WW2 History of RAF Stormy Down

A memorial stone at the Cenin Parc Stormy development in Bridgend South Wales was unveiled in July 2017 by the then Mid Glamorgan Lord Lieutenant Mrs Kate Thomas CVO with a dedication service held by Reverend (Squadron Leader) Colin O'Dell DipHE RAF and The Venerable Air Vice-Marshal Brian Lucas CB BA FRSA Archdeacon Emeritus of the RAF.

Between 1939 and 1946, Parc Stormy was known as RAF Porthcawl and finally RAF Stormy Down. During this period, it was an air gunnery school with over 10,000 RAF and Allied airmen being trained at the camp.

The event was attended by veterans, local dignitaries, and members of the public and was organised by the RAF together with the Porthcawl Museum and Historical Society, and Cenin Renewables who purchased the development in 2007 and now operate renewable technologies at the site.

The then Welsh First Minster, Carwyn Jones commented that like many other people living in the Bridgend County, he had previously limited knowledge of the history of the camp and was humbled by the stories of the young airmen who had completed their training at the camp many of whom later made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom we enjoy today.

To mark the occasion a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Flight took part in a fly-past over the site followed by a display of the RAF the Red Arrows display team.

A total of 52 airmen and a member of the ATS - from Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Poland - were lost at Stormy Down, 11 of whom are buried at Nottage Cemetery in Porthcawl, where wreaths were later in the day laid by representatives from the RAF, Poland and New Zealand.

Every year over Armistice weekend Porthcawl Museum working with the Royal British Legion holds a service of remembrance on the site.

RAF Stormy Down served a very important role in the training of both air and ground crews during the 1939-45 war. By modern standards the grass airfield was tiny. More than 7,000 Air Gunners were trained there on courses, lasting from three to seven weeks, depending upon the weather.

Early in the war 400 Air Observers also trained there. Later some 2,000 Flight Engineers training at St Athan did a short ground gunnery course at Stormy Down. In total more than 10,000 aircrew passed through the school. That figure does not include pilots and many of the Fleet Air Arm, who underwent the armament phase of their advanced training together with bombing and gunnery training before qualifying for their wings.

Three Service Flying Training Schools operated from RAF Stormy Down throughout the war. In addition, the schools trained Commonwealth and Allied Aircrew to fly with the Royal Air Force.

RAF Stormy Down trained 1,800 RAF and WAAF armourers as well as several hundred sailors destined to become Telegraphist Air Gunners with the Fleet Air Arm.

Towards the end of the war when it ceased to be a flying station it became a Free French Air Force depot for Air Force and Navy Air Arm.

Research has since shown that 22 aircrews who flew on the Dambusters raid trained at RAF Stormy. Of the 19 aircraft that took part in the raid 14 of the aircraft had someone from Stormy, and 12 of the aircrew were killed on the raid.