RAF Dallachy
RAF Dallachy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin, Moray in Scotland | |||||||||
 Dallachy Airfield in 1987 | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force satellite station[1] | ||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Coastal Command * No. 18 Group RAF[1] | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Location in Moray | |||||||||
  RAF Dallachy Location within Moray  RAF Dallachy Location within the United Kingdom | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 57°39′14″N 3°04′05″W / 57.654°N 3.068°W | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1942 | ||||||||
| In use | 1943-1945 | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Elevation | 76 metres (249 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Royal Air Force Dallachy or more simply RAF Dallachy, is a former Royal Air Force satellite station situated east of Elgin, Moray, Scotland.
During the Second World War it was a fighter station, used by 18 Group RAF Coastal Command.[2]
History
[edit]Opened in March 1943, it was originally used as a training station by No. 14 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF, using Airspeed Oxfords.[3] In September 1943, it was reorganised for operational use by several squadrons, including No. 144 Squadron RAF,[4] No. 404 Squadron RCAF,[5]No. 455 Squadron RAAF, and No. 489 Squadron RNZAF as part of the Anzac Strike Wing.[6][7][3][8] Towards the end of 1944, it was reorganised again to include No. 524 Squadron RAF with radar-equipped Vickers Wellingtons.
The airfield was closed in June 1945, becoming a Territorial Army training centre until 1958.[3]
Units
[edit]| Unit | Aircraft | Variant | From | To | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 144 Squadron RAF | Bristol Beaufighter | X | 23 October 1944 | 25 May 1945 | Disbanded | [4] |
| No. 281 Squadron RAF | Vickers Warwick | I | 27 February 1944 | 7 February 1945 | RAF Mullaghmore | As a detachment[9] |
| No. 404 Squadron RCAF | Bristol Beaufighter de Havilland Mosquito | X VI | 22 October 1944 | 3 April 1945 | RAF Banff | [5] |
| No. 455 Squadron RAAF | Bristol Beaufighter | X | 20 October 1944 | 25 May 1945 | Disbanded | [6] |
| No. 489 Squadron RNZAF | Bristol Beaufighter | X | 24 October 1944 | 16 June 1945 | RAF Banff | [7] |
| No. 618 Squadron RAF | de Havilland Mosquito | IV | September 1944 | September 1944 | Australia | [10] |
| No. 14 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit | Airspeed Oxford | May 1943 | September 1944 | n/a | As Relief Landing Ground[11] | |
| No. 21 Air Crew Holding Unit | N/A | [12] | ||||
| No. 1542 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF | Airspeed Oxford | July 1943 | August 1944 | Disbanded | [13] |
Current use
[edit]
The site is largely intact. However, most of the former airfield is now used by a waste recycling company. The control tower is in a ruinous state and no other buildings exist. Dallachy Aeromodellers, a radio control model flying club, use a section.
A memorial now stands in the nearby village of Bogmoor to remember the air crews and soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War.
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- 1 2 3 Falconer 2012, p. 75.
- ↑ "The Wartime Memories Project". Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Dallachy". Control Towers. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- 1 2 Jefford 2001, p. 61.
- 1 2 Jefford 2001, p. 89.
- 1 2 Jefford 2001, p. 93.
- 1 2 Jefford 2001, p. 94.
- ↑ "Memories of RAF Dallachy". Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ↑ Jefford 2001, p. 83.
- ↑ Jefford 2001, p. 101.
- ↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 43.
- ↑ "Dallachy". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 139.
Bibliography
[edit]- Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001) [1988]. RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- 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
[edit]
- "A Short Profile of RAF Banff Strike Wing". Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- "RAF Dallachy Strike Wing Memorial". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 17 April 2009.