Chilmark Quarries and its underground limestone mines and the surrounding land were acquired by the Air Ministry in 1936 and served as a bomb store, RAF Chilmark, throughout WW2.
Close to the village of Chilmark the huge quarry workings had been supplied the stone for the building of Salisbury Cathedral.There was a standard-gauge transfer station at Ham Cross, with afour mile spur from Chilmark to the BR connection at Dinton which utilises part of the old double track main line from Exeter to Salisbury.
Much of the underground railway, within the individual bomb stores was operated by battery electric locos, one of which was Baguley Drewery 3703, now preserved on the Golden Valley Railway in Derbyshire.
The above ground system also served the Chilmark Stone Mine that was located within RAF Chilmark.
The first consignment of war stores arrived in May 1937, unlike most other WW2 RAF depots, Chilmark continued in use after the war but by 1965 chilmark was the RAF's only ammunition supply depot and In 1994 supplies were transferred to the Nato depot at Glen Douglas in Scotland, prior to the complete closure of Chilmark in April 1995 with the loss of 200 jobs
RAF Chilmark was finally decommissioned in 1996 and most of the remaining 2ft gauge railway equipment disposed of in a MOD tender
Got to be one of my favs this place.
