- Upavon
Upavon is a
rural village in the English County ofWiltshire , England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portions of the River Avon which runs from the north to the south through the village. It is situated about 4 miles south ofPewsey , about 10 miles southeast of themarket town ofDevizes , and about 20 miles north of thecathedral city ;Salisbury . The A345 and A342 roads run through the village. Most of Upavon is between 90 and 100 meters above sea level.Facilities
The village has two
public house s, corner shop, petrol station and garage, Doctors surgery, aprimary school , a finechurch , and avillage hall .The former RAF Upavon
Upavon
airfield , now officially called Trenchard Lines, and previouslyRAF Upavon , is situated about 1½ mile east of Upavon village. The site was originally constructed around 1912 as aRoyal Flying Corps (RFC) base, and became the home of the RFCCentral Flying School on19 June 1912 , later to be the RAF Central Flying School upon formation of theRoyal Air Force . Upavon is referred to as the birthplace where the Royal Air Force was formed.In recent years the main function of the
military base has changed, and it is now largely an MoD administrative centre, and home to admin HQs of theBritish Army . Today the airfield is still used by the RAF from time to time but is now most frequently associated with regularGlider activity. With the only permanent RAF unit based there being No. 622Volunteer Gliding Squadron , providing glider training to members of theAir Cadet Organisation .The Army Gliding Club also uses the airfield in co-operation with 622 VGS.
External links
* [http://www.upavonpc.co.uk/ Upavon Parish Council website]
* [http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcom.php?id=229 History of Upavon on Wiltshire County Council website] - accessed 26 May 2007
* [http://622vgs.org.uk/ No. 622 Volunteer Gliding Squadron]
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