page_title: RAF Colerne
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: RAF Colerne / History / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: English: Handley Page Hastings C.2 WJ329 of No. 24 Squadron RAF at RAF Colerne in 1967
context_page_description: Royal Air Force Colerne or more simply RAF Colerne is a former Royal Air Force station located on the outskirts of the village of Colerne in Wiltshire, in use from 1939 to 1976.
  The site is now known as Azimghur Barracks and is home to 21 Signal Regiment, Royal Signals and 93 Air Training Corps detached flight.
context_section_description: Between 4 May 1948 and 1 March 1962, No. 49 Maintenance Unit RAF was based at the airfield.
  After this period it became a Transport Command airfield, and Handley Page Hastings aircraft were flown from RAF Colerne. After the demise of the Hastings and the delivery of the new Lockheed C-130 Hercules being introduced to the RAF Air Support Command, the front line transport role was relinquished. The Hercules were based at RAF Lyneham and for many years major servicing of the Hercules was carried out at RAF Colerne by the Air Engineering Squadron until the station closed in 1976. C-130 Hercules aircraft XV198 crashed, killing all crew on board here in September 1973.
  Colerne was also the home of No. 2 Field Squadron RAF Regiment from 1962 to 1975.  For a number of years up until its closure as an RAF station it housed one of the RAF's regional collections of historic aircraft including Neville Duke's world record breaking Hawker Hunter and a rare example of the rocket-engined Messerschmitt Me 163 B, Werknummer 191904 (since returned to Germany).
  In 1985 the entire former RAF married quarter housing estate known as The Thickwood Estate was sold to Roger Byron-Collins company the Welbeck Estate Group. All 80 houses were upgraded and converted to civilian use.
  The following units were here during the Cold War:
  No. 3 Air Experience Flight RAF
  No. 24 Group Communication Flight RAF
  No. 62 Group Communication Flight RAF became Colerne Communication Squadron RAF
  No. 81 Group Communication Flight RAF
  No. 92 Gliding School RAF
  No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
  No. 1335 (Meteor) Conversion Unit RAF
  No. 1956 Air Observation Post Flight RAF
  No. 1963 Air Observation Post Flight RAF
  Airborne Interception School RAF
  Bristol University Air Squadron RAF
caption: Handley Page Hastings of No. 24 Squadron Transport Command at RAF Colerne in 1967.
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