RAF Neatishead

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name = Royal Air Force Station Neatishead


caption = Station crest
dates = 1941 – present
country = United Kingdom
allegiance = NATO
branch = Royal Air Force
command_structure = No. 2 Group RAF
type = Air Defence
role = formerly: Sector Operations Centre,
then: Control and Reporting Centre,
now: Remote Radar Head
size =
current_commander = Flight Lieutenant Dan Gibson
garrison = Norwich, Norfolk, England
garrison_label = Based near
ceremonial_chief =
ceremonial_chief_label =
colonel_of_the_regiment =
colonel_of_the_regiment_label =
nickname = "Neat"
motto = "Caelum Tuemur"
Latin: "We Watch over the Sky"
colors =
colors_label = Royal Air Force Ensign
march = Royal Air Force March Past
mascot =
equipment = Type 7 Radar, FPS 6 height finding radar, Type 80 radar, Type 84 radar, Type 85 radar, R15 Radar
battles =
notable_commanders =
identification_symbol = the lowered head of a horned bull
identification_symbol_label = Station crest heraldry
anniversaries =

Royal Air Force Station Neatishead, more commonly known as RAF Neatishead, is a Royal Air Force military radar station in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, and was established during the Second World War. It consists of the main technical site, and a number of remote, and sometimes unmanned sites.

The station motto is "Caelum Tuemur", meaning "We Watch over the Sky". The station crest depicts the lowered head of a horned bull; and relates to the origins of the word "Neatishead", deriving from old Anglo Saxon language "Nethes Herda", meaning the "abode of the keeper of cattle".

The primary function of Neatishead was as a "Control and Reporting Centre" (CRC) for the south of the United Kingdom; it forms a part of the UK's air defences - namely the UK "Air Surveillance And Control System" (ASACS), and is part of the larger NATO air defence. It uses radar, ground-to-air radio and digitally encrypted data links.

On the 16th of February 1966 a fire broke out in the bunker, station fire teams were unsucessfull in putting the fire out and so civilian fire crews were called. 3 civilian firefighters lost their lives. Later that year LAC Cheeseman was sentenced to 7 years for starting the fire and causing the deaths.

RAF Neatishead controls the remote site of RAF Trimingham with its Type 93 Radar. It also controls the site at Weyborne with its two AEGIS aerials.Fact|date=October 2008

Neatishead also houses the Air Defence Radar Museum.

In April 2004 the decision was taken to substantially reduce activities at Neatishead, and by 2006, the base had been downgraded to Remote Radar Head (RRH) status, but the museum remains open.

External links

* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafneatishead/ RAF Neatishead official website]
* [http://www.radarmuseum.co.uk/ RAF Air Defence Radar Museum]
* [http://www.servicepals.com/index.cfm/pcms/site.gallery.view_tag/tag/neatishead Gallery of images of Neatishead] from [http://www.servicepals.com/ ServicePals.com]

ee also

*Royal Air Force station
*List of RAF stations