RAF Cranage

Royal Air Force Cranage or more simply RAF Cranage is a former Royal Air Force station operated during the Second World War. It was located just to the North of Middlewich, Cheshire, England.

RAF Cranage
Located Near Middlewich, Cheshire, England
Disused buildings on the former airfield (2017)
RAF Cranage
Coordinates	53°13′16″N 2°24′05″W grid reference SJ733694
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Condition	Closed
Site history
Built	1939
In use	1940–1958
Battles/wars	Second World War
Garrison information
Occupants	RAF Flying Training Command

History

The site at Cranage was chosen for use as a training station and aircraft maintenance unit in August 1939. Originally just a grass airfield, three runways were later built from American metal plank. The airfield unusually had eight blister hangars for maintenance use.[1]

The first flying unit was No. 2 School of Air Navigation RAF which was formed on 21 October 1940.[2] It operated the twin-engined Avro Anson for training navigators. In 1942 the unit was renamed the Central Navigation School and the strength was increased to 58 Ansons, they were joined two years later by a number of Vickers Wellingtons in the same role.[3]

As well as the training role, the airfield also housed an operational squadron from December 1940 with the formation of 96 Squadron which was equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. This unit operated in the night air-defence role, mainly in the protection of the industrial and port areas of Liverpool.[4]

A Vickers-Armstrongs shadow factory assembling Wellingtons, was situated at Byley but close to the airfield. The completed aircraft would be towed from the factory to the airfield for their first flight and onward delivery.[5] In July 1942 1531 Flight was formed as a Beam Approach Training Flight using the Airspeed Oxford. Aircrew were taught the techniques of the-then new airfield approach aid. A United States Army Air Forces liaison flight, operating Sentinels, also worked from the site in 1944.[1]

The only flying unit on the airfield after the war was No. 190 Gliding School which was formed in May 1945 and operated from the site for two years. With their departure, flying ceased at Cranage. The airfield was used for storage and maintenance until it closed in 1958.[6]

RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 96 Squadron RAF	1940-1941	Hawker Hurricane	I	Night-fighter.[7]
	1940-1941	Boulton Paul Defiant	I	[7]
No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron	1940-1941	Boulton Paul Defiant	I	Detachment from RAF Jurby.[8]
No. 2 School of Air Navigation	1940-1942	Avro Anson		Renamed the Central Navigation School
Central Navigation School	1942-1944	Avro Anson Vickers Wellington
No. 1531 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF[9]	1942-1945	Airspeed Oxford
No. 61 Maintenance Unit RAF	1945-1954	None

United States Army Air Forces units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Notes
No. 14 Liaison Squadron	1944-	Stinson L-5 Sentinel

Post RAF use

Since the closure of the station, the M6 has been built and it cuts through the former north east corner of the airfield.[1] The Air Defences around the site are well preserved and were listed in 2002.[6]

Holford Gas Storage

In 2000, Scottish Power unveiled plans to store gas in the former salt brine caverns underneath the site. Despite appeals, this was granted in 2004 and work started soon after.[10] Work progressed slowly due to the appeals process and also due to Scottish Power selling the concern to E.ON UK.[11] The caverns were first supplied with gas for storage in 2011, with full capacity reached in 2013.[12]

The caverns can store up to 6 billion cubic feet of gas.[11]

See also

• List of scheduled monuments in Cheshire since 1539

References

Citations

1. McLelland 2012, p. 87.
2. McLelland 2012, p. 86.
3. "Cranage". www.forgottenairfields.com. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
4. Smith 1981, p. 67.
5. "Welcome to RAF Cranage". www.rafcranage.org.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
6. Historic England. "World War II defences of the former airfield of RAF Cranage  (Grade N/A) (1020762)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 53.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 85.
9. Smith 1981, p. 70.
10. "How can 10,000 people be wrong?". Chester Chronicle. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
11. "ScottishPower sells underground natural gas storage unit for [pounds]96m". HeraldScotland. 28 July 2005. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
12. "Holford gas Storage News" (PDF). eonenergy.com. March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2017.

Bibliography

• Ferguson, Aldon (2008). Cheshire Airfields in the Second World War. Newbury, UK: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-927-7.
• Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• McLelland, Tim (2012). Action Stations Revisited Volume 5; Wales and the Midlands. Manchester: Crecy Publishing. ISBN 9780859791113.
• Smith, David (1981). Action Stations 3: Military airfields of Wales and the North-West. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 0850594855.