An 85 acres (34 ha) site next to Yapton village opened as an airfield for use by the Royal Flying Corp (RFC) and later the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) training squadrons in March 1918 and known as Ford Junction military aerodrome.

It moved briefly to RNAS Jersey on 4 June but returned on the 11, although the airbase had already been evacuated and had closed down on 31 May, (the Island fell to the Germans on 1 July).

[1] It was on this day the Germans attempted to destroy a number of airfields with three air raids taking place during the afternoon comprised 850 sorties and involving 2,200 aircrew.

It was the largest concentration of Ju 87 to operate over Britain to date and of those twenty-eight aircraft were assigned to attack Ford.

751 NAS departed for RNAS Arbroath (HMS Condor) the following day,[15] 750 Naval Air Squadron stood down and the unit prepared to sail overseas for the island of Trinidad.

The squadron made its return on 1 October, as a component of the newly established Night Fighter Development Wing, which was formed on 16 of that month.

[20] By early 1945, this unit had become the primary operational force at RAF Ford, continuing its activities until the gradual decommissioning that followed the end of World War II in Europe.

[21] At that point, 746 Naval Air Squadron, the Night Fighter Interception Unit, was still stationed here, however, it relocated to RAF West Raynham on the 23 of the same month.

The commanding officer and several pilots from this unit became the core of 813 Naval Air Squadron, as they possessed the most extensive experience with the Firebrand, having previously addressed numerous issues associated with this aircraft model.

[26] Additionally, 708 Naval Air Squadron made its departure in December, transferring to RNAS Fearn (HMS Owl) on the 5th.

[27] Serviceability issues with its Blackburn Firebrand, prevented 813 Naval Air Squadron from achieving operational status and it was subsequently disbanded at RNAS Ford on 30 September 1946, pending the introduction of the improved TF.5 variant.

[23] Following a period of acclimatisation with their new aircraft, 811 Naval Air Squadron relocated to RNAS Brawdy (HMS Goldcrest) on 6 December 1946.

[28] 813 Naval Air Squadron was reestablished at RNAS Ford on 1 May 1947 with TF.5 variant of the Blackburn Firebrand and following a period of preparation was deployed aboard HMS Implacable.

The undertaken projects encompassed the resurfacing of runways and taxiways, the installation of a substantial concrete hard-standing, and the construction of three new hangars.

[31] In March 2009, the prison's own Independent Monitoring Board issued a report stating that an outdated CCTV security system and a staffing shortage were contributing to burglars breaking into the jail to steal equipment from workshops.

20 Muslim inmates were served the non-halal food before they noticed that the packaging for the burgers listed pork as an ingredient.