Beccles Airport
Encyclopedia
Beccles Airfield is located in Ellough
, 2 NM southeast of Beccles
in the English
county
of Suffolk
. Built during the second world war, it has operated as a heliport servicing the North Sea oil and gas industry and currenty operates as a base for private flights and flight training.
Beccles Aerodrome has a CAA
Ordinary Licence (Number P837) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (RainAir (Beccles) Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. The current airstrip consists of around 450 metres of the original wartime concrete surface with 150 metres of grass airstrip.
, and was built for the 8th USAAF and allocated airfield number 132. It is possible that Ellough was intended to be used by the 3rd Air Division, 95th Combat Wing. The 95th had two Bomber Groups, the 489th at RAF Halesworth
and the 491st at RAF Metfield. Other combat wings had three Bomber Groups.
The airfield was the last to be completed in Suffolk during the war and the USAAF had no use for the airfield so it passed briefly to RAF Bomber Command
before being operated by Coastal Command from August 1944. The field was used as an air-sea rescue post until closure in 1945, and saw operation by various RAF and FAA squadrons operating such diverse types as Vickers Warwick
, Fairey Barracuda
, Supermarine Walrus
, Fairey Swordfish
, Supermarine Sea Otter
and Fairey Albacore
on air-sea rescue and anti-shipping duties. The Fleet Air Arm
used temporary lodging facilities at RAF Beccles under the stone frigate
name HMS Hornbill
II.
One of Ellough's few claims to fame is that in 1944 it was used by Mosquito
s of 618 Squadron
to practice dropping spinning bombs called 'Highball' which were a derivative of the bombs used by 617 Squadron
to breach the dams. The use of 'Highball' is shown in the 1970 film Mosquito Squadron. The wartime control tower was demolished in 2009. The airfield was the most easterly war time airfield in England.
, serving North Sea
oil and gas rigs. Operation of the heliport was transferred to Norwich International Airport
in the 1990s. The airfield has been home to RainAir since 1997 when Rainer Forster transferred his flight training operations from Swanton Morley
. The airfield is the base for No. 28 (Suffolk) Civil Air Patrol Unit, a volunteer organisation which aims to aid the emergency services. UK Parachuting also operates free-fall parachute training from the airfield.
moved their main factory to the site in 2004. Plastics company Promens
operates a warehouse on the park which has the UK's largest solar roof installation with a generating capacity of 1.65MW.
Other areas of the site are used for agricultural use and as a site for a farmers market. A kart circuit, Ellough Park Raceway, also occupies part of the airfield site.
Ellough
Ellough is a parish in the English county of Suffolk located approximately south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. Neighbouring villages include North Cove, Weston, Sotterley and Henstead...
, 2 NM southeast of Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. Built during the second world war, it has operated as a heliport servicing the North Sea oil and gas industry and currenty operates as a base for private flights and flight training.
Beccles Aerodrome has a CAA
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA head office is located in the CAA House on Kingsway in Holborn, London Borough of Camden...
Ordinary Licence (Number P837) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (RainAir (Beccles) Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. The current airstrip consists of around 450 metres of the original wartime concrete surface with 150 metres of grass airstrip.
Origin and war time use
Always known locally as Ellough Airfield, it was built for the USAAF and completed in August 1942. It used the three concrete runway layout typical of many bomber airfields in East AngliaEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, and was built for the 8th USAAF and allocated airfield number 132. It is possible that Ellough was intended to be used by the 3rd Air Division, 95th Combat Wing. The 95th had two Bomber Groups, the 489th at RAF Halesworth
RAF Halesworth
RAF Halesworth is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is west of Southwold in Suffolk.-USAAF use:Halesworth was built in 1942–1943 and was intended for use as a bomber station. It was built as a bomber station, with a 6,000 ft. main runway and two secondary runways of...
and the 491st at RAF Metfield. Other combat wings had three Bomber Groups.
The airfield was the last to be completed in Suffolk during the war and the USAAF had no use for the airfield so it passed briefly to RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
before being operated by Coastal Command from August 1944. The field was used as an air-sea rescue post until closure in 1945, and saw operation by various RAF and FAA squadrons operating such diverse types as Vickers Warwick
Vickers Warwick
The Vickers Warwick was a multi-purpose British aircraft used during the Second World War. Built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Brooklands, Surrey, the Warwick was used by the Royal Air Force as a transport, air-sea rescue and maritime reconnaissance platform, and by the civilian British Overseas...
, Fairey Barracuda
Fairey Barracuda
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
, Supermarine Walrus
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...
, Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
, Supermarine Sea Otter
Supermarine Sea Otter
|-Survivors:No museum holds a complete aircraft. Australia's Museum of Flight has the nose section of JN200, a Sea Otter which served with the Royal Australian Navy.-See also:-References:...
and Fairey Albacore
Fairey Albacore
The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as delivering...
on air-sea rescue and anti-shipping duties. The Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
used temporary lodging facilities at RAF Beccles under the stone frigate
Stone frigate
Stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French...
name HMS Hornbill
HMS Hornbill
RNAS Culham was a Royal Naval Air Station near Culham, Oxfordshire. It opened in 1944 as an Aircraft Receipt and Despatch Unit for the Royal Navy....
II.
One of Ellough's few claims to fame is that in 1944 it was used by Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
s of 618 Squadron
No. 618 Squadron RAF
No. 618 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, intended to carry of a variation of the Barnes Wallis designed Bouncing bomb code-named "Highball"...
to practice dropping spinning bombs called 'Highball' which were a derivative of the bombs used by 617 Squadron
No. 617 Squadron RAF
No. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
to breach the dams. The use of 'Highball' is shown in the 1970 film Mosquito Squadron. The wartime control tower was demolished in 2009. The airfield was the most easterly war time airfield in England.
Post-war use
After the war the airport remained dormant until 1965 when it became Beccles HeliportHeliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
, serving North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
oil and gas rigs. Operation of the heliport was transferred to Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
in the 1990s. The airfield has been home to RainAir since 1997 when Rainer Forster transferred his flight training operations from Swanton Morley
RAF Swanton Morley
The former Royal Air Force Station Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force Station in Norfolk, England, located near to the village of Swanton Morley...
. The airfield is the base for No. 28 (Suffolk) Civil Air Patrol Unit, a volunteer organisation which aims to aid the emergency services. UK Parachuting also operates free-fall parachute training from the airfield.
Other uses
Most of the runway have been broken up and much of the area of the airfield is now used for a variety of industrial uses. Beccles printing company William Clowes Ltd.William Clowes Ltd.
William Clowes Ltd. is a British printing company founded in London in 1803 by William Clowes. It grew from a small, one press firm to one of the world's largest printing companies in the mid-19th century. The company merged with Caxton Press, operated by William Moore in Beccles, Suffolk in the...
moved their main factory to the site in 2004. Plastics company Promens
Promens
Promens hf is an Icelandic holding company with primary interests in rigid plastics manufacturing.It is majority owned by Icelandic investment companies Horn Invest and The Enterprise Investment Fund.Promens' headquarters are in Kópavogur, Iceland....
operates a warehouse on the park which has the UK's largest solar roof installation with a generating capacity of 1.65MW.
Other areas of the site are used for agricultural use and as a site for a farmers market. A kart circuit, Ellough Park Raceway, also occupies part of the airfield site.