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Old 22nd Jun 2011, 14:25
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pebox
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
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RAF Milton

Not sure if this is of any interest or not - many years have passed since it was first raised.
Origins
Didcot was in a strategic position as far as railways were concerned offering easy access to all parts of the country (pre-Beeching). Recognising its important position the Army began to construct an Ordnance Depot to the north-west of the village in 1915. The supply of equipment for the Royal Flying Corps was initially handled by Army Ordnance but the changing requirements of a rapidly expanding flying service led to a number of separate depots being set up, eventually under the direct control of the RFC The First was at Farnborough, the second at Greenwich and what became Milton was the third.
Half of the almost complete Ordnance Depot at Didcot was transferred to the new depot which was to take the name Milton (Steventon); it opened in April 1916 to service the needs of RFC (and subsequently RAF) flying training stations, which locally included Upper Heyford, Bicester, Witney, Weston-on-the-Green and Oxford (Port Meadow).

Officially, by the end of WWI, it was 3 Stores Depot, South-Eastern Area, RAF, but known locally as Milton Stores Depot, or just plain Milton Depot. Rapid contraction of the RAF after the war led to a reduction in the number of depots required to support it; Milton was one of three to survive, later it was re-designated 3 MU. The others were Kidbrooke (No 1), Ickenham (No 4) and later a forth was added - Altrincham (No 2).
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