No. 26 Operational Training Unit RAF

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Brief History

Originally planned to be a Blenheim training unit at RAF Cranfield , with personnel for the unit arriving from November 1941, it was eventually formed on 15 Jan 1942 equipped with Wellingtons to train night bomber crews. A satellite at Cheddington was taken over in March 1942 with the first aircraft arriving on 22 March in the form of four Avro Ansons and the following day the first Vickers Wellington. The first 15 members of course No 1 arrived on 21 April, with 14 more arriving before training officially beginning on 25 April.

On 11 May 1942 it had expanded to full strength. Along with other OTUs it provided aircraft for the three 'Thousand Bomber' raids, 30/31 May against Cologne, 1/2 June against Essen and 25/26 June against Bremen, losing one aircraft on each of the first and last raid. In September Cheddington was handed over to the USAAF and in its place the unit took over Little Horwood. From 9 Apr 1945, the station began to be an arrival point for aircraft transporting ex-prisoners of war from the continent and during the following month 32,822 personnel were returned from the continent through RAF Wing. Intneded to be disbanded on 4 Mar 1946, it continued to report activity into April 146 with no mention of a disbandment.

Trainees

• William James (Jim) Morcombe 4 May - 11 Aug 1943