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RAF Harrington
Construction of Harrington Airfield by the 826th and 852nd Engineer Battalions of the US Army, started on the 11th July 1942. The airfield had initially been constructed for use by a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomb Group, but the group had been diverted to North Africa to support Operation Torch. It was therefore taken over as a satellite station for training the bomber crews of the nearby RAF 84th Operational Training Unit at Desborough who mainly operated Wellington bombers.
In 1944, Harrington was selected for the Carpetbagger Operations by the Eighth Air Force's Special Operation Group. These operations were to deliver supplies and OSS agents into occupied Europe to support local Resistance units. The advance echelons of the 36th and 406th Bomb Squadrons moved into Harrington on the 25th March 1944. These squadrons were to form a new Bomb Group known as the 801st Provisional Bomb Group (H).
The airfield remained in their use until they returned to America in October 1945. The RAF used Harrington as a supply and storage depot until the late 1950`s when was selected to become one of the RAF's Thor missile sites.
After the Thor site was no longer required, in 1965, the buildings were demolished, runways and most of the roads and taxiways were removed. The airfield once again returning to agriculture.
Today, the foundations of some buildings can still be seen around the site of the airfield but the only remaining original substantial WW2 buildings left standing are on the former administration site. The Carpetbagger Aviation Museum is now housed in part of the original Operations Building at the airfield's administration site. The Northants Aviation Society Museum occupies the site of the former finance hut.
7th June 1944 Agents dropped in France
19th July 1944 Special Duties aircraft lost
28th February 1945 Attack Made
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Those known to have served at RAF Harrington during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Banks John Francis. F/Lt.
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Want to know more about RAF Harrington? There are:3 items tagged RAF Harrington available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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F/Lt. John Francis Banks 192 Squadron John Banks qualified as an air bomber on 19th of June 1943.
He studied Navigation and map reading in Anson planes at AFU Wigtown to 6th of January 1944, the transferred to No 84 OTU at Harrington where he was flying Wellington bombers with pilot F/O Clarkson.
No 84 OTU moved to Desborough on 3rd of March 1944
John and his crewmates joined 192 Squadron at Foulsham on the 7th of April 1944, they flew sorties to Bay of Biscay Channel, the Western Approaches, over the North Sea, Dutch coast, French coast and the Frisians in a Wellington Bomber.
He completed one operational tour of 40 sorties.
John transferred to 221 Group on the 1st of June 1945 flying Dakotas from Rangoon over Burma.
In October he joined 47 Squadron flying Mosquitos as a navigator and was demobbed in 1946.
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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Bomber Bases of World War 2, Airfields of 1st Air Division (USAAF) Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire Martin Bowman
Covers the units who flew the legendary B-17 Flying Fortress. This book looks at the history and personalities associated with each base, what remains and explores the favourite local wartime haunts where aircrew and ground crew would have gone. It covers museums and places that are relevant.
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