Full WW2 control tower details and photos for this wartime airfield are coming soon. Please check back later as this is work progress. If you would like to contribute information or photos please get in touch.
RAF Cambridge occupied the aerodrome now known as Cambridge City Airport, on the eastern edge of Cambridge near Teversham. Opened in 1938 as a modern municipal airport, it became RAF Cambridge during the Second World War and developed into a station with a distinctive mix of training, operational detachments and maintenance support. Cambridge’s wartime aviation story is also closely connected to local industry and engineering skill, which helped make the airfield useful beyond its size.
A major function was training. Before the war and into the early conflict period, Elementary Flying Training operated from Cambridge, introducing new pilots to RAF discipline and basic flying technique. Alongside this, the airfield hosted instructor training through No. 4 (Supplementary) Flying Instructors School, which went through wartime redesignations as the RAF refined its training system. These instructor and basic training organisations were the foundations of air power: without a steady supply of competent instructors and well-prepared pupils, operational squadrons could not be sustained.
Cambridge also saw operational flying, often in short bursts. In 1940 and into 1941, Army co-operation and reconnaissance activity brought Westland Lysanders to the airfield. Detachments from several squadrons used Cambridge at different times, reflecting the Lysander’s varied duties: reconnaissance, liaison with the Army, artillery spotting, and special tasks that demanded short-field performance and the ability to operate from modest airstrips. The comings and goings of these detachments show how RAF Cambridge could be used flexibly – supporting frontline requirements when needed while still maintaining its training and support roles.
Less visible, but arguably even more important, was maintenance and supply. Cambridge hosted a Maintenance Unit during the war years, part of the RAF’s logistical backbone. Maintenance Units stored equipment and aircraft, handled repairs and modifications, and ensured that airframes and spares flowed to where they were needed. In a war where operational tempo was relentless, the ability to repair battle damage, replace worn components and manage stocks was as critical as flying itself.
Cambridge’s wartime significance is amplified by its relationship with Marshall of Cambridge (later Marshall Aerospace). Cambridge became a centre of aircraft engineering and support work, and the proximity of industrial capability to the airfield created a powerful combination: aircraft could be serviced, modified and returned to use quickly, with skilled labour and specialised facilities available locally. This synergy – airfield plus engineering – helped Cambridge play an outsized role for a comparatively small station.
By 1945 RAF Cambridge had contributed to the war in multiple ways: training new pilots and instructors, hosting reconnaissance detachments during key early-war periods, and supporting the RAF’s maintenance and supply chain. The survival of the airfield into the modern era keeps that story alive. Even as the landscape has changed around it, Cambridge remains an example of the many wartime stations that were not single-purpose bases, but adaptable hubs supporting Britain’s air war through training, flexibility and industrial support.