During construction, the East side of the earthworks of the Iron Age hill fort at Membury Camp were destroyed,[3] including flanking diagonal outworks.

[4] Construction was nearing completion in August 1942, and RAF technical staff arrived on site to install equipment, only to be withdrawn within days as the base was to be handed over the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).

On 21 August 1942, headquarters personnel from the Eighth Air Force arrived at Membury, and it was designated as USAAF Station AAF-466.

[6] Membury became a hub of activity in the run up to D-Day, as the 436th worked with the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" to train on glider landings for Mission Albany.

Nevertheless, there was still a US presence at Membury until a few weeks after the end of hostilities as the airfield was being used by the IX Troop Carrier Command as a pick-up point.

[7][8] With the 436th leaving Membury for Melun in France and the Americans departing by the end of June the station handed back to the RAF on the 1 July 1945.

[5] On January 30 1946, a Royal Air Force C-47 Dakota based at Membury crashed when returning to the station in a storm near Le Mans, France, killing 11 RAF servicemen.

[9][10] In October 1946, the station was closed and Membury was reduced to care and maintenance status, parented by RAF Welford.