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Duxford |
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| Duxford dates back to 1918 and was a classed as a fighter station. During 1928 and 1932 the airfield was enlarged and was home to 19 Sqn. In 1938 Duxford and 19 Sqn became famous for receiving the very first Spitfires in service with the RAF. Very active during the Battle of Britain the airfield was transferred to the USAAF in 1943 with steel matting laid down for a runway and fighter ops continued until the end of the war. Handed back to the RAF on the 1st December 1945 Duxford was closed for two years from 1949 so a single concrete runway could be laid down. When reopened RAF jet fighters arrived and took up residence. The last jet fighter left in August 1961 and Duxford was closed. In 1968 it was used in the filming of the Battle of Britain and one of the hangars was blown up for the production. In 1977 the Imperial War Museum bought Duxford and it is now used by various restoration groups to fly old aircraft/warbirds. | ||