RAF Chicksands

Infobox Military Structure
name= Royal Air Force Station Chicksands
location= Located Near Shefford, Bedfordshire, England
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type= Air Force Station
code=
built=1936
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used= 1936-1997
demolished=
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ownership= Royal Air Force
controlledby= Royal Air Force
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RAF Chicksands was a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, which closed in 1997 when responsibility for the camp was taken over by the British Army Intelligence Corps. Near the town of Shefford it is named for Chicksands Priory, a 12th century Gilbertine monastery located within the perimeter of the camp.

ite history

The Crown Commissioners bought the Chicksands estate on 15 April 1936, later being rented to Gerald Bagshawe, who lived there until it was requisitioned by the Royal Navy. After nine months the RAF took over operations and established a signal intelligence collection unit there, known as a Y Station.

The site operated as a SIGINT collection site throughout World War II, intercepting German traffic and passing the resulting material to the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park.

In 1950 the site was subleased to the United States Air Force serving as the base of the 6940th radio Squadron, responsible for continued communications and SIGINT operation through the Cold War. The RAF continued to act as a host unit for the resident USAF units, including over time the 6950th Electronic Security Group and the 7274th Air Base Group.

In 1962, a huge FLR-9 "Wullenweber" antenna array was constructed at Chicksands to form part of the "Iron Horse" HF direction finding network. This "Elephant Cage" array was dismantled in 1996 when the USAF withdrew from the site, handing it back to the British Armed Forces.

In 1997 the Intelligence Corps assumed responsibility for the site, moving the Corps Headquarters from Ashford, Kent along with Intelligence Training.

Current use

Since 1997 the site has been the home of the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (DISC) and the Headquarters of the Intelligence corps.

DISC conducts training for personnel of all three arms of the British Armed Forces, members of the Civil Service and others. Courses are delivered across the range of Intelligence disciplines.

ee also

* List of RAF stations
* United States Air Forces in Europe
* United States Air Force in the United Kingdom

External links

* [http://www.chicksandspriory.co.uk/index.html Friends of Chicksands Priory]
* [http://www.videoranch.net/msgboard.mv RAF Chicksands, England - USAF Message Board]
* [http://www.midbeds.gov.uk/ Chicksands Offices] - Mid Beds District Council
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* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.042507,-0.360229&spn=0.11,0.18&t=h Satellite Image of RAF Chicksands From Google Earth]
* [http://multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?scale=25000&icon=x&lat=%2052.042507&lon=-0.360229&mapsize=big Aerial Photo of RAF Chicksands From Multimap.Com]