In 1925, a plan was approved to build an airfield near Abingdon, south west of Oxford, which would be suitable as a base for light bombers.

[8] 103 Squadron moved to Abington to equip with Battles in September 1938, before transferring to RAF Benson in April 1939.

[12] Orders arrived on 24–25 August 1939 to mobilise the squadrons at Abingdon prior to proceeding to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF).

The Parachute Training School, and RAF Abingdon generally, featured heavily in the 1953 Alan Ladd film The Red Beret (called Paratrooper in the USA), and the Parachute Training School was used as a location for some scenes for the films Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) and Operation Crossbow (1965) as well as the French comedy Babette s'en va-t-en guerre (1959) which starred Brigitte Bardot.

On 22 April 1953 the spy George Blake arrived at RAF Abingdon, back from Korea via Moscow and Berlin.

relief efforts to Hungarian Freedom Fighters, 47 Squadron Beverley's flew medical, canteen and bedding supplies to Vienna, Austria Nov.7th 1956.

In the late 1960s the Blackburn Beverleys' hangars had dormer extensions put in the roof to take the extra height of the tailplane of the Short Belfasts of No.

The nose was then lowered and the tail fin rose up into the dormer roof for that parking position.

46 Squadron was also at Abingdon at this time flying Hawker Siddeley Andovers, one of their roles being to support UK MAMS (United Kingdom Mobile Air Movements).

A small Army Air Dispatch unit was also supported by the airfield at this time.

From 1975 through to the 1990s, Abingdon became a maintenance field, with the AMS (Aircraft Maintenance Squadron) servicing: In the early 80s the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster bomber spent a couple of winters at RAF Abingdon to undergo major refurbishment.

It was intended that the 3 Air Maintenance Support (3 AMS) unit would move from RAF Brize Norton, only a few miles away, to undertake the major servicing of the VC10 military fleet.

This would have involved the modification of a number of hangars to raise the roof to allow access for the VC10 high tail section at a cost of £5m, instead this work was moved to St. Athan.

RAF Abingdon closed on 31 July 1992, with the Oxford and London University Air Squadron and No.