RAF Cottesmore
Cottesmore,Rutland in England
APanavia Tornado GR1 of theTri-National Tornado Training Establishment.
We Rise to Our Obstacles[1]
Site information
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	CT[2]
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force (1938–1942 and 1945–2012) United States Army Air Forces (1943–1945)
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command *No. 5 Group RAF *No. 6 (T) Group RAF *No. 92 (OTU) Group RAF[2]
Condition	Closed
Location
RAF Cottesmore Location within Rutland Show map of Rutland RAF Cottesmore RAF Cottesmore (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	52°43′46″N000°39′05″W / 52.72944°N 0.65139°W /52.72944; -0.65139
Grid reference	SK905155[3]
Area	379 hectares[4]
Site history
Built	1936 (1936)
Built by	George Wimpey & Co Ltd
In use	1938–2012 (2012)
Fate	Transferred to theBritish Army and becameKendrew Barracks.
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II Cold War
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: OKH,ICAO: EGXJ,WMO: 03453
Elevation	140 metres (459 ft)[2]AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 04/22 2,744 metres (9,003 ft) Asphalt 00/00 (WW2)  Concrete 00/00 (WW2)  Concrete 00/00 (WW2)  Concrete

Royal Air Force Cottesmore or more simplyRAF Cottesmore is a formerRoyal Air Force station inRutland, England, situated betweenCottesmore andMarket Overton. On 15 December 2009, Defence SecretaryBob Ainsworth announced that the station would close in 2013 as part of defence spending cuts, along with the retirement of theHarrier GR9 and the disbandment ofJoint Force Harrier.^[5] The formal closing ceremony took place on 31 March 2011, and the airfield became a satellite ofRAF Wittering until March 2012.^[6]

In July 2011 Defence SecretaryLiam Fox announced plans for it to be the airfield for one of five of the Army'sMulti-Role Brigades. In April 2012 it was renamedKendrew Barracks after Major General SirDouglas Kendrew.^[7]

Thebadge of RAF Cottesmore consisted of ahunting horn, afive-pointed star and ahorseshoe. The description is "in front of a horseshoe amullet overall a hunting hornin bend". The hunting horn symbolises the location in foxhunting country and the link with theCottesmore Hunt; the American Star recalls the time the Station was a United States Army Air Force base; the inverted horseshoe is a traditional emblem ofOakham and the County of Rutland.

The motto "We rise to our obstacles" is both a reference to the Cottesmore Hunt and was intended to convey the spirit with which the Royal Air Force confronts difficulties. The badge was granted in 1948.^[1][8]

The badge appears on the nameplate of theLNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado steam locomotive that was named by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on 19 February 2009.

RAF Cottesmore opened on 11 March 1938. The station was used mainly for training, and the first squadrons were equipped withVickers Wellesley aircraft, but soon converted toFairey Battles. LaterRAF Bomber Command took over the airfield, again as a training station, flyingHandley Page Hampdens.

These units remained in residence until a few days before the outbreak of theSecond World War in 1939 when they were sent toRAF Cranfield to serve as a pool providing replacements for combat losses. Their place at Cottesmore was taken by Nos.106 and185 Squadrons, moving in fromRAF Thornaby with Hampdens.

However, with the outbreak of war, the aircraft and crews were sent to locations in the north and west, as enemy air attacks were expected over the southern half of England. As these never materialised, the Hampdens returned in the spring of 1940 and No. 185 Squadron became the Hampden operational training unit,No. 14 Operational Training Unit RAF.

Cottesmore's Hampdens' first entry into hostile airspace was a leaflet dropping operation over northern France. In October 1940, 106 Squadron moved toRAF Finningley while No. 14 OTU remained training crews for Bomber Command, its Hampdens andHandley Page Herefords being replaced byVickers Wellingtons in 1942. Training continued for three years and three months until August 1943 when No. 14 OTU moved toRAF Market Harborough.^[9]

In May 1943, No. 34 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section arrived, and was present until March 1944.^[10]

On 8 September 1943 theUnited States Army Air Forces took the facilities over, under the designation USAAF Station 489, flying troop transport aircraft. In anticipation of the station's future use byairborne forces, 32Airspeed Horsa gliders were delivered for storage in July 1943.

The316th Troop Carrier Group began to arrive at Cottesmore on 15 February 1944 when 52Douglas C-47 Skytrain andDouglas C-53 Skytrooper transports began flying in fromBorizzo Airfield,Sicily. Flying squadrons and fuselage codes of the group were:

• 36th Troop Carrier Squadron (4C)
• 37th Troop Carrier Squadron (W7)
• 44th Troop Carrier Squadron (6E)
• 45th Troop Carrier Squadron (T3)

The 316th TCG was part of the52d Troop Carrier Wing.

Cottesmore was officially handed back to the RAF on 1 July 1945. It became a training station, hostingNo. 7 Flying Training School RAF withPercival Prentice basic training aircraft and theNorth American Harvard trainer for advanced training – later replaced by theBoulton Paul Balliol which had aRolls-Royce Merlin engine.No. 16 Operational Training Unit RAF was present between 1 March 1946 and 15 March 1947.^[10]

In 1954English Electric Canberras were moved in (No. 44 Squadron RAF andNo. 57 Squadron RAF), the first time front-line combat aircraft had been based there, but all had left by the end of 1955.

In 1957, Cottesmore became home to aircraft of theV bombers, the UK's strategic nuclear strike force.^[11]No. 10 Squadron RAF reformed at Cottesmore on 15 April 1958 flying theHandley Page Victor B.1 until disbandment on 1 March 1964.^[12] The squadrons carried outQuick Reaction Alert duties usingHandley Page Victor and laterAvro Vulcan bombers until 1969.

"C" Flight,No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF, was present from 1 November 1961 to 1 April 1962, at which point the Victor Training Flight stayed until 31 March 1964.^[10]

After the V-Bombers left, the base was used by 90 Signals Group. Flight Checking, Trials and Evaluation Flight (FCTEF) used 98 Squadron (Canberras) and 115 Squadron (Vickers Varsity andArmstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy) to provideILS and radar trials and checking services to RAF airfields around the world.No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit moved into Cottesmore on 19 May 1969 equipped with Canberras, staying until 12 February 1976 when it moved toRAF Marham.^[13]No. 360 Squadron, anelectronic countermeasures squadron flying Canberras, moved to RAF Cottesmore in April 1969. 360 Squadron moved in September 1975 toRAF Wyton.

In July 1980, Cottesmore became home toTri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE). Officially opened on 29 January 1981, the centre undertook training of newPanavia Tornado aircrews from the RAF,German Air Force,Marineflieger (German Navy air arm) andItalian Air Force.

The TTTE closed in 1999, and after a period of refurbishment was replaced by theBritish Aerospace Harrier IIs of Nos3 and4 squadrons; these were later joined by800 and801 Naval Air Squadrons to formJoint Force Harrier (JFH).

With the introduction of theEurofighter Typhoon into RAF service, No. 3 Sqn moved toRAF Coningsby and No 1 Sqn moved fromRAF Wittering. No. 122 Expeditionary Air Wing was also established at the station (2006–2011).

The following units were here at some point:^[14][10]

In early December 2009, the then Defence SecretaryBob Ainsworth announced the station would close due to funding cut-backs, in part to help pay for additionalhelicopters for British operations inAfghanistan.^[21]

In 2010,No. 4 Squadron RAF disbanded, withNo. 20 Squadron RAF re-badging as No 4 (Reserve) Squadron.

The station became a satellite to RAF Wittering on 31 March 2011 with a civic parade and flypast to mark the disbandment of No 1 Sqn RAF, 800 NAS, 801 NAS and JFH. In July 2011, Defence SecretaryLiam Fox announced that Cottesmore would house the Army's East of EnglandMulti-Role Brigade.^[22]

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The Army officially took over the site in April 2012. It is now home to the 2nd BattalionRoyal Anglian Regiment, who moved fromDhekelia Garrison in Cyprus. A second regiment, 7 RegimentRoyal Logistic Corps, moved to the base in 2013.

Kendrew Barracks was officially opened in October 2012 by theDuke of Gloucester.^[23]

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• 82nd Airborne Division

 This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Birtles, Philip (2012).UK Airfields of the Cold War. Midland Publishing.ISBN 978-1-85780-346-4.
• Falconer, J. (2012).RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing.ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
• Halpenny, B. B.Action Stations: Wartime Military airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1981.ISBN 0-85059-484-7.
• Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now 1994. After the BattleISBN 0-900913-80-0
• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History.ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997).Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007).Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians).ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to present

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• Military airbases established in 1938
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• Royal Air Force stations in Rutland
• Airfields of the IX Troop Carrier Command in the United Kingdom
• Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom

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