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.[1]
RAF Ash
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.[1] The Ministry of Defence sold the site on 24 July 1998.[2]
Post-closure
The site is now used as a secure data centre by The Bunker, an Internet hosting company.[3]
References
- ^ a b "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
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