The County of Pembrokeshire has a long and distinguished military history, with the Royal Dockyard at Pembroke, and the Army bases at Penally and Castlemartin, but the newest of the Armed Forces is the Royal Air Force, and during the 20th Century, ten R.A.F. or R.N.A.S. bases were created throughout the County. This page serves to commemorate the now disused Bases.

The ten bases are scattered throughout the County, so below is a map of West Wales showing the location of each of the bases. Below the map is a brief history of each site, arranged on a spreadsheet, with details of which Squadrons occupied them, the dates concerned, and with what Aircraft.

 

No. Airfield Squadron Date From Date To Aircraft
1 St. Davids 517 25/11/1943 01/02/1944 B-17F Fortress, Halifax V
1 St. Davids 58 06/12/1943 01/09/1944 Halifax II
1 St. Davids 502 10/12/1943 14/09/1944 Halifax II
1 St. Davids 53 01/06/1945 17/09/1945 Liberator VIII, Liberator VI
1 St. Davids 220 01/06/1945 22/09/1945 Liberator VIII
2 Brawdy 595 01/12/1943 27/04/1946 Henley III, Hurricane IIC, Martinet, Oxford, Hurricane IV, Vengeance IV, Spitfire VB, Spitfire XII, Spitfire IX, Spitfire XVI.
2 Brawdy 517 01/02/1944 30/11/1945 Halifax V
2 Brawdy 521 01/12/1944 03/11/1945 Fortress II, Fortress III
2 Brawdy 22 04/06/1956 01/12/1942 Whirlwind HAR 2, Whirlwind HAR 10, Wessex HC/HAR 2
2 Brawdy 202 01/09/1976 01/12/1992 Whirlwind HAR 10
3 Haverfordwest 516 01/12/1943 02/12/1944 Hurricane IIC
4 Talbenny 311 12/06/1942 26/05/1943 Wellington IC
4 Talbenny 248 13/09/1942 03/11/1942 Beaufighter VIC
4 Talbenny 304 03/11/1942 30/12/1942 Wellington IC
4 Talbenny 248 05/12/1942 18/01/1943 Beaufighter VIC
5 Dale 304 15/06/1942 03/11/1942 Wellington IC
5 Dale 304 30/12/1942 02/04/1943 Wellington IC
6 Angle 32 01/06/1941 27/11/1941 Hurricane I
6 Angle 615 27/11/1941 23/01/1942 Hurricane IIC
6 Angle 312 24/01/1942 18/04/1942 Spitfire VB
6 Angle 263 18/04/1942 15/08/1942 Whirlwind I
6 Angle 152 16/08/1942 27/09/1942 Spitfire VB
6 Angle 421 26/10/1942 01/11/1942 Spitfire VB
6 Angle 412 29/01/1943 08/02/1943 Spitfire VB
7 Pembroke Dock 210 15/06/1931 01/11/1934 Southampton II
7 Pembroke Dock 230 01/12/1934 23/09/1935 Singapore III
7 Pembroke Dock 203 01/08/1935 26/09/1935 Singapore III
7 Pembroke Dock 230 03/08/1936 14/10/1936 Singapore III
7 Pembroke Dock 210 07/08/1936 22/09/1937 Stranraer, Singapore II, Singapore III
7 Pembroke Dock 228 15/12/1936 29/09/1938 Scapa, London I, Singapore III, Stranraer
7 Pembroke Dock 210 18/12/1937 29/09/1938 Singapore III
7 Pembroke Dock 210 08/10/1938 23/10/1939 Sunderland I
7 Pembroke Dock 228 09/10/1938 05/06/1939 Stranraer, Sunderland I
7 Pembroke Dock 210 06/11/1939 24/11/1939 Sunderland I
7 Pembroke Dock 210 21/05/1940 13/07/1940 Sunderland I
7 Pembroke Dock 240 27/05/1940 30/07/1940 Stranraer
7 Pembroke Dock 320 01/06/1940 01/10/1940 Fokker T VIIIw/G, Anson I
7 Pembroke Dock 321 01/06/1940 24/06/1940 Formed at Pembroke Dock
7 Pembroke Dock 209 12/07/1940 03/01/1941 Lerwick I
7 Pembroke Dock 95 16/01/1941 18/03/1941 Sunderland I
7 Pembroke Dock 204 01/06/1941 15/07/1941 Sunderland I
7 Pembroke Dock 119 04/08/1941 19/07/1944 Catalina IB, IIIA, Sunderland III
7 Pembroke Dock 209 10/10/1941 30/03/1942 Catalina I
7 Pembroke Dock 210 04/10/1942 21/04/1943 Catalina IB
7 Pembroke Dock 461 20/04/1943 04/06/1945 Sunderland III, Sunderland V
7 Pembroke Dock 228 04/05/1943 04/06/1945 Sunderland V
7 Pembroke Dock 210 01/01/1944 04/06/1945 Catalina IV
7 Pembroke Dock 201 08/04/1944 03/11/1944 Sunderland III
7 Pembroke Dock 422 04/11/1944 25/07/1945 Sunderland III
7 Pembroke Dock 230 15/04/1946 10/08/1946 Sunderland V
7 Pembroke Dock 230 25/02/1949 28/02/1957 Sunderland V
8 Pembroke 255 25/07/1918 14/01/1919 Formed at Pembroke
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 48 25/08/1939 03/08/1941 Beaufort I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 75 14/09/1939 08/04/1940 Wellington I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 217 02/10/1939 29/10/1941 Anson I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 320 01/06/1940 01/10/1940 Fokker T VIIIw/G, Anson I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 321 24/06/1940 18/01/1941 Anson I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 320 18/01/1941 21/03/1941 Anson I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 236 21/03/1941 09/02/1942 Blenheim IVF, Beaufighter IC
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 238 01/04/1941 16/04/1941 Hurricane IIA
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 32 17/04/1941 01/06/1941 Hurricane I
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 500 30/05/1941 22/03/1942 Blenheim IV
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 254 11/02/1942 01/06/1942 Blenheim IVF
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 286 01/04/1942 26/05/1942 Hurricane IIC
8 Carew Cheriton/Pembroke 587 10/04/1944 01/10/1944 Hurricane IIC
9 Manorbier 595 01/12/1943 27/04/1946 Henley III, Hurricane IIC, Martinet, Oxford, Hurricane IV, Vengeance IV, Spitfire VB, Spitfire XII, Spitfire IX, Spitfire XVI.
10 Fishguard 245 20/08/1918 10/05/1919 Formed at Fishguard

 

Below is a selection of photographs of some of these legendary aeroplanes that flew over Pembrokeshire during the Second World War.

The Avro Anson

Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufort

Bristol Blenheim

Hawker Defiant

Boeing B17 Flying Fortress

Hawker Halifax

Hawker Hurricane

Consolidated Liberator

De Havilland Mosquito

Supermarine Spitfire at RAF Cosford, with a Catalina in the background

The Famous Sunderland

Vickers Wellington

Westland Whirlwind