Royal Marines Base Chivenor is a British military base used primarily by the Royal Marines. It is situated on the northern shore of the Taw estuary, adjacent to the South West Coast Path, on the North coast of Devon, England. Her Majestys Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navys Light Infantry, the United Kingdoms amphibious force and specialists in Arctic and Mountain Warfare. ... River Taw rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor. ... The South West Coast Path passes along the cliffs (seen in the distance) at Ilfracombe, North Devon. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population...

Originally a civil airfield opened in the 1930s, the Royal Air Force took over the site in May of 1940 for use as a Coastal Command Station, calling it RAF Chivenor. After World War II, the station was largely used for training, particularly weapons training. During the 1960s, one of the RAF's Tactical Weapons Units (TWU) used Hawker Hunter aircraft for training. In 1974, the station was left on "care and maintenance", though No. 624 Volunteer Gliding School continued to fly from there. The TWU returned flying BAE Hawks in 1979 and 1981. In 1994, the TWU left Chivenor, merging with No. 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley, with the RAF handing the airfield over to the Royal Marines. The Marines have an existing equipment testing base at Arromanches Camp, in Instow, located across the Taw Estuary and approximately two miles from Chivenor. This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Coastal Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force tasked with protecting the United Kingdom from naval threats. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Sixteen Hunters of the RAF Black Arrows perform aerobatics at the Farnborough Air Show, England. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The BAE Hawk is an advanced jet trainer which first flew in 1974 as the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales. ... Instow is a village in north Devon, near the end of the River Torridge. ...

The RAF still has the "A" flight of 22 Squadron, with two search and rescue Sea King helicopters stationed there, and No. 624 Volunteer Gliding School operating Vigilant T1 motor gliders. No. ... The Sea King helicopter is the only helicopter used by the Norwegian rescue service The Westland Sea King is a license-built version of the Sikorsky helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. ... Mil (Russian Federation) Mi-8, by far the most common model of helicopter in the world with more than 12 thousand units built, sixfold quantity comparing to production of the second most common model Sikorsky S-70. ...

In a spending review that was announced over the summer of 2004, the presence of 22 Squadron at Chivenor was under review. After the flooding at Boscastle, this threat was rescinded. However, future defence spending cuts may still see the withdrawal of the Royal Marines and the closure of the fixed-wing airbase. Location within the British Isles Boscastle (Cornish: Kastell Boterel) is a small town on the north coast of Cornwall, in the extreme southwest of Britain. ...

Trivia

When Peter Carter is washed ashore in A Matter of Life and Death, the filming location was Saunton Sands, the seaward (westward) portion of Braunton Burrows dune system. As he talks to the shepherd boy, the De Havilland Mosquito that flys over him almost certainly has just taken off from RAF Chivenor, which borders the dune system to the east. Bomber pilot Peter Carter (David Niven), washed up on a strange beach. ... Braunton Burrows is a sand dune system on the North Devon coast. ... The de Havilland Mosquito (The Wooden Wonder a. ...

External links

• 624 Volunteer Gliding Squadron
• 22 Squadron
• BBC News, 15th October 2004