RAF Harrogate | |
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Harrogate, North Yorkshire in England | |
Coordinates | 53°58′43.6″N1°32′34.8″W / 53.978778°N 1.543000°W Coordinates: 53°58′43.6″N1°32′34.8″W / 53.978778°N 1.543000°W |
Type | RAF administrative station |
Site information | |
Owner | Ministry of Defence |
Operator | Air Ministry Royal Air Force Ministry of Defence |
Condition | Closed |
Site history | |
Built | 1940 |
In use | 1940–1994 |
Fate | Sold, buildings demolished and site redeveloped for housing. |
Royal Air Force Harrogate or RAF Harrogate, sometimes known as Ministry of Defence (MoD) Harrogate, was the name for two distinct Royal Air Force establishments within the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The main site was at St George's in the south-west of the town and was home to a medical training establishment (MTE), supply branch and Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) training centre. The site was demolished in 1994. The term RAF Harrogate was also applied to the requisition of several hotels in Harrogate town centre which acted as a No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre during World War II. This should not be confused with RAF Menwith Hill, a current RAF base near Harrogate.
The Air Ministry Unit was situated on St George's Road in Harrogate and consisted of non-flying training, a medical training establishment (MTE) and also functioned as a logistics base. [1] During the Second World War, the unit's main role was to carry out recruit training for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and also provide a headquarters (and clerical site) for No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (No. 7 PRC) which processed mostly aircrew returning from overseas during the Second World War (especially after training courses). [2] Other reception centres were also being activated at this time (Brighton, Heaton Park, Bournemouth and many others) with some being solely for Dominion or RAAF crews, which left No.7 PRC as a processing centre only for Royal Air Force crews. [3]
Many of the staff rotating through No. 7 PRC were billeted in the hotels in the centre of Harrogate. The hotels were requisitioned by the Air Ministry in anticipation of London being bombed in the early days of the Second World War. This cluster of Hotels were also commonly referred to as RAF Harrogate by the aircrew and local people. [4] One of the largest contingents was over 700 aircrew billeted at The Queen Hotel in Harrogate, which was handed back in 1946 (the Crown Hotel in Harrogate was not de-requisitioned for war purposes until 1958). [5]
WAAF recruit training would be held at RAF Harrogate between May 1940 and August 1941. It was named just WAAF Depot until January 1941 when it was renamed No. 1 WAAF Depot. [6] WAAF recruits were also billeted in hotels in the town and were drilled outside the hotels rather than back at the headquarters site. [7] Recruit training intakes officially ended in May 1941, and training was transferred to RAF Bridgnorth in Shropshire, but training there did not come on stream officially until September of the same year. [8]
After the Second World War, No.7 PRC Moved to Market Harborough in Leicestershire in December 1945. [9] The medical training establishment continued to 1946 [10] and the rest of the site continued as part of the supply chain under various names (RAF Harrogate, MoD Harrogate, Support Manangement Group) but was most often referred to as MoD Harrogate [11] with a name change to RAF Harrogate in 1992 when its responsibility was being wound down and staff and processes were being transferred to RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. At the time of its closure, RAF Harrogate had over 1,200 civilian staff and over 300 military staff working at the site. [11] The responsibilities of RAF Harrogate were transferred to the new Support Command at RAF Brampton on 1 April 1994. [12]
The list below contains details of those well-known people who were posted to, or dealt with by RAF Harrogate.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history. In particular, it played a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain.
Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by 2025.
Royal Air Force Digby otherwise known as RAF Digby is a Royal Air Force station located near Scopwick and 11.6 mi (18.7 km) south east of Lincoln, in Lincolnshire, England. The station is home to the tri-service Joint Service Signals Organisation, part of the Joint Forces Intelligence Group of Joint Forces Command. Other units include the RAF Aerial Erector School, No. 54 Signals Unit and No. 591 Signals Unit.
Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trains the RAF's new officers and Aircrew. The motto, Altium Altrix, meaning "Nurture the highest" appears above the main doors of the Officers Mess. RAF Cranwell is currently commanded by Group Captain Joanne Campbell.
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs, was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.
Intelligence services in the Royal Air Force are delivered by Officers of the Royal Air Force Intelligence Branch and Airmen from the Intelligence Analyst Trade and Intelligence Analyst (Voice) Trade. The specialisation has around 1,200 personnel of all ranks posted to operational air stations, HQs and other establishments of the British Armed Forces, both in the United Kingdom and overseas.
MoD Boscombe Down(ICAO: EGDM) is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 2001 by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), the active reserve for the RAF, by providing an additional non-active reserve. However during the Second World War the high demand for aircrew absorbed all available RAuxAF personnel and led the RAFVR to quickly become the main pathway of aircrew entry into the RAF. It was initially composed of civilians recruited from neighbourhood reserve flying schools, run by civilian contractors with largely RAF-trained flying instructors as well as other instructors in related air war functions, such as observers and wireless operators.
RAF Bridgnorth was a Royal Air Force Station, created after the outbreak of World War II on 6 November 1939, at Stanmore, to the east of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England. However, as RAF Stanmore Park already existed in Middlesex, it was named RAF Bridgnorth. Although during its existence various static aeroplanes were displayed as Gate Guardians, RAF Bridgnorth never had a runway.
Air Commandant Dame Felicity Hyde, Lady Peake was the founding director of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) She started flying when her first husband took up the hobby in 1935, but in 1946 became the first director of the WRAF. She was Honorary Aide-de-camp to King George VI from 1949 to 1950.
The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with officer and aircrew selection. Originally established as a naval aviation training centre during World War I, the College was established as the world's first air academy in 1919. During World War II, the College was closed and its facilities were used as a flying training school. Reopening after the War, the College absorbed the Royal Air Force Technical College in 1966.
Royal Air Force Cammeringham or more simply RAF Cammeringham was a Royal Air Force station used by RAF Bomber Command between 1940 and 1945 and the Polish Air Force until 1946. The airfield was located between the A15 and B1398 roads, 10.3 mi (16.6 km) north of the city Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England and due east of the village of Ingham.
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.
RNAS Hornsea Mere,, was a Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base located on Hornsea Mere, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The mere was used for seaplanes because it was close to the sea and because its still water made it easier to launch the planes. Initially used as a relief site, the base became a full station in 1918, and was vacated in 1919. Many of the original buildings and earthworks survive.
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force was the female auxiliary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. Established in 1941, it began with an initial draft of 200 women, reaching a peak strength of about 3,800, with a total of about 4,750 women passing through its ranks, of who more than 100 achieved commissioned officer rank.
Air Commodore Dame Felicity Barbara Hill, was a British Royal Air Force officer. From 1966 to 1969, she served as Director of the Women's Royal Air Force. She died in January 2019 at the age of 103.
Air Commandant Dame Mary Henrietta Barnett, known as Henrietta Barnett, was a senior officer of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF). From 1956 to 1960, she served as its director.
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.