RAF Ballyhalbert
Encyclopedia
RAF Ballyhalbert was a Royal Air Force
station at Ballyhalbert
on the Ards Peninsula
, County Down
. RAF Kirkistown
was a satellite to the larger Ballyhalbert.
Construction began in 1940, at which time the windmill stump at Clydesburn was demolished. It opened in May 1941, prior to completion of the works, as a RAF Fighter Command
base where the primary weapon was the Supermarine Spitfire
. The airfield was officially opened on 28 June 1941. The base provided local protection from Luftwaffe
raids on Belfast
and the rest of the province. Other aircraft operated from the base were the Hawker Hurricane
, Bristol Beaufighter
, P-51 Mustang
and Boulton Paul Defiant
night fighter. During its lifetime, Ballyhalbert was home to RAF, WAAF
, Army, Royal Navy
and United States Air Force
(USAF) personnel. Servicemen from Australia
, New Zealand
, Canada
and Poland
also saw duty at Ballyhalbert.
On 19 May 1944 General Eisenhower
, Supreme Commander Allied Forces, visited the airfield en route for RAF Bovingdon
. He later went on to become 34th President of the United States
from 1953 to 1961.
As HMS Corncake the airfield was used by the Fleet Air Arm
for squadrons working up for carrier duty. On November 13, 1945 the airfield was closed and placed on Care and Maintenance. By 1947, with no further use made of the site it was abandoned. The airfield was sold to developers in March 1960, and is in use for several popular caravan parks.
A short distance away from Ballyhalbert airfield, in two local churchyards, lie Canadian, Australian and Polish airmen who died whilst serving at Ballyhalbert.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station at Ballyhalbert
Ballyhalbert
Ballyhalbert is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula between Ballywalter and Portavogie. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 447 people...
on the Ards Peninsula
Ards Peninsula
The Ards Peninsula is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland which separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel of the Irish Sea, on Ireland's northeast coast. A number of towns and villages are located on the peninsula, such as the seaside town of Donaghadee, with the surrounding area...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. RAF Kirkistown
RAF Kirkistown
RAF Kirkistown was a satellite to the Royal Air Force base at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland. Kirkistown is approximately 8 km due south of Ballyhalbert.-History:...
was a satellite to the larger Ballyhalbert.
Construction began in 1940, at which time the windmill stump at Clydesburn was demolished. It opened in May 1941, prior to completion of the works, as a RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
base where the primary weapon was the Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
. The airfield was officially opened on 28 June 1941. The base provided local protection from Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
raids on Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and the rest of the province. Other aircraft operated from the base were the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
, Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
, P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
and Boulton Paul Defiant
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
night fighter. During its lifetime, Ballyhalbert was home to RAF, WAAF
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
, Army, Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) personnel. Servicemen from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
also saw duty at Ballyhalbert.
On 19 May 1944 General Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, Supreme Commander Allied Forces, visited the airfield en route for RAF Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located to the west of Bovingdon, two and a half miles south of Hemel Hempstead and two and a half miles south east of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, UK....
. He later went on to become 34th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
from 1953 to 1961.
As HMS Corncake the airfield was used by 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...
for squadrons working up for carrier duty. On November 13, 1945 the airfield was closed and placed on Care and Maintenance. By 1947, with no further use made of the site it was abandoned. The airfield was sold to developers in March 1960, and is in use for several popular caravan parks.
A short distance away from Ballyhalbert airfield, in two local churchyards, lie Canadian, Australian and Polish airmen who died whilst serving at Ballyhalbert.
Chronology
- 1940: Construction Started
- Mid-1941: Construction completed: 3 tarmacTarmacTarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
runwayRunwayAccording to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s; 2 Bellman hangarBellman hangarThe Bellman Hangar was designed in the United Kingdom in 1936 by the Directorate of Works structural engineer, N. S. Bellman, as a temporary hangar capable of being erected or dismantled by unskilled labour with simple equipment and to be easily transportable. Commercial manufacturing rights were...
s, 6 blisters, with a decoy at Kearney - 28 June 1941: Airfield officially opened under Administration of No. 13 Group RAFNo. 13 Group RAFNo. 13 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century. It is most famous for having the responsibility for defending the North of Great Britain during the Battle of Britain-World War I:...
- July 1941: Satellite opened at RAF KirkistownRAF KirkistownRAF Kirkistown was a satellite to the Royal Air Force base at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland. Kirkistown is approximately 8 km due south of Ballyhalbert.-History:...
- 14 July 1941: First operational unit arrived; No. 245 Squadron RAFNo. 245 Squadron RAFNo. 245 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew as an anti-submarine squadron during World War I and as a fighter squadron during World War II. After the war it was first a jet-fighter squadron and its last role was as a radar-calibration unit....
in their Hawker HurricaneHawker HurricaneThe Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s - 1 September 1941: 245 Squadron move to EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
- 25 September 1941: Airfield came under the administration of 82 Group
- 26 October 1941: No. 504 Squadron RAFNo. 504 Squadron RAFNo. 504 Squadron was one of the Special Reserve Squadrons of the Auxiliary Air Force. It was integrated into the AAF proper in 1936. Based at RAF Cottesmore, Rutland, 504 Squadron used a variety of light bombers before being re-tasked to fighters with the Hawker Hurricane in 1939. It subsequently...
arrived. Seven Hurricanes damaged on landing due to a strong crosswind. The Squadron later converted to Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s - 22 January 1942: 504 Squadron moved to RAF Kirkistown
- 24 January 1942: 25 Night-Fighter Squadron arrived in their Bristol BeaufighterBristol BeaufighterThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s
- At this time, enemy reconnaissance aircraft over Northern Ireland were pursued to the limit of the Spitfires fuel, some being damaged and one forced down. There was a steady drain of pilots owing to accidents, several being caused by the airfield's poor weather records.
- 9 February 1942: A scramble in poor visibility resulted in one Spitfire landing in a ploughed field in RAF West FreughRAF West FreughRAF West Freugh is a Royal Air Force station located in Wigtownshire, five miles south east of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland....
in the Dumfries and GallowayDumfries and GallowayDumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
area of ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; one Spitfire landing at the airfield with 6 gallons of fuel left and 1 disappearing altogether. The body of the pilot, Sgt. Cannon, was washed ashore in a dingy on the Mull of GallowayMull of GallowayThe Mull of Galloway is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point . Built in 1830 by engineer Robert Stevenson, the white-painted round tower is high...
. The pilot had died of exposure. - 16 May 1942: 25 Night-Fighter Squadron left.
- 19 June 1942: 504 Squadron returned to Ballyhalbert
- Autumn 1942: USAF 5th Fighter Squadron arrived with their Spitfires. This squadron was part of the 52nd Pursuit Group of the Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. RAF 1493 Gunnery Flight also in residence at Ballyhalbert - October 1942: 504 Squadron leave Ballyhalbert
- 19 October 1942: No. 501 Squadron RAFNo. 501 Squadron RAFNo 501 Squadron was the fourteenth of the twenty-one flying units in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the volunteer reserve part of the British Royal Air Force. The squadron won seven battle honours, flying Hurricane, Spitfire and Tempest fighter aircraft during World War II, and was one of the most...
assumed the role of Day Defence with their Spitfires - January 1943: Airfield buildings in a deplorable state. After a few days heavy rain, most buildings had water pouring in. There were complaints concerning the hasty and inadequate construction.
- 30 April 1943: 501 Squadron departed and 130 Squadron arrived with their Spitfires
- 5 July 1943: 130 Squadron moved to RAF HonileyRAF HonileyRAF Honiley is a former Royal Air Force station located in Wroxall, Warwickshire seven miles southwest of Coventry, England. The station closed in March 1958, and after being used as a motor vehicle test track, is presently subject to planning permission from the Prodrive Formula One team for...
. No. 315 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 315 Polish Fighter SquadronNo 315 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during the World War II...
arrived - 19 July 1943: No. 26 Squadron RAFNo. 26 Squadron RAFNo. 26 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1976.The squadron motto is N Wagter in die Lug , and the squadrons badge is a springbok's head couped.-1915 to 1918:...
arrived with P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
1s. Station shared with 315 Polish Fighter Squadron and their Spitfires - 13 November 1943: 315 Polish Fighter Squadron moved to join RAF Second Tactical Air ForceRAF Second Tactical Air ForceThe former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War...
- November 1943: No. 303 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 303 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron was one of 16 Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It was the highest scoring RAF squadron of the Battle of Britain....
arrived. 125 Squadron Beaufighters take over Night Defence - 5 February 1943: No.24 Fighter Wing (887/894 Naval Squadrons) arrived at Ballyhalbert
- March 1944: 125 Squadron depart Ballyhalbert
- 21 March 1944: Kirkistown satellite lost, being moved to RAFNI for administration
- April 1944: No.24 Naval Fighter Wing depart for Culmhead in DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
- 3 April 1944: 784 Naval Squadron stationed at Ballyhalbert with Fairey FulmarFairey FulmarThe Fairey Fulmar was a British carrier-borne fighter aircraft that served with the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. A total of 600 were built by Fairey Aviation at its Stockport factory between January 1940 and December 1942...
s - 30 April 1944: 303 Polish Fighter Squadron joined Second Tactical Air Force
- 19 May 1944: General Eisenhower, Allied Forces Supreme Commander arrived at Ballyhalbert en route for RAF Bovingdon
- 30 May 1944: 1840 Naval Squadron stationed at Ballyhalbert with F6F HellcatF6F HellcatThe Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...
s. This Squadron returned to Ballyhalbert on two more occasions, 2 October and 16 November 1944 - 5 August 1944: No.3 Naval Fighter Wing (808/885 Naval Squadrons) arrived at Ballyhalbert equipped with Supermarine SeafireSupermarine SeafireThe Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
s - November 1944: 1402 Met Flight arrived
- 5 January 1945: 812 Naval Squadron arrived
- 13 January 1945: 1846 Naval Squadron arrived
- April 1945: One of the last RAF units, 1494 TT Flight departed for North WealdNorth Weald AirfieldNorth Weald Airfield is an operational airfield, near the village of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it was known as the RAF Station RAF North Weald. It is the home of North Weald Airfield Museum...
- 24 April 1945: Ballyhalbert Airfield transferred to the AdmiraltyAdmiraltyThe Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
and becomes a Royal Naval Air StationFleet Air ArmThe 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...
. RAF 1402 Met Flight remained at station as a lodger - 17 July 1945: Ballyhalbert Airfield commissioned as "H.M.S. Corncrake". Kirkistown Airfield commissioned as "H.M.S. Corncrake II"
- 13 November 1945: Ballyhalbert Airfield decommissioned by the Admiralty
- 15 January 1946: Ballyhalbert Airfield is transferred to RAF Coastal CommandRAF Coastal CommandRAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
under Care and Maintenance Scheme - March 1960: Ballyhalbert Airfield sold at auction