RAF Greenham Common

RAF Greenham Common
Near Newbury, Berkshire in England
RAF Greenham Common during the 1980s
RAF Greenham Common is located in Berkshire
RAF Greenham Common
RAF Greenham Common
Location within Berkshire
Coordinates51°22′43″N 001°16′56″W / 51.37861°N 1.28222°W / 51.37861; -1.28222
TypeRoyal Air Force station
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
US Army Air Forces (1943–1945)
US Air Force (1951–1992)
ConditionClosed
Site history
Built1943 (1943)
In use1943–1993
Fate
EventsGreenham Common Women's Peace Camp (1981–2000)
Airfield information
IdentifiersICAO: EGVI, WMO: 037435
Elevation121 metres (397 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
11/29 3,048 metres (10,000 ft) Asphalt (built 1950s)
10/28 1,798 metres (5,899 ft) Asphalt (WW2)
14/32 1,256 metres (4,121 ft) Asphalt (WW2)
02/20 998 metres (3,274 ft) Asphalt (WW2)

Royal Air Force Greenham Common or more simply RAF Greenham Common is a former Royal Air Force station in the civil parishes of Greenham and Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire.[1] The airfield was southeast of Newbury, about 55 miles (89 km) west of London.

Opened in 1942, it was used by the United States Air Force during the Second World War and during the Cold War, and later as a base for nuclear weapons. After the Cold War ended, it was closed in September 1992. The airfield was also known for the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp held outside its gates in the 1980s in protest against the stationing of cruise missiles on the base. In 1997 Greenham Common was designated as public parkland.

  1. ^ Ford, David Nash (2020). West Berkshire Town and Village Histories. Wokingham: Nash Ford Publishing. pp. 125–133. ISBN 9781905191031.