Has anybody ever seen mail from RAF Hawthorn.

[Chris Weddell]

Hello All,

              I have been going though some covers and have found a cover claiming to be from RAF Hawthorn on a small note inside. This cover is registered with no official postal marks and just dated Hawthorn Wilts cds handstamps.

I am at the moment taking this cover to be sent from someone at the secret RAF underground base as the cover was collected by a known member of the society and noted as such.

Has anyone seen any mail at all from this base.

                                                                          Cheers

                                                                            Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris

I've had a quick look through "Postal Markings of RAF, RFC and RNAS Stations in the United Kingdom 1918-1968" by Bill Garrard (published by FPHS, 1990) and cannot find Hawthorn listed.  Sorry.

Mike  :(

[Nick Colley]

Not sure what you mean by secret underground base, Chris, but 10 Group Operations Centre was at Rudloe Manor, quite close by - about a mile away from Hawthorn. See attached map. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Rudloe_Manor

chrs
N

[Chris Weddell]

Nick,

          Thank you for your help. There was a bunker at Hawthorn which was part of the signals operation centre. There were a number of things going around in this area during the 1950's and 60's. I can post the cover but it is just a recoded cover with no RAF or War Office  markings. There are a few things on the web about what went on there. There was a gate by the post office in Hawthorne which led to one of the entrances to the bunker!!

                                                        Chris

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris

I can only find one reference to RAF Hawthorn in The National Archives:

Operations Record Books - Miscellaneous units:
AIR 29/2903
Southern Sector Operations Centre, RAF Box (Hawthorn). With appendices
(Period covered: 1956 Jan-1958 Feb )

There does not appear to be anything in The Postal Museum Archive specific to RAF Hawthorn.

Mike  :)

[Chris Weddell]

Mike,

          Thank you for this. I am going to write it up as possibly from and use the little bit of info which came from AK.

                                                          Cheers

                                                          Chris

[Colin Tabeart]

This is pure speculation. Could it have been a Civil Defence underground HQ in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK during the Cold War? Every County had one, some very sophisticated, and many District Councils also had smaller (and less effective) ones?
Best wishes
Colin

[Peter Harvey]

There is a great deal of information about Hawthorn on the web, as example https://www.higgypop.com/news/beneath-corsham/

In my RAF days in the early 1980's I was based at Biggin Hill but had a 'civil disaster roll at RAF Daws Hill near High Wycombe, this was very much the same as Hawthorn, large underground 'cold war' military/civil defence base, for essential personnel. At that time to be used if a 'big bang' happened with significant comms, weather monitoring and mapping areas to track fall out from weapons hitting the UK...... nothing secret about this now days, but back then from the outside, these bases were kept very secret.

I would assume any mail from these locations would be 'cachet' covers, but could have been through RAFPO's at the typically adjacent camps.

[Chris Weddell]

Thank you Colin and Peter for your help.

                  Cheers

                  Chris