RAF Topcliffe

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox military installation Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe Template:Airport codes is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England.

It was established as a RAF Bomber Command station in 1940. The British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 and the airfield became an enclave within Alanbrooke Barracks. The last remaining RAF unit is No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron which operates the Grob Viking T.1 glider.

HistoryEdit

Second World WarEdit

Royal Air Force Topcliffe opened in September 1940 as a bomber station in RAF Bomber Command and was home to No. 77 Squadron Template:Sfn and No. 102 Squadron, both flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley heavy bomber.Template:Sfn There was a decoy site at Raskelf.Template:Sfn No. 419 Squadron Template:Sfn and No. 424 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) moved in flying Vickers Wellington bombers and later, the Handley Page Halifax III.Template:Sfn On 1 January 1943 the station was transferred to No. 6 Group RCAF and became a training station.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> No. 61 (RCAF) Base RAF was here between 25 March 1943 and November 1944 and became No. 76 (RCAF) Base RAF with the unit disbanding on 1 September 1945, the unit controlled sub-stations at Wombleton, Dalton and Dishforth.Template:Sfn<ref name="vgs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Units

801 Naval Air Squadron<ref name="ABCT"/>
812 Naval Air Squadron<ref name="ABCT"/>
813 Naval Air Squadron<ref name="ABCT"/>
824 Naval Air Squadron<ref name="ABCT"/>
No. 405 Squadron RCAF between 1 and 6 March 1943 with the Halifax IITemplate:Sfn
No. 16 Blind Approach Training Flight RAF between 22 September 1941 and October 1941 became No. 1516 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF until 17 November 1941Template:Sfn
No. 102 Conversion Flight RAF between 10 June 1942 and 7 August 1942Template:Sfn
No. 405 Conversion Flight RAF between 7 August and 7 October 1942Template:Sfn
No. 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF between 14 March and 16 September 1943Template:Sfn
No. 2805 Squadron RAF Regiment<ref name="ABCT">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cold WarEdit

File:HP.67 Hastings C.2 WD490 'T' 24.47 Sqns Ringway 09.08.52 edited-2.jpg

Handley Page Hastings of 24 & 47 Squadrons based at Topcliffe in 1952

No. 1 Air Navigation School was initially here between 9 April 1947 and 1 May 1954 with Wellingtons and Ansons. Navigation Staff Pilot(s) Training Flight RAF was here between October 1948 and December 1949 within No. 1 ANS.Template:Sfn The School was reformed here and operated between 15 March 1957 and 1 December 1961.Template:Sfn

The Air Electronics School RAF arrived on 14 January 1962 and from 30 January 1967 became the Air Electronics and Engineers School RAF, flying the Vickers Varsity T.1 until 26 October 1973.Template:Sfn

From 1 October 1964, the Northern Communications Squadron RAF flew the Avro Anson C.19, replacing them with Beagle Basset CC.1 before the squadron departed on 6 January 1969.Template:Sfn

The Airman Aircrew Initial Training School was located at Topcliffe from 30 January 1967 until February 1970 when it was disbanded into 6 FTS.Template:Sfn

No. 15 Aviation Flight of the Army Air Corps flew the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver AL.1 from the early 1970s and No. 666 Aviation Squadron AAC flew Westland Scout AH.1 helicopters between 1973 and 1978.Template:Citation needed

Between 1972 and 1973, most of the station was transferred to the British Army and became Alanbrooke Barracks.Template:Sfn

During the 1980s, Topcliffe was home of the Royal Navy Elementary Flying Training Squadron.Template:Sfn From 24 April 1995 it was temporarily home to a Short Tucano squadron of the RAF Central Flying School.Template:Sfn It was the home of the Tucano Air Navigation Squadron, teaching student navigators of both the RAF and the Royal Navy until 2003, when it moved to RAF Linton-on-Ouse.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

During the 1990s and until 2001, the airfield was utilised by Merlin Parachute Club, home to both the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment parachute display team and the University of York Sport Parachute Club.<ref name="vgs" />

Units

No. 24 Squadron RAF between 9 February 1951 and 6 May 1953 with the HastingsTemplate:Sfn
No. 36 Squadron RAF between 1 July 1953 and 28 February 1957 with the Lockheed Neptune MR.1 Template:Sfn
No. 47 Squadron RAF between 22 August 1949 and 13 May 1953 with the HastingsTemplate:Sfn
No. 53 Squadron RAF between 1 August 1949 and 9 February 1951 with the HastingsTemplate:Sfn
No. 203 Squadron RAF between 15 August 1952 and 1 September 1956 with the Neptune MR.1Template:Sfn
No. 210 Squadron RAF between 26 September 1952 and 31 January 1957 with the Lancaster ASR.3 and Neptune MR.1Template:Sfn
No. 297 Squadron RAF between 22 August 1949 and 15 November 1950 with the HastingsTemplate:Sfn
No. 5 Air Navigation School RAF between 17 September 1946 and 9 April 1947.Template:Sfn
No. 28 Gliding School RAF between February 1948 and February 1949Template:Sfn
Relief Landing Ground for No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit RAF from 1 April 1958Template:Sfn
No. 1453 Flight RAF between 5 May 1953 and 30 June 1956Template:Sfn
Aircrew Holding Unit RAF between 9 December 1966 and 26 November 1970Template:Sfn

21st centuryEdit

No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron moved to the airfield in 2003, after their previous home at the former RAF Catterick became increasingly unusable.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

No. 635 Volunteer Gliding Squadron also operated from Topcliffe from 2009 when it moved from its former home at RAF Samlesbury.<ref name="vgs" /> The unit disbanded in 2016 as part of the relaunch of air cadet aviation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

RAF Topcliffe was a satellite station which served in the role of a Relief Landing Ground for Short Tucano T.1 aircraft of No. 1 Flying Training School previously based nearby at RAF Linton-on-Ouse (one of two, the other being Dishforth Airfield).<ref name="MBOT"/>

Tucano Element of No. 6 Flying Training School RAF between April 1995 and March 1996Template:Sfn and Joint Elementary Flying Training School RAF between 1 April 1993 and 1 April 1995.Template:Sfn

In 2012, Yorkshire Air Ambulance moved their second base to RAF Topcliffe from nearby Bagby Airfield.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Role and operationsEdit

Since the British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 to establish Alanbrooke Barracks, the airfield is now enclosed within the Barracks.<ref name="MBOT">Template:Cite book</ref>

The last remaining RAF unit based at Topcliffe is No. 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron, which teaches Air Cadets to fly the Grob Viking T.1.

As of March 2012, the station is the permanent base of G-YOAA one of the two Yorkshire Air Ambulances.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>