Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Holme-on-Spalding Moor, East Riding of Yorkshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||
Built | 1940–1941 | ||||||||||||||||||
In use | 1941–1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 16 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 53°48′22″N00°44′31″W / 53.80611°N 0.74194°W Coordinates: 53°48′22″N00°44′31″W / 53.80611°N 0.74194°W | ||||||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
|
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, or more simply RAF Holme is a former Royal Air Force station located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
The site was built during the Second World War, it was used during the war by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a bomber station, and after the war as a transport airfield and bomb store before being "mothballed". In the 1950s, the RAF used the station as a training camp before it was transferred to the United States Air Force (USAF) as a reserve station during the Cold War. After USAF use, it became a testing airfield for Blackburn Aircraft and its successor British Aerospace until 1983, when the airfield was closed. Many of the airfield buildings survive as an industrial estate, but most of the runways have been demolished.
Construction of the airfield began in late 1940, and the airfield was built with three concrete runways and hardstandings for 36 aircraft. The runway headings and lengths were as follows:
A year later, all three runways were extended; Runway 12/30 to 2,000 yards (1,829 m), 04/22 to 1,400 yards (1,280 m) and 08/26 to 1,500 yards (1,372 m). [1]
Three hangars were constructed, a [2] and five Type T2s. [1] The technical buildings, including the administration and control buildings, were to the north east of the runways. The accommodation area was further to the north east of the site, and at its maximum housed over 2,000 service personnel. This was well away from the munition stores, that were to the north west of the site.
Operational command of the station was given to 1 Group of RAF Bomber Command. The first squadron allocated to Holme was 458 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), equipped with Vickers Wellington aircraft. Arriving in August 1941, the squadron conducted its first operation in October 1941, and remained until January 1942. On or about 1 September 1941 the airfield was bombed as a secondary target after a raid on Newcastle with some loss of life. [3] No squadrons were allocated until the extension of the runways was completed, [4] and it was August 1942 before one flight of the Handley Page Halifax equipped 460 Squadron RAAF arrived. This stay only lasted a few weeks before the 460 Squadron aircraft left, [4] and 101 Squadron RAF arrived [5] on transfer from 3 Group. [4] 101 Squadron was in the process of re-equipping with Avro Lancaster aircraft, [5] and did not fly any operations until November 1942. [4]
In June 1943, a reorganisation of group boundaries within Bomber Command saw the station transferred from 1 Group to 4 Group. [4] This change in command resulted in a change of squadrons, with 101 Squadron being replaced by the Halifax equipped 76 Squadron RAF. 76 Squadron remained at Holme until after the end of the war in Europe. [6] 4 Group transferred from Bomber Command to RAF Transport Command in May 1945, and during its final weeks at Holme, 76 Squadron was re-equipped with the Douglas Dakotas. [6] The Dakotas of 76 Squadron were replaced by the same of 512 Squadron in July 1945, before 512 Squadron left in October 1945. [7]
From February 1944 to May 1945, [8] also based at Holme was 1689 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight [9] that flew Hawker Hurricane aircraft on fighter affiliation duties. [lower-alpha 1]
Also based at Holme during 1943–1944 was No. 1520 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF of 23 (Training) Group, RAF Flying Training Command [10] flying Airspeed Oxford aircraft.
After the departure of 512 Squadron, the base was reduced to "care and maintenance" status with just a small number of men to look after it. Part of the airfield was also used as store for surplus bombs. [11]
In 1951, with the Korean War still in progress, the decision was taken to expand the number of stations used for flying training. Holme was one of the airfields chosen, and in March 1952 No. 14 Advanced Flying Training School RAF (14 AFTS) was re-formed at Holme, flying Airspeed Oxford and Percival Prentice aircraft. [13] This use of the airfield did not last long, and 14 AFTS was disbanded in January 1953. [14]
The station was then handed over to the United States Air Force while the proposed main airfield for the USAF in Yorkshire, Elvington was under development. The USAF use did not last long, and the airfield was returned to the RAF in 1957; however, the USAF had lengthened the runways, including extending Runway 12/30 to 2,000 yards (1,829 m).
Surplus to RAF requirements, Holme was leased to Blackburn Aircraft Ltd for use as a test base from 1958. The location was convenient for Blackburn's main factory at Brough Aerodrome, only 16 miles (25.7 km) away, where the runway was not long enough for use by the new aircraft Blackburn was then working on, most especially the Blackburn Buccaneer. [15] The use of Holme passed through Blackburn's acquisition by Hawker Siddeley, and subsequently British Aerospace, until the latter ceased use of Holme in December 1983.
Most of the buildings still stand, and are used as an industrial estate. [16] A memorial to the wartime squadrons stands at the main entrance.
Royal Air Force Elvington or more simply RAF Elvington is a former Royal Air Force station which operated from the beginning of the Second World War until 1992 located at Elvington, Yorkshire, England.
Royal Air Force Honington or more simply RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located 6 mi (9.7 km) south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regiment depot.
Royal Air Force Station Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham is a former Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front-line air force base, operating Quick Reaction Alert (South), before closing in 1993 and is now operated by the British Army as Wattisham Airfield.
Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Royal Air Force Finningley or RAF Finningley was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The station straddled the historic county boundaries of both Nottinghamshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire.
RAF Middleton St George was a Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Bomber Command station during World War II. It was located in County Durham, five miles east of Darlington, England. The station's motto was Shield and Deter. The aerodrome remains active as Teesside International Airport.
Royal Air Force Thurleigh or more simply RAF Thurleigh is a former Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 and designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany.
Royal Air Force Bassingbourn or more simply RAF Bassingbourn is a former Royal Air Force station located in Cambridgeshire approximately 3 mi (5 km) north of Royston, Hertfordshire and 11 mi (18 km) south west of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
Royal Air Force Bottisham or more simply RAF Bottisham is a former Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8 km) east of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
Royal Air Force Attlebridge or more simply RAF Attlebridge is a former Royal Air Force station located near Attlebridge and 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England.
Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located 9 mi (14 km) southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England.
Royal Air Force Beaulieu or more simply RAF Beaulieu is a former Royal Air Force station in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408. It is located next to the village of East Boldre, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the village of Beaulieu and 5 miles (8.0 km) east-northeast of Lymington.
RAF Tholthorpe was a Royal Air Force air station operated by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. The station, which had been opened in the late 1930s as a grass airfield, was located near Easingwold, North Yorkshire, UK. Tholthorpe airfield operated as a sub-station of RAF Linton-on-Ouse.
Royal Air Force Full Sutton or RAF Full Sutton is a former Royal Air Force station located 2 miles (3.2 km) south east of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north west of Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The base did not open until May 1944, and so was the last airfield built for Bomber Command.
Number 76 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed during World War I as a home defence fighter squadron and in its second incarnation during World War II flew as a bomber squadron, first as an operational training unit and later as an active bomber squadron. With the end of the war the squadron converted to the role of transport squadron, to be reactivated shortly in the bomber role during the 1950s. From 2007 to 2011, it was a training unit, equipped with the Short Tucano at RAF Linton-on-Ouse.
Royal Air Force Spilsby or more simply RAF Spilsby is a former Royal Air Force station during the Second World War and the Cold War located in the rural village of Great Steeping, near the market town of Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England.
Royal Air Force Catfoss or more simply RAF Catfoss is a former Royal Air Force station during the Second World War. It was located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Hornsea, Yorkshire, England and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Leconfield, Yorkshire, with the nearest village being Brandesburton.
Royal Air Force Burn or more simply RAF Burn is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 5 miles (8 km) south of Selby and 0.5 miles (0.8 km) east of Burn in North Yorkshire, England which opened in 1942 before closing in 1946.
RAF Pocklington was an operational flying station of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, forming part of Bomber Command, and operating primarily Wellington and Halifax bombers. The station, adjacent to the town of Pocklington at grid reference SE790485, opened in 1941, and was closed in 1946. After a return to agricultural use, the station now forms an industrial estate and a restricted use airfield for a gliding club.
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.