RFC Little Staughton

A new but short addition to Trail 29 – A Trail around south-west Cambridgeshire, is an airfield that was very short lived, and one of which there is no trace today.

It is the second of two airfields that can be found in a small village on the border between Cambridge and Bedford, where both airfields have the same name but are separated by about a mile and some 30 years.

In this last stop, we visit the site of the former World War One airfield, the former RFC Little Staughton.

The Second World War airfield, RAF Little Staughton, has become the airfield synonymous with the name of the village. However, long before it was built, an airfield existed about a mile or so to the north-west, on the edge of the current village, and was essentially a Relief Landing Ground (RLF) belong to the Royal Flying Corps.

The main, and only users, were No 75 Squadron who were flying Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c and later BE12 bi-planes from their base at Goldington, Bedford.

Formed on October 1st 1916, the squadron was created from the nucleus of 33 Squadron and moved to Goldington on the 12th. With each of the three wings based at Yelling (St. Neots), Old Weston (Thrapston) and Therfield (Baldock), it was a home defence squadron set up to protect the region from Zeppelin airships that were flying over England during the First World War.

The squadron utilised the airfield between their inception and September 1917, as an emergency landing ground in case of mechanical problems or when poor weather prevented aircraft from getting home. It was soon realised that the location was too far west and so in 1917, they were reassigned to Elmswell near Ipswich. At this point Little Staughton became inactive and was soon decommissioned.

Being such a short life, little exists about events at the airfield and as it played no major part, it has simply dissolved into the history books and has become farmland.

There is however,  a reminder of its existence, located outside of the now closed Crown pub, courtesy of the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, is a memorial plaque dedicated to those who served at the airfield during that time.

The memorial plaque stands near to the site of the former airfield.

Sources.

Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust website.

Bedfordshire Archives website

Great War Forum website