RAF Harrowbeer

RAF Harrowbeer was located approximately 9 miles (14 km) NNE of the city of Plymouth and approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Tavistock, and also sits within the boundary of Dartmoor National Park. Roborough Rock is a tor-like igneous rock outcrop immediately south-west of the airfield (officially called 'Udal Tor') on Roborough Down, next to the border with the A386.^[2] This location created problems for the airfield during the Second World War, mainly due to bad weather. The Rock seems to have had little impact on the use of the Airfield, the only thing that was done by the RAF was the placing of a warning light on the top. There seems to be no truth in the widely-held belief that the RAF attempted to blow it up.^[2]

Although sited near the village of Yelverton, it was called 'Harrowbeer' in order to distinguish it from the similar-sounding RNAS Yeovilton which had recently changed its name from HMS Heron when the Airfield opened on 15 August 1941. The airfield was under the control of No. 10 Group RAF and never assigned a station badge.

The former Ravenscroft School became the officers' mess.^[3]

Canadian pilot Jack Brown, of 193 Squadron, recounts his first training flight in the relatively new, and daunting, Hawker Typhoon fighter-bomber at Harrowbeer:

"We were understandably in awe of the Tiffie's size and power. We had been warned of the violent effect of torque . . . which caused a swing to the right on takeoff . . On takeoff, I locked my left leg rigidly on the rudder bar . . . I got off safely . . [but] At times I felt as if the machine was flying me! . . . [on landing] To make sure I didn't stall it, I came in with a little too much speed. The runways at Harrowbeer were not exceptionally long and I could see a pile of bricks at the end coming up fast. Luckily, the brakes held and the machine stopped in time."

Once 193 Squadron became operational at Harrowbeer, they began patrolling the coast to intercept low level attacks by Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter-bombers. The Typhoon patrols against the 190s

". . . were carried out by pairs of aircraft; one right down on the water, the other about a hundred feet up. Several fellows bent the ends of their props when they flew too low and actually touched the sea. We did standby duty, waiting at the end of the runway, ready to take off as soon as a Very pistol was fired from the control tower." Later, the Typhoon pilots at Harrowbeer also launched attacks on shipping targets on the French coast, the first target being Brest.^[4]

Harrowbeer saw its most distinguished visitor arrive on 2 August 1945, when US President Harry Truman, returning home from the Potsdam Conference, was unable to route via St Mawgan in Cornwall due to it being closed due to fog, and his aircraft landed instead at Harrowbeer. Reception formalities were somewhat limited and, after dining with King George VI onboard HMS Renown in Plymouth, Truman sailed for his Atlantic crossing onboard USS Augusta.

The airfield opened in May 1941. It closed following the end of the Second World War.^[5][6]

A large number of units used the airfield at some point, such as:

• No. 19 Group Communications Flight^[25]
• No. 78 (Signals) Wing Calibration Flight RAF^[25]
• No. 82 Gliding School RAF^[25]
• No. 156 (General Reconnaissance) Wing RAF^[25]
• Force 135 (RAF Element)^[25]
• No. 229 Maintenance Unit RAF^[25]
• No. 401 Air Stores Park^[25]
• No. 2738 Squadron RAF Regiment^[25]
• No. 2847 Squadron RAF Regiment^[25]
• No. 2883 Squadron RAF Regiment^[25]
• No. 2891 Squadron RAF Regiment^[25]

• Falconer, Jonathan (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
• Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

• Dedicated website