RAF Wombleton
Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England
54°13′59″N 000°58′09″W / 54.23306°N 0.96917°W / 54.23306; -0.96917
Royal Canadian Air Force
* No. 6 (T) Group RCAF
* No. 7 (T) Group RAF
| Runways | |
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| Direction | Length and surface |
| 00/00 | Concrete |
| 00/00 | Concrete |
| 00/00 | Concrete |
Royal Air Force Wombleton or RAF Wombleton is a former Royal Air Force sub-station located 3.8 miles (6.1 km) east of Helmsley, North Yorkshire and 11.8 miles (19 km) north-east of Easingwold, North Yorkshire, England.
Station history
Wombleton opened in 1943 as a sub-station of RAF Topcliffe. It was part of RAF Bomber Command's No. 6 Group RCAF, and along with the main station at Topcliffe and the station at Dishforth, was designated part of No. 61 (Training) Base.[2][3] In November 1944, No. 61 Base was transferred to No 7 (Training) Group and it was renumbered No. 76 Training Base. No. 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) was the first unit to move to Wombleton. Aircrew who were originally trained on twin-engined aircraft such as Vickers Wellingtons or Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys received conversion training on heavy four-engined bombers such as the Handley Page Halifax or Avro Lancaster.[4] No. 1666 HCU remained at Wombleton until the end of the war. The RAF took over the station and stayed for several years with the RAF Regiment using the site as a battle school.[5]
Units and aircraft
| Unit | From | To | Aircraft | Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1666 'Mohawk' HCU | 21 October 1943 | 3 August 1945 | Handley Page Halifax Avro Lancaster | Mks.II, III, V Mks.I, II, III, X | [6] |
| No. 1679 HCF | 13 December 1943 | 27 January 1944 | Avro Lancaster | Mk.II | Disbanded into 1666 HCU[6] |
| No. 261 Maintenance Unit RAF | 15 November 1945 | 10 September 1946 | [7] |
Current use
Wombleton airport is now used for recreational flying.[8]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ a b Falconer 2012, p. 216.
- ^ Delve 2006, p. 272
- ^ Halpenny 1982, p. 195
- ^ Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1990). Action stations (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. pp. 195–196. ISBN 0-85059-532-0.
- ^ Otter, Patrick (1999). Yorkshire airfields in the Second World War (1 ed.). Newbury, Berkshire: Countryside Books. p. 79. ISBN 1-85306-542-0.
- ^ a b Sturtivant and Hamlin 2007, p. 99.
- ^ Sturtivant and Hamlin 2007, p. 183.
- ^ "Wombleton Conservation Area" (PDF). ryedale.gov.uk. 21 July 2005. p. 6. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
Bibliography
- Delve, Ken. The Military Airfields of Britain: Northern England: Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, 2006. ISBN 1-86126-809-2
- Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Falconer, J. (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
- Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore. Action Stations: 4: Military airfields of Yorkshire. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens, 1982. ISBN 0-85059-532-0
- Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.
External links
- Airfields in Yorkshire – Wombleton
- Control towers – RAF Wombleton airfield
- Wombleton RCAF Memorial
- Former RAF Wombleton on Wikimapia
- Wombleton on Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation
- Image of RAF Wombleton in 1946
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Ministry of Defence
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