Thornaby Areodrome Second World
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Thornaby Areodrome The article below can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Thornaby “The aerodrome was officially opened on 29 September 1929, although flying in Thornaby dates back to 1912 when Gustav Hamel used the Vale Farm for a flying display. Subsequently the Royal Flying Corps used the same fields as a staging post between Catterick and Marske aerodromes between 1914 and 1918. In 1920, the government purchased 50 acres (20 ha) of farm land from Thornaby Hall and developed the site. The first squadron to occupy the new airfield was No. 608, who were formed here as No. 608 County of York (North Riding) Squadron on 17 March 1930, under the command of Flying Instructor, Squadron Leader William Howard-Davies, and operating Westland Wapitis and Avro 504Ns. No 608 Squadron were the first of the three Yorkshire based auxiliary flying units to be formed, the others being 609 (West Riding) squadron at RAF Yeadon and 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron at RAF Doncaster. Between March 1936 and July 1937 Thornaby was No. 9 Flying Training School RAF, the stations first regular Royal Air Force unit. The Squadron Commander was C.H. Elliot-Smith with Squadron Leader David D'Arcy Alexander Greig (1900-1986) as CFI who had been a pilot with the RAF's High Speed Flight and who had taken part in the 1929 Schneider Trophy. On 14 January 1937, No. 608 were re-equipped with Hawker Demon two seat interceptors and transferred into No. 12 (Fighter) Group RAF. Thornaby became an RAF station proper when a station headquarters was established on 1 June 1937 under the command of Wing Commander John Leacroft MC (1888-1971). 233 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron equipped with ‘Avro Ansons’ arrived in May 1937 and in June 1937 the station was transferred to Coastal Command with 224 (GR) Squadron, also equipped with ‘Ansons’, arrived in July of the same year. The late 1930s saw the station alternating between Coastal and Bomber Commands, with 608 being a designated fighter squadron. From 1 September 1938, No. 233 and 224 Squadrons were replaced by Bomber Command 106 and 185 Squadrons equipped initially with Fairey Battles before re- equipping with Handley Page Hampdens. ‘Ansons’ of 269 Squadron and ‘Vickers Vildebeests’ of 42 (Torpedo Bomber) Squadron relocated here during the Munich crisis while 106 and 185 moved temporarily to RAF Cottesmore before moving back to Thornaby after the crisis. Thornaby was one of only ten airfields in the country known to have had paved runways before the war started, although runways were under construction at eight fighter stations due to an Air Ministry conference on 28 April 1939, but only two of these were completed by 3 September 1939. Second World War On 20 March 1939 No. 608 Squadron were transferred to No. 18 Group Coastal Command and with war looming were embodied into the RAF for full-time duties on 24 August 1939. Numbers 106 and 185 Bomber Command Squadrons moved to Cottesmore in August 1939 and Coastal Command 220 Squadron arrived with ‘Ansons’ on 21 August from RAF Bircham Newton, thereafter the station remained within Coastal Command until the end of hostilities. Almost immediately after arriving No. 220 began to re-equip with the American built ‘Lockheed Hudson’, during this period the instructors of the 220 Squadron ‘Hudson’ Conversion Flight (The Hudson Circus) along with 220 and 608 Squadrons were inspected by King George VI who visited the station on 1 November 1939 accompanied by Chief of Air Staff together with Sir Frederick Bowhill and Air Commodore Breeze, AOC 18 Group. A detachment from 224 Squadron (the first squadron to become operational on the ‘Hudson’) arrived from Leuchars to cover 220 Squadron's "war work", whilst they were being converted onto the ‘Hudson’. On 16 October 1939 the first 220 Squadron ‘Hudson’ operation took place, during the conversion the squadron carried on for a short time with the’ Anson’ due to a shortage of serviceable ‘Hudsons’, a number of which were awaiting modifications such as installation of gun turrets, bomb racks and fitting of twin front Browning machine guns, this was completed at Thornaby. With more ‘Hudsons’ coming on strength, 220 Squadron began North Sea patrols and Battle Flights attacking enemy airfields and shipping on the Scandinavian coast and Heligoland Bight. Airborne at 08:25 on 16 February 1940, a battle flight of three Lockheed Hudson aircraft, K, M, and V of No. 220 Squadron located the German ship "Altmark" (the supply and prison ship of the Admiral Graf Spee) in Norwegian waters at 12.55, an action which led to the subsequent liberation of 299 prisoners by HMS Cossack of the Royal Navy. During June 1940 a detachment from 224 Squadron was back at Thornaby while 220 Squadron were covering the evacuation at Dunkirk from Bircham Newton. Coinciding with a visit from Lord Trenchard on 9 June 1940, 608 were instructed to re-equip with the ‘Blackburn Botha’ and, on 28 June the squadron began to receive the first of the ‘Botha torpedo bombers’, the only squadron to use the aircraft operationally, however, these aircraft proved unsuccessful having handling and airframe fatigue problems and by December 1940 the squadron had reverted to the ‘Anson’. To cover for the unreliable ‘Botha’, ‘Fairey Swordfish’ of the Royal Navy 812 Squadron from North Coates were occasionally on duty. In February 1941 608 re-equipped with ‘Bristol Blenheim Mk IVs’ and were now able to carry out more offensive operations. On 8 July 1941 the squadron was flying its first sorties in the ‘Lockheed Hudson’, this aircraft with its better performance and a longer endurance enabled 608 to carry out operations much further afield, like that of its sister squadron No 220. In March 1941 No. 114 Squadron arrived on transfer from Bomber Command equipped with the ‘Blenheim Mk IV’. April 1941 saw 220 Squadron depart for Wick, by this time 1509 Beam Approach Training Flight had formed here. In July 1941 two more units arrived, for a short time No. 143 Squadron with the ‘Bristol Beaufighter’ Mk 1c and, No.6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit with ‘Hudsons’ and a few ‘Ansons’ and ‘Oxfords’. In January 1942 a detachment of 122 (Bombay) Squadron arrived with ‘Spitfire VBs’ and No. 608 Squadron moved to Wick and in April 1509 (BAT) flight moved to Church Lawford. In March 1942 the Spitfire detachment was replaced by one from 332 (Norwegian) Squadron and from April 1942 until December 1943 No.1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit were flying ‘de Havilland Tiger Moths’ and ‘Hawker Henleys’ from Thornaby. In June 1942 the fighter detachment was again refreshed, this time by 403 (Canada) Squadron and in October 1942 No. 6 (C) OTU replaced their ‘Hudsons’ with ‘Vickers Wellingtons’, at this time it also absorbed a Polish training flight from 18 OTU and, the following month a Czech flight, No. 1429. The replica Spitfire on Thornaby Road The Royal Canadian Air Force, replaced the fighter element in January 1943 with a detachment of 401 Squadron and on 10 March No. 6 OTU moved to Silloth. On 23 March 1943 No. 1 (C) OTU arrived from Silloth and trained ‘Handley Page Halifax’, ‘Boeing B17 Flying Fortress’, and ‘Consolidated Liberator’ crews. In May 1943 No. 401 Squadron left and was replaced by 306 Polish Fighter Squadron from RAF Catterick on 30 May 1943, also equipped with the ‘Spitfire Mk VB’, and stayed until 31 July. In October 1943 an Air Sea Rescue Training Unit re-located here equipped with ‘Vickers Warwick’ aircraft, followed by 280 ASR Squadron the same month which immediately began to convert from ‘Ansons’ to ‘Warwicks’. In November 1943 ‘Warwicks’ of 281 ASR squadron arrived to join 280 Squadron and stayed until February 1944. No. 1 OTU disbanded on 19 October 1943 and the ‘Halifax’,’ Fortress’ and ‘Liberator’ training was transferred to No 1674 Heavy Conversion Unit. A detachment of 280 squadron ‘Warwicks’ were sent to RAF Thorney Island in December 1943 before moving to Strubby in May 1944, a detachment of ‘Warwicks’ was also left at Thornaby. Leading up to D-Day ‘Hadrian gliders’ were towed by ‘Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle’ aircraft from Thornaby. On 14 October 1944 a third ASR squadron arrived, No. 279, equipped initially with ‘Hudsons’ the squadron began to re-equip with ‘Warwicks’ plus a few ‘Sea Otters’ and ‘Hurricanes’, whilst 279 were converting onto the ‘Warwick’ a detachment from 280 squadron were covering ASR sorties from Thornaby. The Air Sea Rescue squadrons developed survival packs which were dropped to ditched aircrew. These were named after the RAF stations where they were developed, for instance the ‘Bircham Barrel’ and ‘Lindholme Gear’; the ‘Thornaby Bag’ was a container of food and First Aid supplies developed at RAF Thornaby, but was superseded by the ‘Lindholme Gear’ due to the ‘Thornaby Bag’ bursting open in all but very calm seas when it was deployed. Over the next few months 279 Squadron were kept busy on ASR sorties and in the closing stages of the war rocket equipped ‘Beaufighters’ of No. 455 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, from the RAF Dallachy ANZAC Strike Wing arrived. They continued to attack enemy shipping in the Baltic and on 3 May 1945 flew their last sortie of the war to Kiel, they left two mine-sweepers destroyed, 455 Squadron disbanded at Thornaby on 25 May 1945. The Airmen memorial at Thornaby Post war No 279 Squadron remained at Thornaby and in September 1945 moved its HQ to RAF Beccles where the squadron was to convert to the ‘Lancaster ASR.III’, leaving only a detachment behind at Thornaby. In the event it was the detachment at Thornaby that received and converted to them and 279 flew their first operational sorties in the ‘Lancaster’ on 8 November 1945.