Page 21 - Dennis Ovenden

teeth markings under the nose of the aircraft. The Tomahawks (and later, Hurricanes) were used
so that the turret operators could practice against fighter attack whilst airborne.

Bomber Command gave No. 30 OTU more responsibility in January 1944 when the unit was
tasked for Air Sea Rescue in addition to its training programme. The flights were piloted and
commanded by instructors on the OTU, but aircrews under training would make up the rest
of the complement.

RAF Seighford was opened up as a satellite and relief landing ground for RAF Hixon and
No.30 OUT, when RAF Wheaton Aston became busier and ceased being RAF Hixon's stand-by
airfield. Quite often, aircrew’s would have to get their aircraft across to RAF Seighford before
missions could begin as the runway at RAF Hixon was not long enough for bombers laden with
4,000 lb bombs. Seighford was also able to operate when Hixon had to cease operations due to
the weather closing in despite there being only a 7.5-mile difference between the two.

The aircraft were experiencing mechanical failure due to age and daily use; the attrition rate of this
was very high. Coupled to the fact that it was a training unit, accidents were rife. After several
crashes where the airframe’s came to rest just beside or even on the railway tracks on at least two
occasions, special phone lines were installed between the tower and the signalling staff controlling
the railways in the event of an airframe fouling the railway lines.

As Hixon was close to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) base at Stone, the airfield was
visited by a myriad of American aircraft as well as General Patton who alighted at RAF Hixon to go
to one of the Prisoner of War camps located close to Rugeley.

The airfield was host to No. 30 Operational Training Unit from its inception in June 1942 up until
February 1945 when the OTU left for RAF Gamston in Nottinghamshire. At the same time that the
OTU was moving out, thirty-seven Beauforts of No.12 (P)AFU from RAF Spitalgate moved in.
No. 12 (P)AFU did not last long though, it was disbanded in June 1945 and the site was given over
to 16 Maintenance Unit from RAF Stafford as a sub-site. 16 MU needed access to storage sites for
the recently returned and surplus military items at the war's end. 16 MU stayed on until November
1957 when the base was put under the care and maintenance programme. The site was disposed
of by sale in August 1962.

Post RAF
In 1968, a transformer built by English Electric en route to Hixon airfield was involved in a crash
with a train on a level crossing on the Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line. English
Electric were using the former airfield hangars to store the transformers with at least six others
having been successfully transported and stored there.

Two of the runways still exist and although they are heavily overgrown, Staffordshire Police use
them for driver training. The former technical site is now occupied by an industrial estate which lets
out space for companies as well as permanent occupancy buildings.
The Control Tower is still extant and has been converted for office and private use. A white
building on the front of Hixon Industrial estate was the medical centre and still has part of the
Morgue in situ.

Curtesy: Wikipedia