History and Facts about Wattisham Airfield
The Wattisham Airfield has played a vital part in the history of RAF Wattisham, and the rich museum collection we have made available to our visitors reflects this fact really well. The original opening of the field took place in April 1939. The Royal Air Force used it as one of its main bases of operation in the first years of World War II, before lending the airfield to the United States Army Air Forces in 1942.
After the war, the Wattisham Airfield continued its distinguished service as part of the RAF efforts during the Cold War. It was the premier front-line air force fighter airfield in that period. It was one of the several airfields within the RAF’s network that housed Quick Reaction Alert aircraft on a rotation basis. As such, Wattisham Airfield was at the center of the UK’s defense during the Cold war years.
In addition, Wattisham Airfield was home to 'B' Flight, 22 Squadron Royal Air Force until 2015, when their Search & Rescue Sea King helicopters were privatized. Today you can learn all about the history of the famous 22 Squadron before it had to stand down. Don’t forget to ask about the many memorable and heroic rescue efforts the Squadron members took part in, saving the lives of thousands of people throughout the whole UK during their nearly half-a-century history.
The current fleet at the Wattisham Airfield consists of state-of-the-art Apache AH1 helicopters flown by five squadrons in total:
- 653 Squadron (3 Regiment)
- 662 Squadron (3 Regiment)
- 663 Squadron (3 Regiment)
- 656 Squadron (4 Regiment)
- 664 Squadron (4 Regiment)
The Wattisham Airfield Museum, on the other hand, houses some of the historical aircraft that were used throughout the long, action-packed history of the airfield. These include, but are not limited to:
- Hawker Hunter XG194 – delivered to RAF on October 3rd, 1956, and named by the museum’s staff “Blackjack” an hour after her original commander Air Commodore Topp, or “Blackjack Red One” as his call sign was.
- McD-D Phantom XT914 – in service from 1992 to 2013, this Aerobatic aircraft was flown by Pilot, Squadron Leader Archie Liggat, and Navigator Flt. Lieutenant Mark Mainwaring.
- Westland Scout XT617 – served as the RAF from the 1960s until it was moved to the Wattisham Airfield Museum Workshop for restoration and preparation for display in 2014.
- Aerospatiale Gazelle XX444 – this beautiful helicopter was originally designed in 1968 as part of the Anglo-French agreement between Westlands and Aerospatiale. The Gazelle XX444, lovingly called by RAF staff “Whistling Chicken Leg” displayed in the museum has served the 663 Squadron 3 Regiment at Wattisham Airfield in the 1990s.
- Westland Lynx XZ605 – the Lynx on display in our collection entered service in 1978 and retired in 2013. It was used by RAF at Wattisham for many years and is one of the most beloved helicopters in our collection.
We at the Wattisham Airfield Museum are ready to welcome you every Sunday from April to October to tell you more about the Airfield, its history, present, and future.
