Monument record 0666800000 - Cheddington USAAF Base

Former USAAF and RAF bomber base (named as Cheddington although actually in Marsworth civil parish), which straddles the county boundary with Herts. Land requisitioned early 1941, allocated to RAF as bomber training airfield. Initially headquarters of No. 26 Operational Training Unit. Small and not ideal for training pilots due to obstructions and hills. No. 26 OUT moved to Wing at end of Aug 1942. 7th Sept given to US 8th Army Air Force. Heavy bombardment group 44th Bomb Group allocated to Cheddington, later moved to Norfolk. Cheddington then became the 12th Combat Crew Replacement Centre, specialising in training B-24 Liberator crews, and Cheddington underwent a period of expansion. Jan 1943 returned briefly to RAF use. USA took re-possession in later 1943 with 20th Bomb wing (Heavy). Also 379th Service Sqdn, 9th Station Complement Sqdn, 1077th Signal Company and 39th Service Group - at which point Cheddington was designated a combat-ready base. 'Night leaflet Sqdn' (858th Bomb Sqdn) also in residence. Also in Aug 1944 803rd Bomb Sqdn merged with 856th Sqdn to be known as 36th Bomb Sqdn - a Radio Countermeasures Sqdn. Similar operations continued into 1945. With victory in Europe, the site returned to RAF Bomber Command. Transferred to Technical Training Command 1st May 1946 and occupied by the Medical Training Establishment. Re-named RAF Marsworth 13/08/1946. Medical Unit remained until 16/02/1948 when the station was closed. Later part of the site became a sub-depot of Central Ordnance. Final closure in 1977. Part retained by DOE (B1).
Base apparently became a Polish refugee camp for c.10 years after 1948 (B3).