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{{Short description|Former RAF base in Cornwall, England}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RAF St Eval<br>USAAF Station 129
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| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[St Eval]], [[Cornwall]]
| country = England
| image = [[File:RAF St Eval aerial photograph WWII IWM HU 92963.jpg|250px]]
| caption = RAF St Eval airfield on 18 July 1942
| image2 = <!--secondary image, major command emblems for airfields -->
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| type = [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|Royal Air Force Station]]
| coordinates = {{coord|50|28|41|N|004|59|58|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| gridref =
| pushpin_map = Cornwall#UK | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Cornwall
| pushpin_label = RAF St Eval
| pushpin_label_position =
| ownership = [[Air Ministry]]
| operator = [[Royal Air Force]]<br>[[United States Army Air Forces]]
| controlledby = [[RAF Fighter Command]]<BR>[[RAF Coastal Command]]
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
| code = <!--facility/installation code -->
| built = {{Start date|1938}}
| used = 1939 - {{End date|1959}}
| builder =
| fate =
| condition =
| battles = [[European theatre of World War II]]
| events =
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group -->
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations =
| website =
| footnotes = <!-- catchall in case it's needed to preserve something in infobox -->
<!-- begin airfield information -->
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| ICAO =
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| elevation = {{Convert|98|m|0}}
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| r2-length = {{Convert|1700|m|0}}
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| r3-length = {{Convert|1430|m|0}}
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| h1-number =
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface =
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!-- end airfield information -->
}}
'''Royal Air Force St Eval''' or '''RAF St Eval''' is a former [[Royal Air Force]] [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|station]] for the [[RAF Coastal Command]], southwest of [[Padstow]] in [[Cornwall]], England, UK. St Eval's primary role was to provide anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast. Aircraft from the airfield were also used for photographic reconnaissance missions, meteorological flights, convoy patrols, [[air-sea rescue]] missions and protection of the airfield from the [[Luftwaffe]].
==History==
[[File:Target Dossier for St. Eval, Cornwall, England - DPLA - b769b0f995458321f50e8de4f20fcd6d (page 1).jpg|thumb|right|RAF St Eval on a target dossier of the German [[Luftwaffe]], 1943]]
===The construction of the station===
The
===Battle of Britain===
In June 1940 St Eval became a [[RAF Fighter Command|Fighter Command]] sector headquarters during the [[Battle of Britain]] and [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s were stationed there.<ref name=":0">{{PastScape|num=1411212|desc=St Eval Airfield|
===Meteorological flights===
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===Attacks on St Eval===
The presence of the Spitfires was not a great success as the Luftwaffe's change in tactics led to an increase in night raids for which the Spitfires were not suited. Therefore, [[No. 238 Squadron RAF|238 Squadron]] were posted in with Hurricanes. The airfield was
{| class="wikitable sortable"
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! Date !! Incident
|-
| 12 July 1940 || During the afternoon a single [[Junkers Ju 88|Ju 88]] dropped eight bombs
|-
| 21 August 1940 || Three Ju 88s bombed St Eval, causing damage to two hangars and destroying three Blenheims. Hurricanes managed to shoot down two of the German aircraft. Another source gives the attacking aircraft as Messerschmitts and records 17 casualties.<ref name=peoples />
|-
| 22 August 1940 || 14 [[high explosive]] bombs and 200 [[incendiary bombs|incendiaries]] were dropped without causing much damage.
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|-
| 26 August 1940 || St Eval was bombed at 2130 and 2158 hours.
|-
| 29 August 1940 || 5 HE and some incendiary bombs were dropped on St Eval, but no damage was caused.<ref name=peoples />
|-
| 30 September 1940 || At about 2300 hours, five high explosive bombs were dropped, two landing on the aerodrome and three outside. No damage was reported.
|-
| 3 October 1940 || St Eval was attacked between 0655 and 0710 hours two Spitfires, one [[Avro Anson]] were completely destroyed and two hangars were also hit. Out of 20 bombs dropped on the airfield in this raid only 4 went off, causing injuries to four people.<ref name=peoples />
|-
|
|-
| 14 October 1940 || At 2111 hours, six high explosive bombs and 20 incendiaries were dropped on the Station. Another source states only 20 bombs in total. There were no casualties and no damage was caused.<ref name=peoples />
|}
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On 6 April 1941 a small force of [[Bristol Beaufort|Beauforts]] from [[No. 22 Squadron RAF|22 Squadron]], operating on detachment from St Eval, launched an attack on the German battleship [[German battleship Gneisenau|''Gneisenau'']] in [[Brest, France|Brest]] harbour. A Beaufort was able to launch a torpedo at point blank range but was shot down. However, the ship was severely damaged below the water line, so was obliged to return to the dock for repair. The pilot of the Beaufort, Flying Officer [[Kenneth Campbell (soldier)|Kenneth Campbell]] RAF, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.{{sfn|Ashworth|1982|pp=165-166}}
===
On 9 January 1942, a [[Supermarine Walrus]] of the [[Irish Air Corps]] was stolen from [[Shannon Airport|Rineanna airfield]], Country Clare, by four Irish servicemen. Their intention was to fly to France to join the Luftwaffe. However, they were intercepted by RAF Spitfires and escorted to St Eval, where they landed and were detained by RAF Police. Subsequently, they and the aircraft were returned to Ireland.<ref name="FAAM">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fleetairarm.com/en-GB/exhibit/Supermarine_Walrus_L2301/1_29_9.aspx |title=Supermarine Walrus (L2301) |publisher=Fleet Air Arm Museum |access-date=29 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Ger |title=Clare in WW2 / The Emergency |url=https://clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/Clare_Emergency_Individual_Profiles.pdf |website=Clare County Council Libraries}}</ref>
===No. 61 Squadron===
In the summer of 1942 [[No. 61 Squadron RAF|No. 61 Squadron]] was twice loaned to Coastal Command for anti-submarine operations in the [[Bay of Biscay]]. It was detached from its station in [[Rutland]] to St Eval and on the very first occasion that it operated from there – on 17 July 1942 – a crew became the first in [[RAF Bomber Command]] to bring back irrefutable evidence that they had destroyed a [[U-boat]] at sea – a photograph showing the U-boat crew in the water swimming away from their sinking vessel.
===American use of the airfield===
To boost the anti-submarine forces and to gain experience in the role, the Americans began to use the airfield (as station 129)<ref name=":0" /> with [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] bombers of the [[409th Bombardment Squadron]] ([[93d Bombardment Group]]), being deployed from [[RAF Alconbury]] in [[Huntingdonshire]] in October 1942.{{sfn|Ashworth|1982|p=167}}
The following month they were replaced by the [[1st Antisubmarine Squadron]] being deployed from [[Langley Field]], [[Virginia]] with the [[2d Antisubmarine Squadron]] arriving in January 1943 forming the 1st Antisubmarine Group (Provisional) with specialized long-range Liberator bombers equipped with RADAR and other submarine detection equipment. From St. Eval, the squadrons flew killer hunts against German U-
The [[Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command]] formed the [[479th Antisubmarine Group]] at St Eval in July with four squadrons of Liberators to continue the antisubmarine campaign. The 479th's most effective antisubmarine patrols were conducted from 18 July to 2 August 1943, the period in which the group made nearly all of its attacks on the U-boats. After that time the Germans avoided surfacing during daylight and adopted a policy of evasion, but the group continued its patrols, often engaging Luftwaffe fighter interceptor aircraft.
This was once again a short-lived arrangement and the group took its Liberators to [[Dunkeswell Aerodrome|RAF Dunkeswell]] on 6 August, ending the American use of the station.
===Loss of Whitley in submarine attack===
On 20 June 1943, in the Bay of Biscay, one of a pair of Whitleys operated by 10 OTU from St. Eval was shot down while attacking a submarine believed to be the ''[[Italian submarine Barbarigo|Barbarigo]]'', of the Italian navy. All of the Whitley's crew were killed.<ref>Dave O'Malley, "The Memory that Would Not Die: the Story of Olive Bingham's Memorial Cross," Vintage Wings of Canada, 17 April 2020. http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/626/The-Memory-that-Would-Not-Die.aspx</ref>
===Accident at St Eval===
In August 1943 a [[Whitley Bomber|Whitley]] and Liberator collided on the runway. The Whitley caught fire which cooked the depth charges and caused a massive explosion and the loss of both the aircraft and crews. The collision was in part due to the poor runway layout, with a blind spot that hid one aircraft from the other.{{sfn|Ashworth|1982|p=168}}
===1944
The importance of St Eval was such that it was given a [[Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO)|FIDO]] installation in early 1944 for dispersal of fog around the runway so that aircraft could land safely.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Robertson|first1=Bruce|title=The RAF - a pictorial history|date=1978|publisher=Robert Hale|location=London|isbn=0 7091 6607 9|page=169}}</ref> St Eval was destined to have a busy time during the allied invasion of Europe.
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[[File:St eval memorial.jpg|thumb|right|200px|RAF St Eval memorial]]
===Post Second World War
The station continued to be used for maritime patrols and search and rescue duties. It was also a site for diversions with a number of military and commercial aircraft making use of St Eval due to bad weather at their destination airfield. The Station closed on 6 March 1959, with the existing squadrons moving to nearby [[RAF St. Mawgan]].{{sfn|Ashworth|1982|p=170}} The airfield became home to the transmitters and aerial farm used for the low frequency communications used by the maritime Nimrods flying from RAF St Mawgan with the receiver site near RAF Mountbatten, [[Plymouth, Devon|Plymouth]].
==Current use==
==Memorials==
There are various memorials in
A memorial tablet to the two crews of Shackletons WG531 and WL743 (squadron codes A-H and A-F respectively) of No.42 Squadron that probably collided whilst on an [[1955 RAF Shackleton aircraft disappearance|exercise off]] the [[Fastnet Rock]] on 11 January 1955, is displayed in [[St Columba's Church, St Columb Major|St Columba's church]], [[St Columb Major]].
==Units stationed at RAF St Eval==
===1939–1945===
{| class="wikitable"
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| Air Sea Rescue (ASR)
|-----
| [[No. 304
| 6 March 1945 – 9 July 1945 || Vickers Wellington
|
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|-----
| [[No. 415 Squadron RCAF|415 Squadron RCAF]]
| 11 April 1942
|
|-----
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| February 1942 – June 1943
| Armstrong Whitworth Whitley<br>Handley Page Halifax
| Anti-submarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay
|-----
| [[No. 517 Squadron RAF|517 Squadron]]
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|-----
| [[796 Naval Air Squadron]] det
| August – September 1948 ||
|-----
| [[801 Naval Air Squadron]]
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| ? - April 1940 || various ||
|-----
|
| [[de Havilland Tiger Moth]] ||
|-----
| [[No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit RAF]] (PRU)
| 1 July 1940 – October 1942 || various
| Recces of targets in Western France, particularly naval bases
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|}
===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
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| [[No. 240 Squadron RAF|240 Squadron]] || Avro Shackleton MR 1 || 27 May 1952 || 5 June 1952 || RAF Ballykelly || {{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=84}} Maritime reconnaissance
|-
| [[No. 95 Gliding
|-
| [[No. 19 Group
|-
| Target Towing Flight? || [[de Havilland Mosquito]] || September 1953 || September 1955 || Unknown ||
|-
| [[No. 626 Gliding
|}
The following units were also here at some point:<ref name="ABCT"/>
* [[No. 67 Maintenance Unit RAF]]
* [[No. 2731 Squadron RAF Regiment]]
* [[No. 2738 Squadron RAF Regiment]]
* [[No. 2782 Squadron RAF Regiment]]
* [[Signals Development Unit RAF]]
==See also==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
*[[St Eval]]
*[[Anti-submarine warfare]]
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===Bibliography===
*''Airfield Focus - 7:St Eval'' by Chris Ashworth ({{ISBN
*''The Military airfields of Britain, South-Western England'' ({{ISBN
*''A Guide to Airfields of South Western England'', Baron Jay Publishers
*{{cite book |last=Ashworth|first=Chris |title= Action Stations 5; Military Airfields of the South-West|year=1982|publisher= Patrick Stephens|location=Cambridge|isbn=0-85059-510-X
*{{cite book |last1=Jefford
==External links==
*[http://www.raf.mod.uk Official RAF website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928090124/http://www.atlantikwall.co.uk/atlantikwall/awall_use/steval01/html/page01.htm Atlantik Wall - RAF St Eval]
{{Royal Air Force}}
{{USAAF Antisubmarine Command}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Eval}}
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1938]]
[[Category:Military history of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Military installations closed in 1959]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Cornwall]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]]
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