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Coordinates: 54°09′00″N 0°10′40″W / 54.1499°N 0.1778°W / 54.1499; -0.1778
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{{Short description|Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox military structure
{{Infobox military structure
|name = Royal Air Force Bempton
|name = RAF Bempton<BR>[[File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]]
|native_name = [[File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]]
|native_name =
|partof =
|partof =
|location = Located near [[Bempton]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], [[England]]
|location = Located near [[Bempton]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]],
|country = [[England]]
|image = RAF Bempton - geograph.org.uk - 499586.jpg
|image = RAF Bempton - geograph.org.uk - 499586.jpg
|caption =
|caption =
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|pushpin_map_caption = Shown within the East Riding of Yorkshire
|pushpin_map_caption = Shown within the East Riding of Yorkshire
|pushpin_label_position =left
|pushpin_label_position =left
|pushpin_label = RAF Bempton
|map_size =
|map_size =
|map_alt =
|map_alt =
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|demolished =
|demolished =
|condition =
|condition =
|ownership =
|ownership = [[Air Ministry]]
|operator = [[Royal Air Force]]
|open_to_public = No
|controlledby =
|open_to_public =
|controlledby = [[RAF Fighter Command]]
|garrison =
|garrison =
|current_commander =
|current_commander =
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|caption2 =
|caption2 =
}}
}}
'''RAF Bempton''' was an [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] station situated at [[Bempton]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], [[England]], {{convert|6|mi|0}} north of [[Bridlington]]. During the [[Second World War]] it was established as a radar station, becoming part of the [[Chain Home Low]] network.
'''Royal Air Force Bempton''' or more simply '''RAF Bempton''' is a former [[Royal Air Force]] station situated at [[Bempton]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], [[England]], {{convert|6|mi|0}} north of [[Bridlington]]. During the [[World War II|Second World War]] it was established as a radar station, becoming part of the [[Chain Home Low]] (CHL) network.


==Operational history==
==Operational history==
* 1940 The first CHL radar station was installed in early 1940 a few hundred feet from the lighthouse at Flamborough Head. This was at an elevation of {{convert|130|ft}}; at this height performance proved to be very unsatisfactory. A new higher site was found four miles up the coast on the {{convert|350|ft}} cliffs at Bempton.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Airfields|url=http://www.hullandeastridingatwar.co.uk/index.php/25-airfields|website=Hull & East Riding at war|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
* 1940 The first CHL radar station was installed in early 1940 a few hundred feet from the lighthouse at Flamborough Head. This was at an elevation of {{convert|130|ft}}; at this height performance proved to be very unsatisfactory. A new higher site was found four miles up the coast on the {{convert|350|ft}} cliffs at Bempton.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Airfields|url=http://www.hullandeastridingatwar.co.uk/index.php/25-airfields|website=Hull & East Riding at war|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
*The new site was opened in July 1940 as RAF Bempton. It was a [[Chain Home Low |CHL]] station.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Air Defence System|url=http://www.bomberhistory.co.uk/york/british_defences|website=Bomber History|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
*The new site was opened in July 1940 as RAF Bempton. It was a CHL station.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Air Defence System|url=http://www.bomberhistory.co.uk/york/british_defences|website=Bomber History|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
*1941 became a [[Chain Home Low |CHL]]/[[Chain Home Extra Low|CHEL]] radar station.<ref>{{PastScape|num=1415819|desc=RAF Bempton|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
*1941 became a CHL/[[Chain Home Extra Low]] (CHEL) radar station.<ref>{{PastScape|num=1415819|desc=RAF Bempton|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref>
*It disbanded on 1 August 1945.
*It disbanded on 1 August 1945.
*1945 - [[Air Ministry Experimental Station]] Type 31
*1945 – [[Air Ministry Experimental Station]] Type 31
*1 June 1949, re-established as a [[Chain Home Low |CHL]]/[[Chain Home Extra Low|CHEL]] radar station.
*1 June 1949, re-established as a CHL/CHEL radar station.
*17 February 1950 - transferred to [[RAF Fighter Command]].
*17 February 1950 – transferred to [[RAF Fighter Command]].
*On 1 November 1951 it was renamed as ''146 Signals Unit Bempton'' rebuilt as a [[Centimetric Early Warning|CEW]] radar station, part of the [[ROTOR]] Programme.
*On 1 November 1951 it was renamed as ''146 Signals Unit Bempton'' rebuilt as a [[Centimetric Early Warning]] (CEW) radar station, part of the [[ROTOR]] Programme.
*The 146 Signals Unit was disbanded on 1 December 1961
*The 146 Signals Unit was disbanded on 1 December 1961
*Bempton became a satellite station of [[RAF Patrington]] until final closure in April 1972
*Bempton became a satellite station of [[RAF Patrington]] until its final closure in April 1972.


The site was also used for a secret High Speed Passive Array RADAR codenamed 'Winkle'.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAF Bempton, Centrimetric Early Warning Station, Yorkshire|url=http://thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/military/rotor-radar-stations/raf-bempton-centrimetric-early-warning-station-yorkshire|website=Timechamber|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Simons|first1=RW|last2=Sutherland|first2=JW|title=Forty Years of Marconi Radar from 1946 to 1986|url=http://www.radarpages.co.uk/download/p172.pdf|website=Radar Pages|publisher=GEC review|accessdate=15 February 2016|page=15|format=PDF|date=1988}}</ref> The distinctive Y-shaped concrete stanchions on the cliff edge are indicative of Winkle.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brigham|first1=T|last2=Jobling|first2=D|title=RAPID COASTAL ZONE ASSESSMENT YORKSHIRE AND LINCOLNSHIRE Bempton to Donna Nook English Heritage Project 3729 PHASE 2|url=https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/rczas-bempton-donna-nook-phase2/rcza-phase2-bempton-donna-nook.pdf/|website=Historic England|accessdate=15 February 2016|page=34|format=PDF|date=January 2011}}</ref>
The site was also used for a secret High Speed Passive Array RADAR codenamed 'Winkle'.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAF Bempton, ‘RMF’ CEW R1 Rotor Radar Station, Yorkshire|url=http://thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/military/rotor-radar-stations/raf-bempton-centrimetric-early-warning-station-yorkshire|website=Timechamber|date=30 August 2012 |accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Simons|first1=R.&nbsp;W.|last2=Sutherland|first2=J.&nbsp;W.|title=Forty Years of Marconi Radar from 1946 to 1986|url=http://www.radarpages.co.uk/download/p172.pdf|website=Radar Pages|publisher=GEC review|accessdate=15 February 2016|page=15|date=1988}}</ref> The distinctive Y-shaped concrete stanchions on the cliff edge are indicative of Winkle.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brigham|first1=T.|last2=Jobling|first2=D.|title=RAPID COASTAL ZONE ASSESSMENT YORKSHIRE AND LINCOLNSHIRE Bempton to Donna Nook English Heritage Project 3729 PHASE 2|url=https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/rczas-bempton-donna-nook-phase2/rcza-phase2-bempton-donna-nook.pdf/|website=Historic England|accessdate=15 February 2016|page=34|date=January 2011}}</ref>


==Current use==
==Current use==
The site was sold in 1980/81 and is now privately owned. Because of trespass, the stairs down to the bunker were removed and other entrances were sealed over with concrete.<ref name=":0" />
The site was sold in 1980/81. The stairs down to the bunker were removed and other entrances were sealed over with concrete.<ref name=":0" />


In the 1970s, a satanistic cult were known to be practising their rites in the tunnels and open spaces of the former bunker. In 2010, a teenager from Hull went missing after his car was found abandoned by Bempton Cliffs. Police conducted a search for a missing person around the cliff area and inside the former bunker as the teenager had been given a memory stick detailing the pornographic artwork that the cult had painted on the walls of the bunker.<ref>{{cite news|title=Student may have been lured to ‘occult’ bunker, father fears|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/student-may-have-been-lured-to-occult-bunker-father-fears-1-3128596|accessdate=15 February 2016|work=Yorkshire Post|date=1 March 2011}}</ref>
In 2010, a teenager from Hull went missing after his car was found abandoned by [[Bempton Cliffs]]. Police conducted a search for a missing person around the cliff area and inside the former bunker as the teenager had been given a memory stick detailing the pornographic artwork that a cult had painted on the walls of the bunker.<ref>{{cite news|title=Student may have been lured to 'occult' bunker, father fears|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/student-may-have-been-lured-to-occult-bunker-father-fears-1-3128596|accessdate=15 February 2016|work=Yorkshire Post|date=1 March 2011}}</ref>


Despite the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service later searching the area again for a body, no trace of [[Disappearance of Russell Bohling|Russell Bohling]] has been found.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Campbell|first1=James|title=Family of missing Russell Bohling 'still clinging to hope' five years on|url=http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Family-missing-Russell-Bohling-clinging-hope/story-26126219-detail/story.html?_escaped_fragment_=|accessdate=15 February 2016|work=Hull Daily Mail|date=6 March 2015}}</ref>
Despite the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service later searching the area again for a body, no trace of [[Disappearance of Russell Bohling|Russell Bohling]] has been found.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Campbell|first1=James|title=Family of missing Russell Bohling 'still clinging to hope' five years on|url=http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Family-missing-Russell-Bohling-clinging-hope/story-26126219-detail/story.html?_escaped_fragment_=|accessdate=15 February 2016|work=Hull Daily Mail|date=6 March 2015}}</ref>
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|RAF Bempton}}
{{Commons category|RAF Bempton}}
*[http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/b/bempton/tour/index.html Subbrit - Photo tour of the bunker]
*[http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/b/bempton/tour/index.html Subbrit – Photo tour of the bunker]


{{Royal Air Force}}
{{Royal Air Force}}
{{RAF stations in Yorkshire}}
{{Royal Air Force radar stations}}


[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire|Bempton]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire|Bempton]]
[[Category:Military history of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Military history of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Military history of the East Riding of Yorkshire]]

Latest revision as of 05:41, 10 January 2023

RAF Bempton
Located near Bempton, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England
RAF Bempton is located in East Riding of Yorkshire
RAF Bempton
RAF Bempton
Shown within the East Riding of Yorkshire
Coordinates54°09′00″N 0°10′40″W / 54.1499°N 0.1778°W / 54.1499; -0.1778
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command
Site history
Built1940 (1940)
In use1940–1972

Royal Air Force Bempton or more simply RAF Bempton is a former Royal Air Force station situated at Bempton in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, 6 miles (10 km) north of Bridlington. During the Second World War it was established as a radar station, becoming part of the Chain Home Low (CHL) network.

Operational history

[edit]
  • 1940 The first CHL radar station was installed in early 1940 a few hundred feet from the lighthouse at Flamborough Head. This was at an elevation of 130 feet (40 m); at this height performance proved to be very unsatisfactory. A new higher site was found four miles up the coast on the 350 feet (110 m) cliffs at Bempton.[1]
  • The new site was opened in July 1940 as RAF Bempton. It was a CHL station.[2]
  • 1941 became a CHL/Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) radar station.[3]
  • It disbanded on 1 August 1945.
  • 1945 – Air Ministry Experimental Station Type 31
  • 1 June 1949, re-established as a CHL/CHEL radar station.
  • 17 February 1950 – transferred to RAF Fighter Command.
  • On 1 November 1951 it was renamed as 146 Signals Unit Bempton rebuilt as a Centimetric Early Warning (CEW) radar station, part of the ROTOR Programme.
  • The 146 Signals Unit was disbanded on 1 December 1961
  • Bempton became a satellite station of RAF Patrington until its final closure in April 1972.

The site was also used for a secret High Speed Passive Array RADAR codenamed 'Winkle'.[4][5] The distinctive Y-shaped concrete stanchions on the cliff edge are indicative of Winkle.[6]

Current use

[edit]

The site was sold in 1980/81. The stairs down to the bunker were removed and other entrances were sealed over with concrete.[1]

In 2010, a teenager from Hull went missing after his car was found abandoned by Bempton Cliffs. Police conducted a search for a missing person around the cliff area and inside the former bunker as the teenager had been given a memory stick detailing the pornographic artwork that a cult had painted on the walls of the bunker.[7]

Despite the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service later searching the area again for a body, no trace of Russell Bohling has been found.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Airfields". Hull & East Riding at war. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  2. ^ "British Air Defence System". Bomber History. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  3. ^ Historic England. "RAF Bempton (1415819)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  4. ^ "RAF Bempton, 'RMF' CEW R1 Rotor Radar Station, Yorkshire". Timechamber. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  5. ^ Simons, R. W.; Sutherland, J. W. (1988). "Forty Years of Marconi Radar from 1946 to 1986" (PDF). Radar Pages. GEC review. p. 15. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  6. ^ Brigham, T.; Jobling, D. (January 2011). "RAPID COASTAL ZONE ASSESSMENT YORKSHIRE AND LINCOLNSHIRE Bempton to Donna Nook English Heritage Project 3729 PHASE 2". Historic England. p. 34. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Student may have been lured to 'occult' bunker, father fears". Yorkshire Post. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  8. ^ Campbell, James (6 March 2015). "Family of missing Russell Bohling 'still clinging to hope' five years on". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
[edit]
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