Unit History: RAF Henlow
RAF Henlow is a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England, equidistant from Bedford, Luton and Stevenage.
It houses the Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals museum and the 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.
Henlow was chosen as a military aircraft repair depot in 1917. The Officers Engineering School moved there in 1927. During World War II Henlow was used as a repair base. Hawker Hurricane fighters were dismantled there to be shipped to Malta. After the war Henlow became the RAF Signals Engineering Establishment, but was reduced to a Radio Engineering Unit in 1980 and was also the location of No.1 School of Recruit Training.
A major RAF technical training college was also formed at Henlow after World War II and this was amalgamated with RAF College Cranwell in 1965. The RAF Officer Cadet Training Unit then moved in, but this also moved to Cranwell in 1980. In 1983 the Land Registry took over part of the site.
Administratively RAF Henlow is now part of a combined base, RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow.
Today, RAF Henlow houses the Directorate of Engineering Interoperability (DEI), which is part of the Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA) within the DLO. In addition it houses the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG), HQ Specialist Police Wing, including the newly-formed Tactical Provost Wing, the RAF Centre for Aviation Medicine (CAM) and No 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron which operates Vigilant T1 motor gliders. A civilian air strip and flying school also operate from the site.
It houses the Centre of Aviation Medicine, the RAF Signals museum and the 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.
Henlow was chosen as a military aircraft repair depot in 1917. The Officers Engineering School moved there in 1927. During World War II Henlow was used as a repair base. Hawker Hurricane fighters were dismantled there to be shipped to Malta. After the war Henlow became the RAF Signals Engineering Establishment, but was reduced to a Radio Engineering Unit in 1980 and was also the location of No.1 School of Recruit Training.
A major RAF technical training college was also formed at Henlow after World War II and this was amalgamated with RAF College Cranwell in 1965. The RAF Officer Cadet Training Unit then moved in, but this also moved to Cranwell in 1980. In 1983 the Land Registry took over part of the site.
Administratively RAF Henlow is now part of a combined base, RAF Brampton Wyton Henlow.
Today, RAF Henlow houses the Directorate of Engineering Interoperability (DEI), which is part of the Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA) within the DLO. In addition it houses the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG), HQ Specialist Police Wing, including the newly-formed Tactical Provost Wing, the RAF Centre for Aviation Medicine (CAM) and No 616 Volunteer Gliding Squadron which operates Vigilant T1 motor gliders. A civilian air strip and flying school also operate from the site.
