Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English county of West Sussex.
It was built as an emergency landing airfield for fighter aircraft, as a satellite station to RAF Tangmere. Built on land belonging to the Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond, Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.
The airfield is now the civilian Chichester/Goodwood Airport.
History
Royal Air Force use
Squadrons No. 41 Squadron RAF., from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating Supermarine Spitfire Vb No. 43 (China-British) Squadron RAF No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF (1941) No. 91 (Nigeria) Squadron RAF (1943) No. 118 Squadron RAF (1943 & 1944) No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF (1942 & 1944) No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron RAF (1941 & 1942) No. 130 (Punjab) Squadron RAF (1944) No. 131 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF (1942-43) No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating Hawker Hurricane. (1940) No. 167 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF (1943) No. 174 (Mauritius) Squadron RAF (1943-44) No. 175 Squadron RAF (1944) No. 184 Squadron RAF (1944) No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron RAF (1943-44) No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron (1940-41) No. 303 Squadron RAF (1944) No. 340 (GC IV/2 Île-de-France) Squadron RAF (1942) No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron (1944) No. 402 Squadron RCAF (1944) No. 416 Squadron RCAF (1942) No. 441 Squadron RCAF (1944) No. 442 Squadron RCAF (1944) No. 443 Squadron RCAF (1944) No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF (1943) No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron AAF (1943 & 1944) No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron AAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire (1940) No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron AAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire (1941, 1943 & 1944) No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron AAF No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron AAF 787 Naval Air Squadron.
Units No. 83 Group Support Unit during November 1944 No. 121 Airfield Headquarters RAF between October 1943 and April 1944 No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield Headquarters RAF during April 1944 No. 402 Air Stores Park between October 1943 and January 1944 Detachment of No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight between June and July 1943 Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett during November 1941 No. 1307 Mobile Wing RAF Regiment No. 2703 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2704 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2709 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2713 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2742 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2761 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2766 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2778 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2793 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2795 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 4001 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment No. 4067 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment
United States Army Air Forces 31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942.
Current use Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and Chichester/Goodwood Airport.
See also List of former Royal Air Force stations Goodwood Circuit
References Citations
Bibliography
External links
Royal Air Force - Battle of Britain 11 Group page Gallery of images of RAF Westhampnett The Wartime Memories Project - RAF Westhampnett