on 18
March.
In April the first Handley Page
Halifax IIs modified for SOE operations, and
destined eventually to replace the Whitley
bombers, were delivered to 138 Squadron. These
aircraft are able to carry 15 containers and
begin to replace the ageing Whitley
aircraft.
Around the same time the buildings
of Gibraltar Farm, on the eastern perimeter of
the airfield were converted into high security
SOE stores and the farmhouse into an agent
reception and pre-flight preparation centre Later
in 1942 (September) three US B-24 Liberator
bombers were attached to 138 Squadron to be flown
by Polish crews for supply missions to Polish
resistance groups. And in November facilities
were set up at Hazells Hall (close to the
airfield), Gaynes Hall (near St Neots) and
Tempsford Hall for agents waiting to be dropped
into occupied Europe.
 That
same month Wing Commander Pickard, commanding the
recently established Lysander squadron (No 161)
at Tempsford, and Flight Lieutenant Bridger fly
two agents into a field near Chateauroux and
return with three agents in the first double
Lysander operation flown out of Tempsford.
In February of the following year Hudson
aircraft, with greater capacity than the
Lysanders, were established at Tempsford and flew
their first assignment to Charolles that month.
And in October the first double Hudson pick up
was piloted by Wing Commander Hodges who brought
back from France ten personnel, including
Monsieur Vincent Auriol who later became a
President of France. That same month the USAAF
801st (Provisional) Bomb Group special duty
aircrews start training at Tempsford and fly
"buddy missions" in Halifax aircraft prior to
eventually moving into Harrington airfield in
Northamptonshire. (Here they became known as the
‘Carpetbaggers’ and flew B24
Liberator aircraft on secret supply
missions.)
In June 1944 aircraft from Tempsford were used
for radar deception and other operations
connected with the invasion of France. However on
the night of 7 June Violet Szabo and three other
agents are flown from Tempsford into France in a
US "Carpetbagger" B24 Liberator.
Photographs: Old buildings
at Tempsford Airfield as they are today (above
and below). Westland Lysander at Tempsford (above
right).
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In August 138 Squadron changes to Short Stirling
Mk IV aircraft with increased capacity for
pay-loads. (The aircraft were able to carry
twenty containers compared with the Halifax's
fifteen and were on occasion used also by 161
squadron.)
No. 138 Squadron moved to RAF Tuddenham to
convert to Lancaster bombers in April 1945.
Later, 161 Squadron, which had continued
operations from Tempsford until the European war
ended in May, was disbanded on the 2nd
June.
During the years of operating from Tempsford 995
agents, 29,000 containers and 10,000 packages had
been dropped into enemy occupied Europe and an
even greater number of VIPs, agents and shot-down
RAF aircrew had been brought out. Tempsford
aircrew also "liberated" numerous cases of
cognac, champagne and premier cru wines! On
another occasion in 1943, a dismantled German V2
Rocket, stolen intact by the Polish resistance
was flown to Tempsford.
Over 80 aircraft were lost from
Tempsford during the war together with many of
their crews.
In February 1963 many of the buildings on the
site that had remained disused for nearly twenty
years were sold and the land reverted to the
original owners.
Photograph: Handley Page
Halifax attached to 138 Squadron at Tempsford
(right).
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