The village of Dale in Pembrokeshire is situated 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south-east of the airfield, which itself lies adjacent to the coast, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of St. Ann's Head, the western entrance to the Milford Haven waterway. The town of Milford Haven lies 5 miles (8 km) east and Pembroke Dock lies 11 miles south-east. Notable landmarks are St. Anne's Head and Milford Haven, with Skomer Island lying 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-west and the small island of Skokholm lying 2.5 miles (4 km) south-west.[1]
History
Station design
Construction of the airfield began between the villages of Dale and Marloes in 1941. RAF Dale opened in the 1 June 1942. The airfield had three runways, constructed of tarmac and concrete in a triangular pattern, measuring: 1065 m (3495 ft) long, 1285 m (4215 ft) long, and 1458 m (4785 ft) long. The area north west of the runways contained associated buildings.[2] Initially it was to be named RAF Marloes, planned as a No. 19 Group RAFSatellite Landing Ground (SLG) to nearby RAF Talbenny,[1] but the name was changed to RAF Dale instead.[3]
RAF Coastal Command
The first RAF unit to use RAF Dale was No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron, twice between June 1942 and April 1943, spending November and December 1942 at RAF Talbenny. It used the Vickers Wellington IC,[4] for air/sea rescue, anti-submarine patrols, bombing raids and convoy protection,[5] supporting No. 311 (Czech) Sqn, which also arrived in Pembrokeshire in June 1942, as part of RAF Coastal Command. It departed for RAF Docking in March 1943.[6]
The Coastal Command Development Unit RAF moved to Dale, from RAF Tain.[1] The CCDU operated many different types of aircraft, evaluating new equipment and developing new tactics.[5]303 Ferry Training Unit from Talbenny also moved to Dale, this was a temporary measure, while lighting was being installed at the former.[1]
Royal Navy
RAF Dale was transferred to the Admiralty, in exchange for RNAS Angle (HMS Goldcrest), in September 1943. It was transferred on 5 September from No. 19 Group RAF, and commissioned, as HMS Goldcrest, on the 7 September 1943.
794 Naval Air Firing Unit was the first FAA unit to arrive in September 1943, it remained at Dale for two months before leaving in the November. However, at this point the Admiralty set about improving the airfield to support up to six naval air squadrons. A new concrete apron was added; a standard RN pattern four-story control tower was built; concrete huts and at least two naval Mainhill hangars to supplement the existing T2 and Blister hangars were constructed.[5]
In March 1944, 762 Twin Engine Conversion Unit arrived and then six months later, 748 No 10 Naval OTU reloacted to Dale. Work began on the new Fighter Direction School, ½ mile down the coast at Kete, in the latter part of 1944, and the facility was completed in 1945. Then in August 1945, 748 OTU moved out and 790 Fighter Direction Training Unit moved in, beginning live interception flights for the new R.N. Air Direction School, at Kete.
In December 1945, 762 Twin Engined Conversion Unit departed Dale, meaning only 790 NAS was undertaking flying operations at the airbase. On the 1 January 1946, Dale received RNAS Brawdy as a satellite airfield and later that month 784 Night Fighter Training Squadron moved there. However, it disbanded later that year at Brawdy, in the September.
861 Naval Air Squadron formed at Dale, on the 16 September 1946, for the Royal Netherlands Navy, the squadron worked up until ready to embark, leaving Dale on the 22 February 1947.
On 13 December 1947, when 790 NAS departed RNAS Dale, the air station closed to flying. On 31 March 1948, Dale was reduced to Care & Maintenance Status and then it was paid off, on the 31 October 1948.[1]
On the 30 March 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Docking.[4]
Coastal Command Development Unit
In April 1943 the Coastal Command Development Unit RAF(CCDU) took over RAF Dale[5] relocating from RAF Tain.[7] The units initial purpose was to undertake service trials of all radar equipment such as air-to-surface (ASV) radar to assist RAF Coastal Commandoperations.[8] It was required to investigate the tactics for the use of all types of radar equipment in RAF Coastal Command aircraft, but its role changed to cover both service and tactical trials of all RAF Coastal Command aircraft and equipment, including trials of anti-submarine warfare equipment and techniques.[9] The unit operated a wide variety of aircraft types to carry out the trials:[10]
Percival Proctor - a number of aircraft for communications flights.
In September 1943, as part of the swap between the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy with Dale and Angle airfields, the Coastal Command Development Unit (CCDU) moved to Angle.[8]
Ferry Flight Operations
No. 303 Ferry Training Unit RAF arrived from RAF Dale's parent, RAF Talbenny, while a Drem Lighting System was being installed at the latter.[1] It was equipped with Vickers Wellington aircraft. The unit's primary role was aircraft preparation and aircrew training for overseas deployment flights. Later, Vickers Warwick and Lockheed Ventura aircraft were introduced.[11]
784 Naval Air Squadron was a Night Fighter Training Squadron. It moved here from RNAS Drem (HMS Nighthawk), on the 15 January 1946, but operated from Dale's satellite airfield, RNAS Brawdy. The squadron was equipped with Fairey Firefly NF. I, a night fighter variant; Grumman Hellcat N.F. II, a night fighter version, fitted with an AN/APS-6 radar; and the North American Harvard II. It disbanded (at RNAS Brawdy) on the 10 September 1946,[1] becoming 'B' flight of the existing Fighter Direction Training Unit at Dale, 790 Naval Air Squadron.[14]
897 Naval Air Squadron was a Single Seat Fighter Squadron. It disembarked from HMS Stalker on the 18 February 1944 an then departed for to RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) on the 26 February 1944. The squadron operated Supermarine Seafire L. IIc.
On the 1 January 1946, RAF Brawdy was transferred to the Admiralty, on loan, as a satellite airfield for RNAS Dale and was commissioned as HMS Goldcrest II.[1]
Current use
Now owned privately by a local farmer, in May 2010, an illegalrave was held on the site, attracting 2,500 people. Dyfed-Powys Police were forced eventually to create roadblocks to stop further attendees joining, and release an announcement on local media. After the rave ended on Monday 31 May, six men aged between 23 and 52 were charged with offences under Section 136 of the Licensing Act for carrying out unlicensed licensable activity.[21]
^"Fleet Air Arm 861 Squadron". Squadron Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945. 2005. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
Ballance, Theo (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN978-0-85130-489-2.
Jefford, C G (2001). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 - 2nd Edition. Shrewsbury UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN1-84037-141-2.
