Monument record 0666800000 - RAF Cheddington, USAAF Station 113

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).

Cheddington airfield opened in 1942. The base was initially designated as a training airfield for Royal Air Force bomber units (26 Operational Training Unit). However the hilly topography bordering the airfield did not make the base ideal for that role, and there were a number of accidents. In late 1942 and early 1943 the Americans took over and improved the facilities at the base within the constrictions of the local topography. The improvements were mainly concerned with increasing the technical and domestic facilities as well as resurfacing the runways. After a brief reuse by the RAF for glider training, the remodelled airfield was then used by specialist 8th United States Army Airforce units, such as the Night Leaflet Squadron and 36th "Bomb" Squadron , who were actually a Radio Countermeasures Squadron. After the Allied victory in Europe the Americans left and the role of the base changed in 1946 to being the home of the Medical Training Establishment of the RAF. The base was also renamed RAF Marsworth. This closed in 1948, und the base was subsequently used as a military depot (for the Central Ordnance). Brooks states that this finally closed in 1977, with part of it being retained by the Department of the Enviroment (1).
Cheddington airfield, Buckinghamshire, SP 910 160. By 1944 the airfield had three concrete landing surfaces with 37 loop shaped hard standings, four T2 hangars and temporary accomodation for the 2551 personnel then at the base. The source includes a small sketch map of the airfield. Use of the base in 1985 still given as "army". See possible conflict with date given for closure in source 1 above (6).
Cheddington airfield, centered at SP 190 160. To the east of the flying field are two disused camp sites. (OS Sheet SP 91 NW) (7).
Chedington airfield was also known as (USAAF) Station 113 (8).
This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence (9).