RAF Henlow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids RAF Henlow
Henlow, Bedfordshire in England
RAF Henlow from above
Labor Arma Ministrat (Latin for 'Labour supplies the arms')
RAF Henlow Shown within Bedfordshire
Coordinates	52°00′56″N 000°18′12″W / 52.01556°N 0.30333°W / 52.01556; -0.30333
Type	RAF training station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	No. 2 Group
Site history
Built	1918 (1918)
Built by	McAlpine (1918) various since
In use	1918–Present
Garrison information
Current commander	Wing Commander Chris Brooke
Occupants	RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine Joint Arms Control Implementation Group
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: EGWE
Elevation	51.2 metres (168 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 02/20 1,199 metres (3,934 ft) Grass 13/31 1,157 metres (3,796 ft) Grass 08R/26L 979 metres (3,212 ft) Grass 08L/26R 736 metres (2,415 ft) Grass

Royal Air Force Henlow, or RAF Henlow, is a special base for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Bedfordshire, England. It is located between the towns of Bedford, Luton, and Stevenage.

RAF Henlow is home to the RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine. This center helps keep pilots and aircrew healthy and safe. It also houses the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG). This group works on international agreements about weapons.

The base used to have a museum called the Signals Museum. This museum closed in June 2024. Flying activities at RAF Henlow stopped in July 2020. The Ministry of Defence plans to close the base completely. This closure is expected to happen from 2026 onwards.

History of RAF Henlow

Early Days and Parachute Testing

RAF Henlow was first chosen as a place to fix military aircraft in 1917. It was built by a company called MacAlpine in 1918. Four large hangars were built there. These hangars are now considered important historical buildings. A town called Henlow Camp grew up around the base.

The base officially opened on May 18, 1918. It was used to repair aircraft coming back from the First World War. In May 1920, RAF Henlow became the first place in the UK to test parachutes. Another parachute unit joined them later. They tested parachutes by having people hang from the wings of Vimy aircraft. The parachutes would then open, letting them float safely to the ground.

Famous People and World War II

In 1924, a school for engineering officers moved to Henlow. Between 1932 and 1933, Sir Frank Whittle was a student at the RAF technical college here. He later became famous for inventing the jet engine. He even worked on testing aero engines at the base for a while.

During the Second World War, RAF Henlow played a big role. It was used to put together Hawker Hurricane fighter planes. These planes were built in Canada and shipped to Henlow in large containers. Once they arrived, they were reassembled at the base.

In 1941, during an operation called Quickforce, 100 mechanics from Henlow helped. They went onto ships that were taking Hurricane fighters to Malta. They finished building the planes right on the ship decks. Then, the planes flew off to Malta to help in the war. Over 1,000 Hurricanes were sent to Henlow from Canada. The base also repaired many other types of aircraft during the war.

The Control Tower and Training

The empty wooden crates that the Hurricane planes came in were used for something special. They were used to build the first control tower at Henlow. This original tower and parts of the airfield were even shown in the 1969 war movie 'The Battle of Britain'.

After the Second World War, a major RAF technical training college started at Henlow in 1947. It trained future engineers and officers for the RAF. This college later joined with RAF College Cranwell in 1965. Another training unit for officers also moved here but later moved to Cranwell in 1980.

In December 2011, it was found that some parts of RAF Henlow had small amounts of radiation. This was from radium used to make aircraft dials glow in the dark during the Second World War. This was a common practice at the time.

RAF Henlow was once part of a larger combined base called RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow. However, RAF Brampton closed in 2013. Flying activities at RAF Henlow officially stopped in July 2020.

What's at RAF Henlow Now?

Royal Air Force Units

• No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support)
  • Air Security Force
    • Forensic Exploitation Flight: This team helps find clues from digital devices.
    • Scientific Support Unit
• RAF Medical Services
  • RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine: This is the main medical center for air and space health.
    • Centre of Aerospace Medicine Headquarters
    • Aviation Medicine Wing: Focuses on health for flying.
    • Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wing: Looks at health in the workplace and environment.
    • Support Wing

Strategic Command Units

• Directorate of Overseas Bases
  • Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG): This group works on agreements to control weapons.

Signals Museum

The Signals Museum was a special place at RAF Henlow. It showed how electronic communication developed in the RAF. It covered everything from the First World War onwards. The museum first opened in 1999. However, the Signals Museum closed permanently on June 8, 2024.

The Future of RAF Henlow

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced plans to close RAF Henlow on September 6, 2016. At first, they expected the base to close by 2020. By 2019, the plan was to close it between 2020 and 2023. However, in January 2024, the MOD said that the closure and sale of the base would now happen from 2026.

See also

• List of Royal Air Force stations