RAF Bircotes

Royal Air Force Bircotes or more simply RAF Bircotes is a former Royal Air Force satellite airfield located within South Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster and was formerly located within the boundary of Nottinghamshire.

RAF Bircotes

Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
LocationBircotes
Built1941
In use1941-1948
Elevation AMSL108 ft / 33 m
Coordinates53°26′08″N 001°02′31″W
Map
RAF Bircotes
Location in South Yorkshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 0 1,400 Grass
NW/SE 0 1,235 Grass
18/36 0 1,410 Grass

History

RAF Bircotes was located next the No. 1 Group RAF, RAF Bomber Command HQ at RAF Bawtry, Bawtry Hall, Bawtry, England. The airfield consisted of a grass strip with a connecting perimeter track with T2, B1 and blister hangars plus other miscellaneous buildings.[1]

The Airfield opened in late 1941 and was used by the Avro Ansons, Vickers Wellingtons, and Avro Manchesters from No. 25 Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU) at nearby RAF Finningley.

A variety of training units occupied the airfield including two operational Training units, No. 18 OTU, No. 28 OTU, No. 82 OTU, No. 16 (Polish) Service Flying Training School RAF and No. 35 Maintenance Unit RAF.[2]

The No. 1 Group Bomber Command Communications Flight RAF[2] from RAF Bawtry were also present at Bircotes from April 1941. The unit had moved from RAF Hucknall and at Bircotes the unit was using Miles Masters, Airspeed Oxfords, Miles Martinets, Tomahawks and Westland Lysanders.[1][3]

Towards the end of the Second World War and afterwards a number of different units used the airfield such as No. 250 Maintenance Unit RAF (MU) which formed at the airfield while under the control of RAF Maintenance Command and No. 61 MU which absorbed No. 250 MU and used Bircotes as a sub site between 1944 and 1948.[1]

Current use

The airfield is currently farmland after being decommissioned on 13 July 1948 with little of the perimeter track left.[2]

References

Citations
  1. "RAF Bircotes, Yorkshire". Airfield Archaeology. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  2. "Bircotes (Bawtry)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  3. Halpenny 1981, p. 47

Bibliography
  • Halpenny, Bruce. Action Stations 2; Military airfields of Lincolnshire and East Midlands. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK: Patrick Stephen Publishing, 1981. ISBN 0-85059-484-7.
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