RAF Montrose

Last updated

RAF Montrose
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Montrose, Angus in  Scotland
Angus UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Montrose
Shown within Angus
United Kingdom adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Montrose
RAF Montrose (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates 56°43′44″N002°27′06″W / 56.72889°N 2.45167°W / 56.72889; -2.45167
TypeRoyal Air Force station
Site information
Owner Air Ministry
Operator Royal Air Force
Controlled by RAF Fighter Command
RAF Flying Training Command
Site history
Built1913 (1913)
In use1913-1952 (1952)
Battles/wars First World War
European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Identifiers ICAO: X6MO [1]
Elevation10 metres (33 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00 Grass
00/00 Grass

Royal Air Force Montrose or more simply RAF Montrose is a former Royal Air Force station in Forfarshire (now more commonly called Angus) in Scotland. It became the first operational military aerodrome to be established in the United Kingdom on 26 February 1913. [2]

Contents

History

First World War

In 1912 the British government planned twelve "Air Stations" operated by the Royal Flying Corps. Under the instructions of the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, the first of these was at Montrose, allowing aircraft the ability to protect the Royal Navy bases at Rosyth, Cromarty and Scapa Flow. [3]

On 13 February 1913 five aircraft of No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps took off from RAF Farnborough under the command of Major C J Burke. The 450 miles (720 km) journey north was completed in a series of stages over the following 13 days. The aircraft landed at Upper Dysart Farm on 26 February, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Montrose, thus making it the first operational military airfield to be established in the United Kingdom. [2]

Not considering the site ideal, after surveying the area Major Burke obtained an agreement to move the base to Broomfield Farm, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town. At the end of 1913 Army Engineers erected three hangars of Indian Army Shed design on the site (known as the "Major Burkes sheds"), enabling the squadron to move there at the start of 1914. [3]

World War I started on 28 July 1914 and in August of that year No.2 squadron moved to France. [4] The first pilot to land in France after the declaration of war was Lieutenant H.D. Harvey-Kelly of No.2 Squadron RFC. Another of the squadrons' pilots, 2nd Lt. W B Rhodes-Moorhouse, became the first pilot to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Unfortunately it was awarded posthumously on 26 April 1915.

No.2 squadron never returned to Montrose but as the war progressed several new ones were stationed there. [5]

Squadrons at Montrose

Other Units at Montrose

It became a major training airfield with Americans arriving in 1918 to train for the Western Front, and Canadian and British Squadrons forming.

Aircraft flown at Montrose

Armstrong Whitworth F.K.3  : Avro 504 A/J/K : Bristol F.2 B  : Bristol Scout C/D: Caudron G.3  : Curtiss JN-4 / JN-3 : Airco DH.1, DH2, DH4, DH6, DH9  : Maurice Farman MF.7 Longhorn: Maurice Farman MF.11 Shortman  : Grahame-White Type XV: Martinsyde S.1  : Martinsyde G.100 Elephant : Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 b/c/d/e : Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 /c : Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b  : Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8  : Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8: Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 /a : Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter  : Sopwith Camel  : Sopwith Pup  : Vickers FB9  :

Between the Wars

RAF Montrose closed in 1920. Starting in 1924 the Major Burke's Sheds were again used, this time for the maintenance and refurbishment of Lewis machine guns. [5]

In 1935 the British government decided to expand the RAF in the face of a growing threat from Germany and a key requirement was for more trained military pilots. RAF Montrose, virtually unchanged from the First World War, was re-opened on 1 January 1936 as No. 8 Flying Training School. [9] Between that date and the end of the Battle of Britain an estimated 800 pilots trained and got their 'wings' at Montrose though not all of these became fighter pilots.

Many of the British WWII Fighter Aces were trained at Montrose.

Second World War

During the Second World War, many fighter squadrons and the Fleet Air Arm served at RAF Montrose. Commonwealth, Polish, Czech, American, Russian, Turkish, Free French and other Allied nationals all trained and served at RAF Montrose during this time. [2] [3]

Operational duties included serving as a location for the Spitfires and Hurricanes which formed part of the air defence for the city of Edinburgh.

From August 1944 RAF Kinnell served as the stations satellite for No. 2 Fighter Interception Squadron until July 1945. The station also flew regular missions to Norway for reconnaissance, supply drops for the Norwegian resistance movement, and entry/exit for Special Operations Executive. On 25 October 1940 three German Junkers Ju 88 aircraft dropped 24 bombs on the station killing five, injuring 18 and destroying two hangars and the officers mess. They and the pilots who died in local training accidents are buried in a Commonwealth War Graves Commission plot in the local church. [3]

Famous RAF pilots and Fighter Aces who were trained or stationed at RAF Station Montrose during WWII.

Squadrons at RAF Montrose

Other Units at RAF Montrose

The following units were here at some point: [11]

Aircraft flown at RAF Montrose

Airspeed Oxford Mk I : Avro Anson Mk I : Avro Tutor  : Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I : Bristol Beaufighter Mk IC : Bristol Beaufort Mk IIA : Bristol Blenheim Mk I : de Havilland Don  : de Havilland Hornet  : de Havilland Moth  : de Havilland Tiger Moth II : Gloster Gauntlet  : Gloster Gladiator I : Hawker Fury  : Hawker Hart Trainer/ Audax : Hawker Hind  : Hawker Hurricane Mk I, IIA, IIB, IIc :Hawker Typhoon  : Lockheed Hudson VI : Miles Magister  : Miles Martinet TT MkI : Miles Master I/II/III : North American Harvard IIb (T-6 Texan) : Percival Proctor P.30 II : Supermarine Spitfire Mk I, IIA, IIB, VA, VB, VC, VI, XI. : Supermarine Walrus  : Westland Lysander Mk II, III, IIIA: Westland Whirlwind I : Fairey Gordon:

Postwar

During 1948 it was home to No 63 Maintenance Unit (No 63 MU) and aircraft for repair were brought in and shipped out by road as there were no tarmac runways. [3] Activity was minimal until the crisis in Hong Kong and the onset of the Korean War when the unit became very busy. RAF Montrose closed permanently on 4 June 1952. [3]

Mountain Rescue

Whilst Montrose is relatively flat the area is bounded by mountains and aircraft crashes on them were not uncommon. RAF Station Montrose (Montrose Air Station) had carried out mountain rescues on an ad hoc basis but in January 1944 the RAF formed the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service. Ten teams were put together and one of these was located here at Montrose. In 1945 the team was moved to nearby RAF Edzell only to be moved out of the area in 1946. In 1949 a Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service was established at RAF Montrose to cover the area of the central Grampians. This improved the emergency rescue facilities for the whole of Scotland with teams at RAF Kinloss covering the north and RAF West Freugh the west. In 1950 it again moved back to RAF Edzell. In 1955 they moved to RAF Leuchars and have remained there. [2] [5]

Accidents

During the Aerodrome's early days as a pilot training facility an American pilot wrote that there was "a crash every day and a funeral every week". The military gravestones at the local cemetery, Sleepy Hillock, bear witness to the numerous deaths of those learning to fly at Montrose. [13]

Ghost stories

RAF Station Montrose has been described by believers as one of the most haunted places in Britain. [14]

Lt Desmond Arthur was killed in a flying accident on 27 May 1913, his spirit is said to have haunted the officers' mess. Since then there have been many other claimed sightings of apparitions in pilots' uniforms and phantom planes. In 2010 it was claimed wartime music and speech was heard to come from a 70-year-old radio which was "not powered in any way". [15]

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

In 1983 the Montrose Air Station Heritage Trust was formed, today known as the Ian McIntosh Memorial Trust. In 1992 the trust purchased the Watch Office and ground, and created the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. [3] They have since added more buildings and collections. Several historic buildings and hangars are still located on site, and the perimeter taxi track is still largely intact. [3] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 17 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 17 Squadron, currently No. 17 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was reformed on 12 April 2013 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 5 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 5 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently operated the Raytheon Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar (ASTOR) aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, between April 2004 until March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 23 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 23 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force responsible for 'day-to-day space operations', having been reformed in January 2021, as the first "space squadron". Up until its disbandment in October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 3 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 3 Squadron, also known as No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, since reforming on 1 April 2006. It was first formed on 13 May 1912 as one of the first squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps – being the first to fly heavier than air aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 111 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 111 (Fighter) Squadron, also known as No. CXI (F) Squadron and nicknamed Treble One, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1917 in the Middle East as No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps during the reorganisation of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force after General Edmund Allenby took command during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The squadron remained in the Middle East after the end of the First World War until 1920 when it was renumbered as No. 14 Squadron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 54 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 54 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. On 1 September 2005, it took on the role of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operational Conversion Unit, and is now the Advanced Air ISTAR Academy, responsible for training all RAF crews assigned to the MQ-9A Reaper, Protector RG1 (MQ-9B), Shadow R1/R2, RC-135W Rivet Joint and Poseidon MRA1. It also controls the RAF ISR Warfare School (ISRWS) who run the Qualified Weapons Instructor Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and QWI Reaper Courses.

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

RAF Andover is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Andover, Hampshire. As well as RFC and RAF units, units of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and the Air Transport Auxiliary were also stationed at the airfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 56 Squadron RAF</span> Flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 56 Squadron, also known as No. 56 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), nicknamed the Firebirds for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both the First and Second World Wars.

Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 211 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 211 Squadron RAF was a squadron in the Royal Air Force active from 1917 to 1919 and from 1937 to 1946. In World War I it operated as a bomber and later a reconnaissance unit on the Western Front. In World War II it operated as a medium bomber unit in the Middle East and Far East and later as a strike fighter unit in the Far East, equipped with, successively, the Bristol Blenheim, the Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 92 Squadron RAF</span> Royal Air Force unit from WW1 to the present day.

Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it flew both air superiority and direct ground support missions. It was disbanded at Eil on 7 August 1919. Reformed on 10 October 1939,at Tangmere Airfield, the unit was supposed to be equipped with medium bombers but in the spring of 1940 it became one of the first RAF units to receive the Supermarine Spitfire, going on to fight in the Battle of Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hucknall Aerodrome</span> Aerodrome near Nottingham, England

Hucknall Aerodrome was a former general aviation and RAF aerodrome located 5 nmi north north-west of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, and west of Hucknall town. The aerodrome had been operated by the Merlin Flying Club since 1971 and then by Rolls-Royce Group plc. Before its closure, it was owned and operated by ITP Aero.

Royal Air Force Filton or more simply RAF Filton is a former Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Air Force (RAF) station located 5 miles (8 km) north of the city centre of Bristol, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 71 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 71 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron. The number has been used three times: once by the Royal Flying Corps for an Australian Flying Corps squadron; in the Second World War as the first of three Eagle Squadrons; and post-war as a fighter-bomber unit under the command of Royal Air Force Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Fairwood Common</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Swansea, Wales

Royal Air Force Fairwood Common, or more simply RAF Fairwood Common, is a former Royal Air Force sector station located on Fairwood Common, on the Gower Peninsula, to the west of Swansea. It is now the location of Swansea Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 112 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No. 112 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served in both the First World War and Second World War and was active for three periods during the Cold War. It is nicknamed "The Shark Squadron", an allusion to the fact that it was the first unit from any Allied air force to use the famous "shark mouth" logo on Curtiss P-40s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Angle</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Royal Air Force Angle or more commonly RAF Angle, is a former Royal Air Force station located on the Angle Peninsula Coast, 8 miles (13 km) west of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was operational from 1 June 1941 to 11 July 1946, having been used by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

No. 268 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron raised during the First World War and in the Second World War operated the North American P-51 Mustang on tactical reconnaissance missions over occupied Europe and in support of the D-Day landings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre</span> Aviation museum in Montrose, Angus

The Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is located to the north of Montrose, Angus, Scotland. Montrose has the distinction of having the first operational military airfield in Great Britain and the Heritage Centre is located on the former airfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clairmarais aerodrome</span> Airport in Pas-de-Calais, France

Clairmarais aerodrome, at Clairmarais, Pas-de-Calais, France, near St. Omer and not far from Ypres, was an airfield used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and later Royal Air Force (RAF) in the First World War. The site was briefly reused by the Germans during the occupation of France in the Second World War.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Bones Aviation Page: A Catalogue of UK Airfields Archived 13 April 2013 at archive.today
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Montrose air station, the UK's first airfield, marks centenary". BBC News . 23 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Scotland – Tayside Airfields". Ronaldv.nl. Archived from the original on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "No2 Sqn RAF". RAF Website. MOD. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Learning to Fly at Montrose. Scotland: Ian McIntosh Memorial Trust. 2005.
  6. ↑ Mason 2001, p. 244.
  7. ↑ "No. 83 Squadron". Royal Air Force . Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Rawlings, J.D.R. "Squadron Histories:No.83". Air Pictorial, August 1961. pp. 236–237, 250.
  9. ↑ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields in Europe". Ronaldv.nl. Archived from the original on 4 August 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 Hillary, Richard (1942). The Last Enemy. UK. ISBN   9780712673440.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ↑ "Montrose". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  12. ↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 150.
  13. ↑ "Montrose cemetery's war graves". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  14. ↑ http://www.scotsman.com/news/is_montrose_air_station_the_most_haunted_place_in_britain_1_1369665 [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "Radio ghost mystery at former RAF station | Dundee and Tayside | STV News". news.stv.tv. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010.

Bibliography

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.