Former RAF Dalton

United Kingdom / England / Thirsk /
 Second World War 1939-1945, abandoned / shut down, RAF - Royal Air Force, interesting place, draw only border, closed / former military
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Dalton airfield started life as meadowland hurriedly cleared to provide a satellite for Topcliffe. The site was only two miles south of the No. 4 Group parent airfield and actually nearer to the village of Topcliffe than the station so named! At first, Dalton was no more than a relief and dispersal landing ground but it was gradually improved to a point where the Whitleys of No. 102 Squadron at the parent station could make the satellite home.

This was in November 1941 after concrete runways had been put down. These were 18-36, 1,100 yards long with 0624 and 12-30 both 1,000 yards long. The usual 36 pan hardstandings and encircling perimeter track were provided and eventually three hangars, a B 1 and T2 on the technical site and another T2 between runway heads 24 and 30 were built. The technical site was on the north side near the river and took in the road from Topcliffe to Dalton. The bomb stores were off to the south between runway heads 30 and 36, and the camp of a dozen dispersed sites was located to the north-east around the village of Dalton. Initially some requisitioned accommodation was used.

Operations were flown from Dalton until June 1942 when No. 102 returned to Topcliffe and Dalton briefly hosted No. 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit with Halifaxes. Work began on extending runways in the spring of 1942 but it became necessary to halt flying in August when much of the perimeter track on the south and east sides had to be broken up. The new runway lengths were 1836 at 1,410 yards, 06-24 at 1,560 yards and 1230 at 1,800 yards, all the extensions being made at the eastern ends. Six pan hardstandings were lost through this work but replaced elsewhere on the airfield. The camp in 11 dispersed sites had accommodation for 2,276 males and 238 females.

On completion, the airfield was to be allocated to the new Canadian bomber group, and to this end No. 428 Squadron formed at Dalton in November 1942 to fly Wellingtons, before the official transfer of the station from No. 4 to No. 6 Group on New Year's Day 1943. No. 428 Squadron joined the bombing campaign on the night of January 26/27 and had the station to itself until May when No. 424 Squadron's Wellingtons arrived from Leeming although this was only to prepare for an overseas posting to meet a request for more night bombing capability in the Mediterranean.

After only two weeks, No. 424's Wellingtons departed and No. 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit was formed to provide additional operational training on the Halifax. As this activity would not be compatible with an operational station the resident squadron was moved to the parent station early in June. However, in October 1943 No. 1666 HCU went to Wombleton, the remote and notorious airfield on the southern edge of the North York Moors; reputedly, the reason given was to lessen the air activity in the Thirsk area with its many operational airfields.

This left Dalton with only a gunnery flight, although in November 1943 the personnel of No. 420 Squadron, one of the Wellington squadrons sent to North Africa in the previous year, returned to prepare to re-equip with the Halifax before moving on to Tholthorpe a month later. A total of 29 bombers had been lost on operations launched from Dalton; five Whitleys, 20 Wellingtons and four Halifaxes.

The station now passed from the control of No. 6 Group to No. 7, the training group. While no other units were based at Dalton until August 1944 (when No. 6 Group Aircrew School was established), the flying field was regularly used as a relief landing ground by operational training unit aircraft.

All the station's units had been disbanded or transferred by early August 1945 and a state of care and maintenance declared. Under maintenance unit control, the airfield hangars were used for surplus stores and in the early `fifties old bombs were stockpiled on the runways prior to disposal. As with most technical sites, commercial and industrial uses took occupancy and fortunately Dalton has retained its three hangars
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Dalton
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   54°10'32"N   1°21'22"W

Comments

  • Formerly Dalton Airfield - RCAF/Training base in WW2
  • Thanks for this information - very useful and informative.
  • Was this the location of the RCAF's Battle School in WW2?
This article was last modified 6 years ago