Post WW2 and Cold war history from the Harrington museum website
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In those days the RAF Maintenance Units (now called Supply Depots) were responsible for receipt of equipment from manufacturers and its storage until required by Squadrons and other units. When no longer required by such units, their equipment was returned to the appropriate Maintenance Unit. After the war this was returned at such a rate that the massive Maintenance Units could no longer cope and in consequence took under their wing a number of non operational aerodromes in order to use them in a storage capacity
During 1947 – 48 the No 25 Maintenance Unit Hartlebury, Worcestershire, had under their control the aerodromes at Harrington, Chelveston and Diss in Norfolk and into these a stream of Bedford lorries and Queen Mary low loaders delivered equipment until all suitable buildings were filled to capacity.
According to Colin Colleyshaw, the officer commanding at Harrington during this period, manning at Harrington were 40 airmen, 2 Corporals, 2 Sergeants, 1 civilian Clerk of Works and 1 Officer in charge. Quite a bit different to when it was an operational airfield during the war, then there were over 3,000 American servicemen on the base.
After the initial receipt of equipment from units closing down it was essential to classify it into equipment required by the RAF for future use, or equipment surplus to requirements which could be sent to the auctions being held at that time.
Gradually, as surplus equipment was auctioned, storage capacity in the Maintenance Units returned and equipment could be re-shipped to them and the sub-sites, as the aerodromes were called, were de-requisitioned and returned to farming, though in some cases retaining their runways and buildings for a number of years.
Although the airfield at Harrington again fell into disuse and had been returned to farmland, it received a new lease of life when it was selected to become one of the RAF’s Thor missile sites in the late 1950’s.
Three rocket launch pads, which still remain, with ancillary buildings were constructed. The whole area, being declared top security, was fenced off and floodlit. The IRBM WS-315A Thor missile system had a range of 1,500 nautical miles. The 60 ft long Thor missile was powered by a 150,000 lb thrust rocket engine fuelled by liquid oxygen and RP-1, a light cut petrol, and carried a 2 Megaton thermonuclear warhead. Deployment of these missiles commenced in December 1958 and was phased out in 1963 with the advent of the manned V-bombers, the Valiant, Vulcan and Victor, along with an increased threat to fixed installations due to the improved accuracy of Soviet missiles.
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