Latitude 52°29'22"N Longitude 01°23'53"W

   

ACQUISITION

Transferred from No.4 Group RAF to Admiralty 01 December1946

 

COMMISSIONED

03 December 1946 as H.M.S. Gamecock.

 

PAID OFF

10 November 1958

 

CLOSED

10 November 1958 transferred to the Army.

   

C.O./O.I.C.

 
   

FUNCTION

Air Mechanic Part 3 Training.

P.E.M. (Air)-Flight Servicing Course.

Midland Air Division R.N.V.R.

Instructional Technique Course.

No. 1 M.W.U.

A.T.C. Gliding School.

Contact Airfield.

 

ADDRESS

R.N. Air Station,

Bramcote,

Nuneaton,

Warwickshire

 

LOCALITY

The airfield lies 18 miles E. of Birmingham, 5½ miles NE of Coventry and 2½ miles SE. of Nuneaton. Rugby is 8½ miles SE. and Bramcote Sanatorium adjacent NNW.

 

LANDMARKS

Radio masts 820' high 12 miles SE.
The bend in the Watling Street (Road A.5) is 3 miles E.
The Ashby-dc-la-Zouch Canal within I mile of the airfield's NW. boundary.

 

ROAD AND RAIL ACCESS

Main road to Nuneaton 3½ miles (R) and Coventry 9¾ miles (R).

Passengers and goods to Nuneaton, Trent Valley, Station M.R. Railway 4½ miles (R) on the main line Euston to Glasgow.

   
   

CONTROL

Control Building on N. side of landing area. Keeps watch o800-1500 Mondays to Fridays.

 

ELEVATION

378' above M.S.L.

 

RUNWAYS

Three, Sommerfeld tracking.

 

03/21 QDM. 030° -210° .... 1600 x 50 yds.
08/26 QDM. 08-265° .... 1400 X 50 yds.
13/31 QDM. 126° -306° .... 1400 x 50 yds.

 

TRACKS

Perimeter track varying from 20' to 45' in width.

 

OBSTRUCTIONS

Navigation

None.

Circuit

None.

Approach

None.

 

APPROACH

No special approach recommended.

 

WIND INDICATOR

Not known.

   
   

HOMING - VISUAL

By day

None.

By night

None.

 

HOMING--RADIO

D/F

VH/F

Beacons

Y.G.

 

APPROACH - VISUAL

By day

None.

By night

Airfield lighting MK.II.

 

APPROACH - RADIO

None.

 

COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

M/F & H/F

2 transmitters, 2 receivers

VH/F

4 transmitters, 2 receivers

 

CALL SIGNS

 R/T     

BRAMCOTE

W/T

GZB

Identity Letters

BC (later BR)

   

GROUND RADAR

None.

   
   

ACCOMMODATION

Living quarters n camp 1/4 mile N. of landing area.

 

Capacity:

Officers:

88

Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings:

1,340

W.R.N.S. Officers:

4

W.R.N.S.  Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings;

120

 

ARMOURIES

Not known.

 

COMPASS BASE

One 70' diameter.

 

DISPERSAL

30 hardstandings dispersed round perimeter.

 

HANGARS

 

Number /Type

Size

Door Height

Door Width

5 x Type "C"

300' x 150'

35'

150'

       

MEDICAL

Sick Quarters in main site.

 

METEOROLOGICAL

Limited service by Naval personnel.

 

FUEL AND OIL

Aviation:

144,000 gallons in 2 installations.

M/T:

Not known.

Oil :

Not known.

   

TEST BASE

Not known.

 

TEST BUTT

25 yd. range for M.G.

 

WORKSHOPS

Yes, both training and squadron support, details not known

 

VISITORS

Not Known.

 

EXPLOSIVES

Not Known.

 

BOMBING AND FIRING RANGES

None

   
   

Information taken from B.R. 1807. Admiralty Handbook of Naval Air Stations Dec. 48

 

 

List of first and second line squadrons, station flight and other flying units based at this location

 

801

 

Two Seat Fighter Squadron

Detachment (7) operated here 09- 15.06.48 from RNAS Anthorn.

Equipped with Sea Hornet F.20s.


813

Single Seat Fighter Squadron

Moved here from RNAS Anthorn 09 .06.48, returned to RNAS Anthorn 12.06.48

Equipped with 12 Firebrand TF.5s.


815

Anti Submarine Squadron

Moved here from RNAS Eglinton 09.07.54. Returned to RNAS Eglinton 12.07.54.

Equipped with Avenger AS.5s.


1833

RNVR (Air) Fighter squadron

Reformed herd 14.08.47 with 6 Seafire F.17. Re-equipped June 1952 with Seafire FR.47s.

Further re-equipped February 1964 with Sea Fury FB.11s. and finally 7 Supermarine Attackers in October 1955.

Moved to R.A.F. Honiley 23.10.55


1844

RNVR (Air) Anti-Submarine squadron

Reformed here 15.02.54 with 6 Firefly Mk. 5. Re-equipped with Firefly Mk. 6 in December 1955 and finally receiving Avenger AS. 5s in March 1956.

Disbanded here 10.03.57.


 

PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

 

 

Click here for a list of Primary sources


Additional sources:

 

Admiralty Fleet Orders:

 

Confidential Admiralty Fleet Orders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Comments (3)

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Topic: Bramcote
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Tony Drury
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5
Mar 2015
Tony Drury (UK) says...

Thanks for pointing these typos out to me. These are the result of early OCR used to scan the original pages from the RN handbook, and I'm sure others are lurking on other entries, which I will fix as I find them. Looking at the original pages, I have inserted the correct distances given in 1958. I have also updated the functions to include Midland Air Division and live links to the two squadrons that formed this unit.

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Terry Bowcutt
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1
Nov 2025
Terry Bowcutt (Fareham, Hampshire, UK) says...

The mileages are incorrect under the 'locality' heading.

Distance to Coventry should read 5.1 miles, not 51 miles.

Distance to Nuneaton should read 2.4 miles, not 24 miles.

Distance to Rugby should read 8.1 miles, not 81 miles.

Distance from Birmingham sounds about right.

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Malcolm Essl
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1
Nov 2020
First Poster
Malcolm Essl (Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK) says...

I am trying to research Lt. Maxwell N Savege who was posted to HMS Gamecock and who died there in February 1956.

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