The History of the Site

The airfield opened in 1942 as a satellite for RAF Desborough.

The 801st Bomb Group, otheriwse known as The Carpetbaggers, put RAF Harrington on the map with their Special Operations which included missions into enemy occupied territories. They then merged with the 492d Bombardment Group which had unfortunately lost many aircraft and men in a short space of time.

After the War, RAF Harrington was no longer needed and returned to farmland for a short while. in 1958, it was chosen as a site for the RAF's Thor missiles. The three rocket launch pads, that are still visible today were constructed at this time. The whole area was declared top security and fenced off.

Since the deactivation of the Thor missile, the area has been decommissioned and almost all of the concreted areas removed. The main land use now is agriculture.