RAF Linton-on-Ouse

 military airbase, Second World War 1939-1945, military, RAF - Royal Air Force, historical layer / disappeared object, air force cadet

RAF Linton-on-Ouse (IATA: HRT, ICAO: EGXU) is a Royal Air Force station at Linton-on-Ouse near York in Yorkshire, England. It is currently a major flying training centre, one of the RAF's busiest airfields. It has satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe, RAF Church Fenton and RAF Dishforth.

There are almost 900 personnel working at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. They work in one of the 3 Wings (Flying, Operations, Support), as part of the Babcock Support Contract, on the Simulator for Thales, or in one of the Lodger Units. There is currently One Flying Squadron at RAF Linton on Ouse: 72(Reserve) Squadron all operating the Tucano (see photo above).The station motto "A Flumine Impugnamus" translates from the Latin as "From the mighty river we strike".

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August 2010 saw the culmination of months of hard work and preparation as the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) relocated it’s Northern Operational Support Unit (OSU) from temporary accommodation at Dishforth to a new HQ at RAF Linton on Ouse.

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History

Located nine miles north-west of the centre of York and directly north of Linton-on Ouse village, this airfield was built 1936-38 under an expansion scheme. The camp of brick flat-roofed permanent buildings was immediately adjacent to the village and at the south-east corner of the landing ground. Four Type C hangars formed a crescent before the landing ground with a fifth placed behind the westernmost hangar of the line.

The first squadrons, No. 51 and 58, brought their Whitleys in from Boscombe Down in April 1938 to this premier airfield of No. 4 Group that had its headquarters at the station for the next two years. Low-lying, despite extensive drainage it was soon found that in winter the landing ground was subject to water logging. Consequently the station became the first in northern England and the second in Bomber Command on which work was in hand (in August 1939) to lay concrete runways. These were 04-22 at 1,100 yards and 11-29 at 1,150 yards. A concrete perimeter track was also provided and 34 pan hardstandings, several accessed down long tracks.

Whitleys were despatched on operations on the first night of the war, albeit to dispense propaganda leaflets, which were loaded at Leconfield where the aircraft lodged while runway work was in progress. These squadrons were on detachment for much of the time, No. 58 returning to Boscombe Down for four months and No. 51 moving to Dishforth in December 1940. This was an exchange with No. 78 Squadron whose aircraft and crews had also been detached to serve elsewhere. The first bombing raid from Linton was made on the night of April 18119, 1940 by three Whitleys of No. 58 Squadron. No. 78 Squadron not being fully available until the summer and did not enter the night bombing campaign until July 19J20. The squadron was no sooner operational than it was moved to Dishforth and its place taken at Linton by No. 77 Squadron. This unit, already operational, joined with No. 51 in frequent night raids until it was moved to Topcliffe in October 1940. For a month No. 102 Squadron, removed from Leeming, was based at Linton although most of its force was still on detachment to Coastal Command. It moved on to Topcliffe the following month. The next arrival, No. 35 Squadron, pioneered the Halifax whose technical problems delayed entry into combat until the night of March 10J11, 1941. One of the six aircraft despatched to Le Havre docks that night was shot down by an RAF night fighter shortly after returning over the English coast.

A second Halifax-equipped squadron was formed by taking No. 35's C Flight and re-designating it No. 76 Squadron on May Day 1941. Whether German intelligence knew Linton was the base of the new British bomber at this juncture is not known but the Luftwaffe had some success on the night of May 10J11, 1941 when at least three raiders dropped a number of bombs killing several airmen, including the station C0, Group Captain Frederick Garraway. In June, No. 76 Squadron left for Middleton St George leaving Nos. 35 and 58 to carry on. No. 58 still had its faithful Whitleys but instead of being converted to Halifaxes, it was turned over permanently to Coastal Command, moving out in April 1942 having made over 200 raids from Linton for the loss of 49 Whitleys.

No. 35 Squadron remained at Linton-on-Ouse until August 1942 when, selected to become a pathfinder unit, it was transferred to No. 8 Group and Graveley. During the summer of 1942 the length of runway 04-22 was increased to 2,040 yards, 11-29 to 1,460 yards and a third runway 18-36 constructed of 1,400 yards.

Following No. 35's departure, Linton became a two squadron base again with Nos. 76 and 78 Squadrons arriving from Middleton St George. The two Halifax squadrons took part in main force operations until the following June when the airfield was required for the expanding No. 6 Group, the headquarters of which had originally formed at the station before being set up in Allerton Park Castle. No. 76 Squadron was moved to Holme-on-Spalding Moor and No. 78 to Breighton while No. 426 Squadron, RCAF, came to Linton from Dishforth to convert to the Lancaster II. No. 426 flew its first Lancaster raid on August 17/18, 1943 losing two aircraft including the CO's. Later that month No. 408 Squadron was moved in from Leeming when it started to shed its Halifaxes and embrace the radial-engined Lancaster. It entered operations with the Lancaster on October 7/8. Further domestic building at the station raised accommodation to 1,447 males and 368 females.

With the cessation of Lancaster II production, No. 426 Squadron re-equipped with Halifax IIIs in April 1944 but No. 408 continued with the Lancaster until September when it joined No. 426 in flying the radial engined Halifaxes. Following VE-Day No. 426 Squadron was transferred to Transport Command and moved to Driffield. No. 405 Squadron returned from Gransden Lodge with Lancasters and joined No. 408, which had again converted to the Lancaster but this time the Canadian-built Lancaster Xs.

In mid-June both squadrons left Linton to fly back to Canada. All told, a total of 339 bombers had failed to return or were destroyed in crashes during operations from Linton-on-Ouse, the second highest loss for a Bomber Command airfield. Seventy-two were Whitleys, 76 Lancasters and 191 Halifaxes.

No. 4 Group, now under Transport Command, brought No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit to the station in November 1945, which operated Halifax transports until disbandment in July 1946. In the same month, Linton was taken over by Fighter Command and squadrons with Mosquitos, Hornets and Meteors and then Sabres and Hunters were on station for various periods up to 1957. The main runway, 04-22, was then extended to 3,010 yards. The next phase in Linton-on Ouse's history was training activities with No. 1 Flying Training School first with mostly Vampires and then Jet Provosts and currently Tucanos. There are also Air Cadet gliding facilities.