RAF St Davids

1 Tactical Weapons Unit's advanced jet trainers, while they operated from RAF Brawdy, between 1974 and 1992.

[1] In September 1941 approval for land acquisition, for the construction of an airfield for use as a satellite for RAF Haverfordwest, was given for an area of fields, with the River Solva and the village of Middle Mill to its east, and east of the city of St Davids, on the northern headland of St Brides Bay.

The southern area of the airfield also housed a watch office, to pattern 12779/41, the living quarters, and various Nissen huts or Maycrete huts (prefabricated structures of reinforced concrete posts supporting a pitched roof frame with an infilling of sawdust concrete panels) for maintenance purposes.

It was designated as a satellite for RAF Haverfordwest,[5] but it was originally intended to operate Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft, the PB4Y-1 variant, a navalised B-24D, for the U.S. Navy for maritime patrol.

517 Meteorological Squadron arrived with a couple of Handley Page Halifax aircraft; but these moved to the newly opened RAF Brawdy in February 1944.

502 Sqns arrived to undertake anti-submarine patrols, but both squadrons departed for RAF Stornoway in September 1944.

The station's headquarters, sick bay and workshops facilities, moved to RAF Brawdy in November 1945.

[4] On 1 January 1946, the airfield was handed over to the Fleet Air Arm, part of the Royal Navy.

The unit moved from RNAS Brawdy in 1951, returning there in 1958, however, it continued to use RAF St Davids as a satellite airfield.

[8] The RAF Tactical Weapons Unit used one runway from 1974 to 1992 as a very basic relief landing ground.

In 1990, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the British and US Governments to install the radar, initially for a two-year trial commencing in 1993.

[10] A series of trials were carried out, although it is not clear what work was undertaken at RAF St Davids itself.

However, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in Dec 1991 saw the US Navy curtail the ROTHR programme with a prototype operating in Amchitka, Alaska; and no construction work was ever started at RAF St Davids.

[1] The unit undertook meteorological flights over the Western Approaches, while also performing anti-submarine patrol duties.

[1] The General Reconnaissance Aircraft Preparation Pool readied Handley Page Halifax, Consolidated Liberator and Vickers Wellington, a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber, for immediate RAF Coastal Command use, from October 1944.

The unit initially flew de Havilland Mosquito T.3, a British twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft and de Havilland Sea Mosquito TR.33, a navalised Mosquito for Royal Navy use as a torpedo bomber, along with Taylorcraft Auster 5, a British military liaison and observation aircraft, these were later supplemented with de Havilland Sea Hornet F.20 and NF.21, a British twin-engined fighter aircraft, Gloster Meteor T.7, de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.20 and FAW.21, the navalised version of the de Havilland Venom NF.2 two-seat night fighter, and Supermarine Attacker F.1 and FB.2, a British single-seat naval jet fighter aircraft.

Aerial view of RAF St. David's, after its completion and shortly before its occupation by Nos. 58 and 502 Squadrons RAF, as a base for anti-submarine patrols.
Handley Page Halifax, an example of the aircraft used by No. 517 Sqn
Gloster Meteor T.7, an example of the type used by ADTU at St Davids
Old service road, St David's airfield. This service road linked the main airfield to the bomb depot beyond the northern perimeter.