RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

RAF · Yorkshire · England · United Kingdom

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

RAF Dishforth is situated just south of where the A168 joins the A1 north of Boroughbridge, Yorkshire.

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Airfield plan. The red circle is the original perimeter track, yellow lines the later bomb storage area, green the early dispersals based on an aerial photo of 1943. Also I have overlaid the hangars with the original 1943 photo hangars. Some dispersed sites are now married quarters.

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

The original layout can be seen with a circular perimeter track, the hangars layout conforming to the perimeter. A grass airfield surface and now by 1942 three runways laid out within the circle and one, N/S about to be doubled in length, Aircraft dispersals being added and a new bomber store placed in the N/E side of the airfield.

28 May 1943

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Control Tower The red circle is the original perimeter track, yellow lines the later bomb storage area, green the early dispersals based on an aerial photo of 1943. Also I have overlaid the hangars with the original 1943 photo hangars. Some dispersed sites are now married quarters.

11 April 2009

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Original tower.
Thank you Terry for the Flight Sim Image.

Terry

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Fire Station History :
January 1937 and the first squadron arrived, No.10 Sqn with Heyford's. 8th September 1939 Dishforth sent its first mission out with No.10 Sqn dropping leaflets over Germany .

11 April 2009

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

History : later in the war No.6 Group RCAF was formed and Dishforth came under its wing like all the airfields around this part of Yorkshire. First to be formed here was No.426 Sqn with Wellington's. 1943 saw the laying of hard runways and it disrupted flying for a while. This brought it up to a class A bomber airfield. There were 32 frying pan dispersals laid out around the enlarged perimeter track.

11 April 2009

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

NE/SW runway.
History : November 1943 brought No.1664 Heavy Conversion Unit with Halifax’s. No.425 Sqn returned and reformed with Halifax and departed to RAF Tholthorpe. RAF Dishforth continued to be a training airfield for the rest of the war but would have sent many bombers on bombing missions. By the end of the war Transport Command took over and an OTU & HCU was stationed here. 1961 saw the end of RAF flying and in 1988 the Army Air Corps took over. Blue to Brown.

11 April 2009

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Five 'C' Type Sheds RAF Expansion Scheme airfields, built in the rush to re-arm against the looming German threat which became unavoidable in the early 1930s, were well constructed and built to a standard design. In spite of the urgency the Royal Fine Arts Commission was consulted as to the aesthetics of the proposed building designs and layout. This included a standard airfield and domestic site layout including neoclassical red-brick residential blocks, standard mess.

11 April 2009

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Five 'C' Type Sheds
RAF Expansion Scheme airfields, built in the rush to re-arm against the looming German threat which became unavoidable in the early 1930s, were well constructed and built to a standard design. In spite of the urgency the Royal Fine Arts Commission was consulted as to the aesthetics of the proposed building designs and layout. This included a standard airfield and domestic site layout including neoclassical red-brick residential blocks, standard mess.

A Luftwaffe photo

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Starting from LtoR, shed one

11 April 2009

Door frame design with outer and an inner skin of sheet steel and filled with small stones (shingle) to help its armoured ability.

Hangars in early RAF parlance were SHEDS.

RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Shed two Airplane Sheds Type 'C' 1934 Home Station. 12 bay 300ft long, 150ft wide. The door height 35ft 5inches, six sliding doors, with flight squadron offices, crew rooms, repair rooms, flying cloths lockers, etc. The side windows were designed to, if a bomb exploded inside, the blast would force out the reinforced glass. Thus saving the walls. The armoured doors were filled with gravel to increase there armoured strength. One man could open them with a small winding handle. [Action Stations 6 M Bowyer].

11 April 2009