RAF Cowden

Last updated

RAF Cowden
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Great Cowden, East Riding of Yorkshire in England
RAF Cowden Air Weapon Range - geograph.org.uk - 432811.jpg
RAF Cowden Air Weapon Range
East Riding of Yorkshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Cowden
Location of RAF Cowden
Coordinates 53°50′53″N0°06′47″W / 53.848°N 0.113°W / 53.848; -0.113 Coordinates: 53°50′53″N0°06′47″W / 53.848°N 0.113°W / 53.848; -0.113
Grid reference TA241412
TypeBombing range
Area600 acres (240 ha)
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
Operator Royal Air Force
Open to
the public		Yes, limited by EOD operations
Site history
Built1940
In use1940–c. 1945 army use
1959–1998 (1998) air forces use
FateClosed, partly remediated

RAF Cowden was a Royal Air Force bombing range, near to the village of Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site was used by the RAF and other air forces between 1959 and 1998, though the land part of the site was used by the army for training in the Second World War. Since closure, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams have had to visit the site on numerous occasions due to erosion of the cliffs by the North Sea revealing old practise bombs.

Contents

History

The Yorkshire coast has been home to at least five aerial bombing and gunnery ranges; one during the First World War at RAF Marske, [1] one at Skipsea, which was brought into use in the 1920s, [2] [3] short-lived bombing ranges at North Frodingham and Roos during the Second World War, [4] and the Cold War range at Cowden. Land at Great Cowden was requisitioned in 1940 for Aldbrough RAC tank range, which involved the permanent removal of some residents. [5] The buildings left in the villages of Great and Little Cowden were then destroyed as part of the creation of the range. [6] The range was used extensively for training during the Second World War, becoming abandoned later, but then, in 1953, the War Office purchased over 200 acres (81 ha) of land to develop the range. [7] [8]

The site totalled 600 acres (240 ha), [note 1] and used between 1959 and 1998 as a bombing range by the Royal Air Force and NATO air forces. [10] [11] Cowden was equipped with two target railways, and various static targets on land and on the area of the range out to sea. However, the railway was believed to only have been used for tank training. [12] Pilots would often run south eastwards over RAF Cowden, using Hornsea Mere as a landmark and waypoint to guide them onto the range. [13] The range was equipped with four "reinforced concrete quadrant towers", located at TA232415 , TA232414 , TA240406 , and TA244401 . By 1992, only one of the towers was still standing, and was deemed to be at low risk of destruction. [14] However, the rate of erosion at the site was 90 feet (27.4 m) between June 1994 and July 1997. [15]

During the 1980s, the Building Research Establishment, had a test centre for piles at the site. The test bed was into the lowland clay till . [16] [17] Erosion of the cliff edge forced the closure of the site in 1998. [18] As the site is being eroded by the action of the North Sea, the beach is often closed whilst Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams deal with the bombs. [19] [20] The RAF had an EoD team based permanently at the site until 2013, when regular visits were instituted instead. [21]

In April 2001, the site was also investigated as a possible depository of ash from burnt carcasses of cattle who had contracted foot and mouth disease. [22] Also in 2001, claims were made by military veterans and local people that depleted uranium (DU) shells were used by A-10 Tankbuster aircraft on the range. The Ministry of Defence denied this stating that only two locations in the United Kingdom had been used to fire DU; Eskmeer in Cumbria and Kirkcudbright in Scotland. [23] At the same time, there was a desire to convert the site into a nature reserve, which required No. 5131 (BD) Squadron RAF to start a long programme of deactivating and destroying ordnance left at the site. [24]

In February 2021, Brimstone Site Investigation [25] was awarded a £1.5 million contract to clear ordnance from the site over a four-year period. The contract was the first of its kind awarded to a civilian company by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). [26] By the May 2021, they had cleared over 10,000 items or ordnance, with an expected 650,000 items still awaiting disposal. [21]

The site is set to be disposed of from 2022. [27]

Accidents

In March 1961, a Hawker Hunter of No. 1 Squadron stalled on an approach run over the range. It crashed into the sea, and the pilot was killed. The airframe (XE604), was written off. [28]

Names

Whilst being used by the Army during the Second World War, the site was known as Aldbrough RAC. When it was being used as an air weapons range, it was known variously as RAF Cowden, [29] RAF Cowden Sands, [12] RAF Great Cowden, [30] RAF Cowden AWR, [31] AWR Cowden, [32] Cowden Air Range, [33] and Cowden Range. [34]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sources external to the Ministry of Defence quote 600 acres (240 ha), however, by the MoDs assessment, the size of the range was either 670 acres (272 hectares), or 673.5 acres (272.57 hectares). [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Wainfleet</span>

RAF Wainfleet was a Royal Air Force weapons range on The Wash on the east coast of England near Wainfleet, in the civil parish of Friskney, although the north-east part of the range was in Wainfleet St Mary. Other ranges nearby include RAF Holbeach, also on The Wash, and RAF Donna Nook. It was also known as The Wash Bombing Range. It was only a few miles south-west of Gibraltar Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornsea Mere</span> Freshwater lake in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Hornsea Mere is the largest freshwater lake in Yorkshire, England, and lies to the west of Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The mere was used as a base for the Royal Naval Air Service and then latterly, the Royal Air Force during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Aldbrough is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, about 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Hull at the junction of the B1242 and B1238 roads. It lies near to the North Sea coast within the area of Holderness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barmston, East Riding of Yorkshire</span> Village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Barmston is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the Holderness coast, overlooking the North Sea and to the east of the A165 road. Barmston is approximately 6 miles (10 km) south of Bridlington town centre. The parish includes the village of Fraisthorpe, the former villages of Auburn and Hartburn have been abandoned due to coastal erosion. Barmston is mentioned in the Domesday Book as having eight ploughlands and belonging to Drogo of la Beuvrière. The name of the village derives from Beorn's Tūn. According to the 2011 UK census, Barmston and Fraisthorpe parish had a population of 275, a slight decrease on the 2001 UK census figure of 277. The parish covering an area of 1,765.014 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Scorton</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Scorton or more simply RAF Scorton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located next to the village of Scorton in North Yorkshire, England. The base was opened in October 1939 as part of 13 Group RAF Fighter Command and a satellite station of RAF Catterick. It was used by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowden, East Riding of Yorkshire</span> Hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Cowden is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Hornsea and lies just east of the B1242 road towards the North Sea coast. Its name means a hill where charcoal was burnt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Rufforth</span> Former Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Rufforth or RAF Rufforth is a former Royal Air Force station located near Rufforth in North Yorkshire, England. It was used by only one operational squadron on long-range bombing missions during the Second World War, with most flying dedicated to conversion units under the auspices of nearby RAF Marston Moor. Post-war, the RAF used the site to house maintenance units, gliding schools and observation flights. It was completely disposed of by the MoD in 1981, and now is used for civilian light aircraft and glider flying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Cottam</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Cottam or more simply RAF Cottam is a former Royal Air Force satellite airfield near Cottam in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England and 3.9 miles (6.3 km) north west of Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire. The airfield was used only occasionally for flying, mostly being utilised as a bomb storage site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hunmanby Moor</span> Former Royal Air Force training camp in Yorkshire, England

RAF Hunmanby Moor,, was a Royal Air Force training camp during the Second World War in Hunmanby, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site was commandeered at the outbreak of war and returned to civilian use as a holiday camp in 1945. From 1942, many RAF Regiment training courses were run at the site.

RAF Harpur Hill was a Royal Air Force base, situated at Harpur Hill near Buxton, Derbyshire in England. The site was operational from 1938 to 1960 and was mainly used as an underground munitions storage facility. It became the largest ammunitions dump in the country across the 500 acres (200 ha) site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Coast</span> Coastline of Yorkshire, England

The Yorkshire Coast runs from the Tees estuary to the Humber estuary, on the east coast of England. The cliffs at Boulby are the highest on the east coast of England, rising to 660 feet (200 m) above the sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Bridlington</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Bridlington, or more simply RAF Bridlington, was a Royal Air Force station located in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, between 1929 and 1978. Several units operated at Bridlington, Air Gunnery Schools, Initial Training Wings, and an Air Sea Rescue launch unit, but the longest occupier, was No. 1104 Marine Craft Unit (MCU). The station consisted of various buildings across the town that were requisitioned for RAF use before and during the Second World War. Outside of this time, the RAF presence was mostly in the harbour area and as it was such a small unit, No. 1104 MCU was looked after by other RAF Stations nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Bowes Moor</span> Former Royal Air Force munitions site in County Durham, England

RAF Bowes Moor was a chemical warfare agent (CWA) storage site run by the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War. The site was to the north of the village of Bowes in what is now County Durham, England. The Bowes Moor geographical feature runs from the north to the south west of the village. The Royal Air Force used the site to stock its chemical weapon supply, most of which was disposed of in situ by burning. The site, which closed in 1947, is known for the dangerous chemicals which leached into the soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainworth</span> Hamlet in West Yorkshire, England

Hainworth is a hamlet 1 mile (2 km) south of Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The hamlet faces north across the lower end of the Worth Valley with a steep wooded incline towards Keighley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaleber Force</span> A waterfall near Settle in North Yorkshire, England

Scaleber Force, is a 40-foot (12 m) high waterfall on Stockdale Beck, later the Long Preston Beck, that feeds into the River Ribble between Settle and Long Preston in North Yorkshire, England. The waterfall is the result of geological faulting and is a popular tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marske Aerodrome</span> Former military aerodrome in Marske, North Yorkshire, England

Marske Aerodrome was a First World War-era airfield used by the Royal Flying Corps, and later by the Royal Air Force, between 1917 and 1920. The aerodrome was just to the west of the village of Marske-by-the-Sea in Yorkshire, England. Marske aerodrome hosted air gunnery schools and trained pilots in tactics and methods of aerial combat so that they could be deployed to the front. Marske is known for being the aerodrome where W. E. Johns, author of the Biggles books, undertook his training, as well as being noted for some of the flying instructors who were famous among the aircrew cadre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bent Rigg radar station</span> Former Royal Air Force radar site in North Yorkshire, England

Bent Rigg Radar Station,, was a radar site located at Bent Rigg, 0.6 miles (1 km) south of Ravenscar, North Yorkshire, England. Several radar stations had been located in the Ravenscar area from 1938, but a more permanent site was built at Bent Rigg in 1941, which was crewed by technicians and other staff from the Royal Air Force. Bent Rigg, and the wider location around Ravenscar, was deemed "attractive" for the siting of long-range finding equipment. It was originally part of the Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low (CD/CHL) system, designed to detect shipping. Later, it was upgraded with more powerful equipment as part of the Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL). The last recorded use of the station was in September 1944, and it is believed that the site closed soon afterwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wykeham Forest</span> Forest in North Yorkshire, England

Wykeham Forest is a 2,760-acre (1,115-hectare) woodland 6 miles (9.7 km) in the North York Moors National Park, near to Wykeham, west of Scarborough, England. The wood is a mixture of conifer and broadleaf trees, with some open ground and a Forestry Commission nursery. The wood was planted in stages between 1924 and 1987, with open land being purchased by the commission. Recreational activities such as walking, bicycling and horse-riding are undertaken in the forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Hospital Ely</span> Former Royal Air Force hospital in Cambridgeshire, England

RAF Hospital Ely, was a Royal Air Force staffed military hospital in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The hospital opened in 1940, and was one of a handful of Second World War era RAF hospitals that were kept open post Second World War, remaining a military asset until 1992, although it also treated non-service patients, usually those who lived locally. On closure, the hospital became a civilian hospital under the NHS. Although not located on an established RAF Base, RAFH Ely was located within 50 miles (80 km) of forty RAF bases in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Helperby</span> Former RAF base in Yorkshire, England

RAF Helperby, was a First World War era airfield near to the villages of Brafferton and Helperby in North Yorkshire, England. It was used initially by No. 33 Squadron RAF, and then later by No. 76 Squadron RAF in the home defence (HD) role. During the Second World War, the site was used as an ammunition supply depot, being operated by No. 92 Maintenance Unit RAF, and also by the USAAF. The site was known to have stored mustard gas and other chemical weapons during the period of the Second World War.

References

  1. ↑ McEntee-Taylor, Carole (2015). From Colonial Warrior to Western Front Flyer : the Five Wars of Sydney Herbert Bywater Harris. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. p. 159. ISBN   978-1-47382-359-4.
  2. ↑ Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1990). Action stations (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 5. ISBN   0-85059-532-0.
  3. ↑ "North division: Skipsea | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "RANGES (Code B, 62): Roos: practice bombing range requirements". alpha.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Brigham, Buglas & George 2008, p. 87.
  6. ↑ "Rapid coastal zone assessment survey Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: from Bempton to Donna Nook" (PDF). historicengland.org.uk. Historic England. p. 105. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "North division: Mappleton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Tank Range, Yorkshire - Wednesday 24 May 1950 - Hansard - UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Estate Baseline 2009" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 12. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "Military clears 1,000 bombs off East Yorkshire beach". BBC News. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Riley, Anna; Gray, Charles (7 August 2020). "Pictures show 170 bombs found hidden on Yorkshire beach overnight - A 600-acre area of the beach was formerly used by the RAF and US Air Force as a practice bombing range until 1998" . infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  12. 1 2 Historic England. "Great Cowden Air Gunnery Range (915915)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Delve, Ken (2006). Northern England : Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Marlborough: Crowood Press. p. 294. ISBN   1-86126-809-2.
  14. ↑ Historic England. "Quadrant Tower (915927)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "Compensation in the matter of a notice of reference between..." (PDF). urban rim.org.uk. Lands Tribunal. p. 28. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  16. ↑ Sands, M J, ed. (1992). Piling, European practice and worldwide trends : proceedings of a conference organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers, and held in London on 7-9 April 1992. London: T. Telford. p. 246. ISBN   0-7277-1698-0.
  17. ↑ Hobbs, P R N; Jones, L D; Kirkham, M P (2015). "Slope Dynamics Project Report: Holderness Coast - Aldbrough, Drilling & Instrumentation, 2012- 2015" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. British Geological Survey. p. 36. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  18. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver (1 September 2000). "Erosion tips RAF shells on to beach". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "The beach where it's not safe to pick up the shells". The Yorkshire Post. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "Cowden Beach closed for safety reasons". GOV.UK. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  21. 1 2 Wood, Alexandra (29 August 2021). "Huge task to clear up explosives on beach". The Yorkshire Post. p. 9. ISSN   0963-1496.
  22. ↑ "Site is tested as burial ground" . infoweb.newsbank.com. 21 April 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  23. ↑ "Radioactive ammunition could have been used at coastal range" . infoweb.newsbank.com. 5 February 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  24. ↑ Bentham, Martin (29 April 2001). "Bombs cleared from beach wanted as nature reserve". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "Contract awarded to clear unexploded ordnance from Mappleton Beach". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  26. ↑ Wood, Alexandra (6 February 2021). "Bombs on beach to be dealt with by private firm". The Yorkshire Post. p. 11. ISSN   0963-1496.
  27. ↑ "Disposal database: House of Commons report" . Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  28. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Hawker Hunter FGA Mk 9 XE604, 02 Mar 1961". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  29. ↑ "RAF Cowden". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  30. ↑ Brigham, Buglas & George 2008, p. 104.
  31. ↑ Whidborne, R. StJ (1994). Report on the accident involving Royal Air Force Tornado GR1, ZG 754 and Bell 206B JetRanger III, G-BHYW at Farleton Knott near Kendal, Cumbria on 23 June 1993. London: H.M.S.O. p. 4. ISBN   0-11-551283-7.
  32. ↑ "Competing For Quality". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  33. ↑ Fletcher, Harry R (1993). Air Force bases : Air bases outside the United States of America, vol. II. Washington D C: USAF. p. 128. OCLC   71400593.
  34. ↑ "Cowden Range Byelaws" (PDF). Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 1. Retrieved 6 February 2021.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.