RAF Wombleton | |||||||||||
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Wombleton, North Yorkshire in England | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 54°13′59″N 000°58′09″W / 54.23306°N 0.96917°W | ||||||||||
Type | RAF Sub-station | ||||||||||
Code | UN[1] | ||||||||||
Site information | |||||||||||
Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
Operator | Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force | ||||||||||
Controlled by | RAF Bomber Command * No. 6 (T) Group RCAF * No. 7 (T) Group RAF | ||||||||||
Site history | |||||||||||
Built | 1942 | /43||||||||||
In use | October 1943 – 1949 | ||||||||||
Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||||
Elevation | 36 metres (118 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||
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Royal Air Force Wombleton or RAF Wombleton is a former Royal Air Force sub-station located 3.8 miles (6.1 km) east of Helmsley, North Yorkshire and 11.8 miles (19 km) north-east of Easingwold, North Yorkshire, England.
Wombleton opened in 1943 as a sub-station of RAF Topcliffe. It was part of RAF Bomber Command's No. 6 Group RCAF, and along with the main station at Topcliffe and the station at Dishforth, was designated part of No. 61 (Training) Base.[2][3] In November 1944, No. 61 Base was transferred to No 7 (Training) Group and it was renumbered No. 76 Training Base. No. 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) was the first unit to move to Wombleton. Aircrew who were originally trained on twin-engined aircraft such as Vickers Wellingtons or Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys received conversion training on heavy four-engined bombers such as the Handley Page Halifax or Avro Lancaster.[4] No. 1666 HCU remained at Wombleton until the end of the war. The RAF took over the station and stayed for several years with the RAF Regiment using the site as a battle school.[5]
Unit | From | To | Aircraft | Version | Notes |
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No. 1666 'Mohawk' HCU | 21 October 1943 | 3 August 1945 | Handley Page Halifax Avro Lancaster |
Mks.II, III, V Mks.I, II, III, X |
[6] |
No. 1679 HCF | 13 December 1943 | 27 January 1944 | Avro Lancaster | Mk.II | Disbanded into 1666 HCU[6] |
No. 261 Maintenance Unit RAF | 15 November 1945 | 10 September 1946 | [7] |
Wombleton airport is now used for recreational flying.[8]