Dates: 1915 -
Royal Air Force Station Marham, commonly known as RAF Marham, (IATA: KNF, ICAO: EGYM) is a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, near the village of Marham in in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia.
Originally called Royal Naval Air Station Narborough, Narborough aerodrome was originally opened in August 1915 as a night flying landing ground for RNAS Great Yarmouth, a few miles from the boundary of the present day RAF Marham. In 1916 the aerodrome was handed over to the Royal Flying Corps. The aerodrome was closed in 1919 when the last units moved out, today, little remains of the original airfield structures.
In 1935 work started on a new airfield, this became active in 1 April 1937, with a resident heavy bomber unit from within 3 Group, RAF Bomber Command. The first squadron, No 38, arrived in May 1937 with Fairey Hendon bombers. In June No. 115 Squadron RAF re-formed at Marham with Handley Page Harrows while 38 Sqn received Wellington I bombers in December 1938, followed in 1939 by 115 Squadron.
During March 1944, Marham closed for the construction of new concrete runways, perimiter track, and dispersal areas, marking the end of wartime operations at Marham.
Post World War II the airfield was home to RAF units operating the Boeing Washington aircraft, the Vickers Valiant and Handley Page Victor. The station is also one of the few large enough for the operation of the Boeing B-52 and a number of these aircraft visited on exercise in the 1970s and 1980s.
During 1977 24 Hardened Aircraft Shelters were constructed to house future strike aircraft, which would eventually see the arrival of the Panavia Tornado in 1982. These shelters were equipped with the U.S. Weapon Storage Security System (WS3), each able to store 4 WE.177 nuclear bombs.
No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) formed at Marham on 1 April 2006 encompassing most of the non-formed unit personnel on station. The EAW does not include the flying units at the station.
The current Station Commander is dual-hatted; as the commander of the Wing and Station.
