RAF Ash

RAF Ash
Near Sandwich, Kent in England
The entrance to former RAF Ash during 2008
RAF AshLocation within Kent
Coordinates	51°16′8.04″N 1°17′40.92″E / 51.2689000°N 1.2947000°E / 51.2689000; 1.2947000
Type	Air defence Control & Reporting Centre
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence (MOD)
Operator	Royal Air Force
Condition	Closed
Site history
Built	1942 (1942) – 1943
In use	1943–1958 (as RAF Sandwich) 1986 – 1995 (1995) (as RAF Ash)
Fate	Site sold in 1998 for civilian use, bunker now used as a data centre

Royal Air Force Ash or more simply RAF Ash (formerly RAF Sandwich) was a Royal Air Force underground control centre and radar station situated near the village of Woodnesborough, Kent, England.

History

RAF Sandwich

RAF Sandwich was originally a Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) site situated in Ash Road, Sandwich. However, after the Second World War the area was chosen for one of a chain of ROTOR air defence radar stations and the site was relocated to an underground bunker 1.5 miles to the southwest in Marshborough Road, Ash. The site later closed on 1 October 1958 and was sold on 22 March 1965.

In 1980 the site was re-acquired by the RAF for the development of Improved UK Air Defence Ground Environment (IUKADGE) and became operational as RAF Ash on 6 January 1986. It closed as an RAF station in 1995. The Ministry of Defence sold the site on 24 July 1998.

Post-closure

The site is now used as a secure data centre by The Bunker, an Internet hosting company.

References

^ "Sandwich". RAF Heraldry Trust. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
"House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 2 Dec 1999 (pt 5)". publications.parliament.uk. 2 December 1999. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
"About – The Bunker". thebunker.net. Retrieved 9 April 2018.

External links

RAF Sandwich/RAF Ash
www.thebunker.net – current owners

Royal Air Force

Ministry of Defence

formations
and units

units	Commands Groups Wings Squadrons Flights Conversion units Operational Training units Schools / Training units Ferry units Glider units Misc units
stations	Active Former Satellite Landing Grounds
Regiment	Wings Squadrons Flights

branches and
components

reserve forces

equipment

personnel

appointments

symbols and uniform

associated civil
organisations

Royal Air Force radar stations

UK radar
stations

active	Benbecula Brizlee Wood Buchan Neatishead Portreath Saxa Vord Staxton Wold
former	Aird Uig Ash Bawdsey Beachy Head Bempton Bent Rigg Bishops Court Chenies Craster Cresswell Danby Beacon Donna Nook Dry Tree Goldsborough Holmpton Hope Cove Kilchiaran Patrington Portland Ringstead Sopley Stenigot Swingate Down Trimingham Ventnor West Beckham

worldwide
radar stations

active	Byron Heights (Falkland Islands) Mount Alice (Falkland Islands) Mount Kent (Falkland Islands) Mount Olympus (Cyprus)
former	Madalena (Malta)

notes

1: Still in RAF use as a bombing range

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