History of RAF Burtonwood and old pictures of the site

RAF Burtonwood opened in 1939, just in time for the crucial Battle of Britain, and the United States Army Air Force, which took over in 1942, played a vital support role for the war in Europe.

The site also played a vital role in the Berlin Airlift of 1948 and through the era of the Cold War.

In 1967 Burtonwood became the largest US base in Europe, having expanded to cover a 15-mile site between 1948 and 1958.

During Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War and the parallel conflict in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, it was rumoured that the supply depot held everything from a safety pin to a Sherman tank.

Once the US Army pulled out of the base in 1993, its fate was effectively sealed.

Photographer Eddie Whitham, who worked at the airbase in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has delved into his archives and produced more brilliant photos of the base in action.

One of the many residences on the airbase, with this one being home to the base colonel

Rows upon rows of jeeps stationed at the base

Rows upon rows of jeeps stationed at the base

RAF Burtonwood

One of the large indoor areas on the airbase

Military equipment of all shapes and sizes could be found on site

Supplies are loaded onto a Chinook helicopter to transport ultimitely to assist the First Gulf War effort

Rolls and rolls of barbed wire

RAF Burtonwood from above

RAF Burtonwood from above

RAF Burtonwood from above

Training in gas equipment

Engineers ensure equipment is in working order

Workers ensure equipment is in working order