RAF Sydenham

RAF Sydenham
RAF Belfast
RNAS Belfast
RNAY Belfast
HMS Gadwell
HMS Gannet III
RAF Sydenham; RAF Belfast; RNAS Belfast; RNAY Belfast; HMS Gadwell; HMS Gannet III
Belfast, County Antrim in Northern Ireland
	RAF Sydenham Shown within Northern Ireland RAF Sydenham RAF Sydenham (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates	54°36′51″N005°52′37″W / 54.61417°N 5.87694°W
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry ; Admiralty
Operator	Royal Air Force ; Royal Navy
Controlled by	RAF Flying Training Command ; Fleet Air Arm
Site history
Built	1939
In use	1939-1970
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II ; Cold War
Airfield information
Elevation	1 metre (3 ft 3 in) AMSL
Runways
04/22	Asphalt
00/00	Concrete

Last updated September 21, 2023

Royal Air Force Sydenham or more simply RAF Sydenham is a former Royal Air Force station in Northern Ireland. In the 1970s it was the main servicing base for Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft, employing 650 civilian workers.^[1]

History

The following units were posted here at some point:^[2]

Royal Navy

Royal Air Force

Units

No. 3 Civilian Fighter Control Co-operation Unit RAF (March 1957 – June 1958)^[3]
Detachment of No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF (1943)^[4]
No. 8 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA (March 1941 – May 1942) became No. 8 Ferry Pool ATA (May 1942 – August 1945)^[5]
No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF
No. 23 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (September 1939)^[6]
No. 24 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (January – September 1939)^[6] became No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (September 1939 – February 1942)^[7]
No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF (June 1940 & February – April 1941)^[8] became No. 31 Wing RAF (April – June 1941)^[9]
No. 79 Wing Calibration Flight RAF
No. 203 Gliding School RAF (September 1949 – November 1952)^[10]
Detachment of No. 1480 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (September 1942)^[11]
No. 1494 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (April 1942 – April 1943)^[12]
Belfast University Air Squadron (January – May 1941) became Queens University Air Squadron (May 1941 – December 1945 & March 1947 – January 1992)^[13]
RAF Northern Ireland Communication Flight RAF (October 1940 – October 1942 & December 1945 – December 1946)^[14]

Current use

The site is now George Best Belfast City Airport.

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References

Citations

↑ Northern Ireland Committee of Irish Congress of Trade Unions, "The Defence Stations in Northern Ireland: The Case for Retention", March 1976
↑ "Sydenham (Belfast City) (George Best Belfast City)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 15 February 2015.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 91.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 71.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 115.
1 2 Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 110.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 106.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 318.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 168.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 134.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 306.
↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 228.

Bibliography

Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

External links

Northern Ireland base closes, Flight International , 15 April 1978, v. 113, no. 3604, p. 1035.

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[1] Northern Ireland Committee of Irish Congress of Trade Unions, "The Defence Stations in Northern Ireland: The Case for Retention", March 1976

[ABCT-2] "Sydenham (Belfast City) (George Best Belfast City)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 15 February 2015.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley199791-3] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 91.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley199771-4] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 71.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997115-5] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 115.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997110-6] 1 2 Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 110.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997106-7] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 106.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997318-8] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 318.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997314-9] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997168-10] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 168.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997134-11] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 134.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997136-12] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997306-13] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 306.

[FOOTNOTESturtivantHamlinHalley1997228-14] Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 228.

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