RAF Greenham Common: Difference between revisions

| type = [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|Royal Air Force station]]

| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]] (built 1950s)

}}'''Royal Air Force Greenham Common''' or more simply '''RAF Greenham Common''' is a former [[Royal Air Force]] [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|station]] in the [[civil parish|civil parishes]] of [[Greenham]] and [[Thatcham]] in the [[England|English]] [[county]] of [[Berkshire]].<ref name=MBTVH>{{cite book|last=Ford|first=David Nash|date=2020|title=West Berkshire Town and Village Histories|url=http://www.nashfordpublishing.co.uk/publications/west_berkshire_town_and_village_histories.html|location=Wokingham|publisher=Nash Ford Publishing|pages=125–133|isbn=9781905191031}}</ref> The airfield was southeast of [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]], about {{convert|55|mi|km}} west of London.

=====Nuclear Accidentaccident=====

On 28 February 1958, a B-47E, of the 310th Bombardment Wing developed problems shortly after takeoff and jettisoned its two 1,700 gallon [[Drop tank|external fuel tank]]s. They missed their designated safe impact area, and one hit a hangar while the other struck the ground {{convert|65|ft|m}} behind a parked plane. The parked B-47E, registration 53-6216, which was fuelled and had a pilot on board, was engulfed by flames; 2two ground crew were killed and two were injured. <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1953.html|title=1953 USAF Serial Numbers|website=www.joebaugher.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://silo.tips/download/major-robert-a-mortland-co-pilot-30-clarion-penn-killed-link-369bs-306bw-macdill|title=[PDF] Major Robert A. Mortland Co-Pilot 30 Clarion, Penn. killed LINK. 369BS 306BW MacDill AFB, FL. Mishap on landing. Structural problems - Free Download PDF|website=silo.tips}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1958-03-05/debates/5b625702-7336-41ff-9d3d-978b8889f329/UsafAircraftAccidentGreenhamCommon|title=Usaf Aircraft Accident, Greenham Common|date=5 March 1958|publisher=Hansard|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atomicarchive.com/almanac/broken-arrows/index.html |title=Report on the fire with nuclear weapon on board, with resulting nuclear contamination|publisher=Atomic Archive|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/288511919883369184/ |title=Photo of 53-62-16 the actual plane that burned in the incident|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wiseinternational.org/nuclear-monitor/456/1958-accident-greenham-common-covered |title=1958 accident at Greenham Common covered up|publisher=Wise International|access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref>

Two scientists, F. H. Cripps and A. Stimson, who both worked for the [[Atomic Weapons Research Establishment]] at [[Aldermaston]], stated in a secret 1961 report, released by the [[CND]] in 1996, that the fire detonated the high explosives in a nuclear weapon, that [[plutonium]] and [[uranium oxide]]s were spread over a wide area (foliage up to 8&nbsp;mi (13&nbsp;km) away was contaminated with [[uranium-235]]) and that they had discovered high concentrations of radioactive contamination around the air baseairfield.<ref>''The Distribution of Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239 around the United States Air Force base at Greenham Common'', July 1961 by F H Cripps & A Stimson, AWRE, Aldermaston</ref>

However, a radiological survey commissioned in 1997 by [[West Berkshire|Newbury District Council]] and [[Basingstoke and Deane|Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council]] found no evidence of a [[nuclear accident]] at Greenham Common, suggesting that Cripps and Stimson's statements were false. The seven-month -long survey was carried out by the Geosciences Advisory Unit of [[Southampton University]] and combined a [[helicopter]]-mounted [[gamma ray]] detector survey with a ground-based survey. The team analysed nearly 600 samples taken from soil, lake sediment, borehole water, house dust, runway tarmac and concrete, looking for uranium and plutonium [[isotope]]s. No evidence of an accident involving nuclear weapons damage was found at the former air force base although the ground survey detected some low-level uranium contamination around the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston thought to be derived from that facility, and the helicopter survey found some anomalies around [[Harwell Laboratory]].<ref>[http://www.soton.ac.uk/~newrep/vol14/no12news.html Greenham Common given 'all-clear'-leaving childhood leukaemia clusters a mystery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211100755/http://www.soton.ac.uk/~newrep/vol14/no12news.html |date=11 December 2005 }}, Southampton University in-house newsletter ''New Reporter'' Vol 14, No 12, 10 March 1997</ref>

[[File:Greenham Common GAMA missile shelters.jpg|thumb|The [[BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile|Groundcruise Launchedmissile Cruise Missileshelters]]]]

Following the 1979 [[NATO Double-Track Decision]], in June 1980, RAF Greenham Common was selected as one of two British bases for the USAF's mobile nuclear armed [[BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile|BGM-109G Gryphon Ground Launched Cruise Missile]] (GLCM).<ref>[httphttps://hansardapi.millbanksystemsparliament.comuk/historic-hansard/commons/1980/jun/17/cruise-missile-sites#S5CV0986P0_19800617_HOC_171 Statement of the Secretary of State for Defence], [[Francis Pym]]; ''Hansard'' 17 June 1980</ref> This missile was derived from the sea-launched [[Tomahawk (missile)|Tomahawk Land Attack Missile]]. Some missiles were deployed at [[RAF Molesworth]], but the majority of GLCMs were deployed at RAF Greenham Common.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MWB15804&resourceID=1030|title=GAMA - Cruise Missile Shelter Complex, Greenham Common airbase|publisher=Heritage Gateway|access-date=27 November 2021}}</ref>

In 1997 Greenham Common was designated as public parkland, effectively returning it to its pre-Second World War status but with restrictions. [[Greenham and Crookham Commons]] became a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003118%27 |title=Magic Map Application |publisher=Magic.defra.gov.uk |access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="sssi">{{cite web |url=https://necmsi.esdm.co.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1003118.pdf |title=Site name: Greenham and Crookham Commons |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-date=20 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320144544/https://necmsi.esdm.co.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1003118.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Cold War era control tower has recently been redeveloped and is now open as a visitor centre with a historical exhibition and community cafe. Cattle from local farms are permitted to graze the Common and often stray onto the adjacent Burys Bank Road.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-12-22|title=Drivers urged to slow down and be vigilant for cattle in Greenham|url=https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/drivers-urged-to-slow-down-and-be-vigilant-for-cattle-in-greenham/|access-date=2020-10-06|website=inyourarea.co.uk}}</ref>

Greenham Common airfield was used as a filming location for the 2015 film ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]'' and 2017 film ''[[Star Wars: The Last Jedi]]''. The GAMA ''(GLCM Alert and Maintenance Area)'' area was used as the location for the above ground [[Resistance (Star Wars)|Resistance]] base on the fictional planet D'Qar.<ref name=sw2014>{{cite news|title=Star Wars surprise: Millennium Falcon and X-Wing pictured|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29144135|access-date=11 September 2014|work=BBC News|date=10 September 2014}}</ref>

{{Portal|Berkshire|World War II}}