RAF Acklington

Royal Air Force Acklington, simply known as RAF Acklington, is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station located 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south west of Amble, Northumberland and 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north east of Morpeth, Northumberland, England.

RAF Acklington RAF Southfields RFC Southfields
Acklington, Northumberland in England
'B' flight, No. 409 Sqn RCAF with one of their Bristol Beaufighters in January 1942.
RAF Acklington Shown within Northumberland
Coordinates	55°17′46″N 001°38′04″W
Grid reference	NU230010[1]
Type	Royal Air Force satellite station (1939-44) Forward Sector Station (1945-)
Code	AI[2]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command[2] * No. 13 Group RAF
Site history
Built	1916 (1916)
In use	1916–1920 1938–1975 (1975)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II Cold War
Airfield information
Elevation	37 metres (121 ft)[2] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 01/19[3] 1,390 metres (4,560 ft) Asphalt 05/23[3] 1,740 metres (5,709 ft) Asphalt 12/30[3] 1,100 metres (3,609 ft) Asphalt

The airfield was operational initially from 1916 being used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and from April 1918 its successor the Royal Air Force (RAF) before being closed in 1920 however it was reopened in 1938 being used by the RAF until 1972. After 1972 the site was turned over to Her Majesty's Prison Service for the creation of two new prisons.

History

First World War

Acklington was an aerodrome during the First World War and known as Royal Flying Corps Station Southfields.^[4]

Second World War

The airfield was reopened on Friday 1 April 1938 being renamed to RAF Acklington where No. 7 Armament Training Station was formed which on 15 November 1938 transformed into No. 2 Air Observers School. During September 1939 the school moved to RAF Warmwell and the airfield was handed over to RAF Fighter Command as part of 13 Group where it became a sector airfield.^[5]

The following squadrons were at some point posted or attached to RAF Acklington:^[6]

• 43, 46, 111, 152, 245, 258, 600, 607 and 609.

On 3 February 1940 three Hawker Hurricane fighters from 43 Squadron at Acklington intercepted and shot down a Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber at Whitby. The formation was led by Flight Lieutenant Peter Townsend. It was the first German aircraft to fall on English soil in the Second World War (although it was not the first to be shot down in the United Kingdom, that having occurred in Scotland). The intercept was based on a plot by operators at RAF Danby Beacon, a radar station about ten miles west of Whitby. Townsend visited the German rear gunner in hospital the next day, and visited him again in 1968 when Townsend was writing his highly-successful book about the Battle of Britain, "Duel of Eagles," which recounts the incident in detail.^[7]

On 21 October 1942 well known test pilot Gerry Sayer departed from RAF Acklington in a Hawker Typhoon to test a gunsight during gun firing into Druridge Bay Ranges, and was accompanied by another Typhoon. Neither aircraft returned and it was assumed that they collided over the bay. Sayer was replaced as Gloster's chief test pilot by his deputy, Michael Daunt.

Battle of Britain

RAF Acklington was home to the following squadrons during the Battle of Britain:

• 72 Squadron between 6 June 1940 and 31 August 1940 with the Supermarine Spitfire Mk I before moving to RAF Biggin Hill.^[8]
• 79 Squadron between 13 July 1940 and 27 August 1940 with the Hawker Hurricane Mk I before moving to RAF Biggin Hill.^[9]
• 32 Squadron between 28 August 1940^[10] and 15 December 1940 with the Hurricane Mk I before moving to RAF Middle Wallop.^[11]
• 610 Squadron between 31 August 1940^[12] and 15 December 1940 with the Spitfire Mk I before moving to RAF Westhampnett.^[13]

October 1940–1945

The following squadrons were at some point posted or attached to RAF Acklington:^[6]

• 1, 25, 43, 56, 63, 74, 130, 141, 164, 167, 198, 219, 222, 263, 266, 278, 288, 289, 291, 309, 315, 316, 317, 322, 349, 350, 406, 409, 410, 504, 539 and 609.

Postwar use

The following squadron were at some point posted or attached to RAF Acklington:^[6]

• 18, 19 with Mustangs, 23, 25, 29 with Meteors & Javelins, 41, 54, 56, 64, 65, 66, 92 with Hunters, 74, 85, 91, 130, 140, 202, 219 with Mosquitoes, 228, 247, 257, 263 with Meteors, 264, 266 and 275.

Airfield units

The following units were at some point posted or attached to RAF Southfields/Acklington:^[4]

• No. 1 Fighter Command Servicing Unit RAF
• No. 3 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF (November 1943)^[14]
• A detachment from No. 3 Tactical Exercise Unit RAF (May 1944 - June 1944)^[15]
• No. 4 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF (November 1943 - March 1944)^[14]
• No. 6 Flying Training School RAF with Provost and Jet Provosts^[1] (July 1961 - June 1968)^[16]
• No. 13 Group Target Towing Flight RAF became No. 1490 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (December 1941 - May 1942)^[17]
• No. 24 (Base Defence) Wing RAF (February 1944 - March 1944)^[18]
• No. 59 Operational Training Unit RAF (February 1945 - June 1945)^[19]
• No. 147 Airfield RAF (February 1944 - May 1944)^[20]
• 416th Night Fighter Squadron
• No. 1460 (Fighter) Flight RAF (December 1941 - September 1942)^[21]
• No. 1630 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (June 1943 - December 1943)^[22]
• Fighter Armament Trials Unit RAF (November 1946 - July 1956)^[23]
• No. 2718 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2738 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2741 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2765 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2799 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2800 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2803 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2820 Squadron RAF Regiment

Current use

RAF Acklington closed in 1975 and the main camp became the site of Acklington and Castington prisons.^[4] These have since been amalgamated and transferred into private ownership and are simply known as H. M. P. Northumberland. The airfield is virtually unrecognisable today having been subjected to open cast coal mining.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

1. Birtles 2012, p. 27.
2. Falconer 2012, p. 32.
3. Delve 2006, p. 26
4. "Acklington (Southfields)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
5. "RAF Acklington". The Wartime Memories Project. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 153.
7. Peter Townsend, Duel of Eagles, (New York, Simon and Schuster, 1970), pp 7-8.
8. "Battle of Britain history of No. 72 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
9. "Battle of Britain history of No. 79 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
10. "Battle of Britain history of No. 32 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 35.
12. "Battle of Britain history of No. 610 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 99.
14. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 49.
15. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 288.
16. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 153.
17. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.
18. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.
19. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 242.
20. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 55.
21. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 134.
22. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 144.
23. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 119.

Bibliography

• Birtles, P. (2012). UK Airfields of the Cold War. Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-346-4.
• Delve, Ken (2006). The Military Airfields of Britain: Northern England: Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Marlborough: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
• Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
• Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Stewart, Elizabeth (2002). RAF Acklington. Amble, Northumberland, UK: Amble Social History Group.
• 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

• RAF Acklington Record Book 1939–45 (Transcript)
• Royal Air Force – RAF Acklington
• Royal Air Force Battle of Britain – 13 Group Installations