RAF Castletown

Royal Air Force Castletown or more simply RAF Castletown is a former Royal Air Force station that operated during the Second World War. Built near to Castletown in Caithness, Scotland the station opened in 1940 and closed in 1945. Initially built to provide a base for fighter cover for the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow, it later became an air-sea rescue base as well, before closing just after the end of the war in Europe.

RAF Castletown
Castletown, Caithness in Scotland
RAF Castletown
Coordinates	58.583°N 3.341°W / 58.583; -3.341
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command RAF Coastal Command
Site history
Built	1939 (1939)
In use	1940-1945 (1945)
Battles/wars	Second World War
Events	Battle of Britain & Defence of Scapa Flow
Garrison information
Occupants	No. 13 Group RAF No. 18 Group RAF

Air defence of Scapa Flow in 1939

At the outbreak of war, the only base available for local air defence of the hugely important Royal navy base at Scapa Flow was the naval airfield, RNAS Hatston. Hatston had no permanent aircraft allocation and was used by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) squadrons from the Home fleet aircraft carriers when they were at Scapa Flow.[1] There were no RAF stations nearby and the Air Ministry took immediate steps to remedy this by requisitioning Wick Airport which became RAF Wick and by the end of September 1939 Blackburn Skua aircraft of 803 Squadron FAA were patrolling over Scapa. At the same time a site was sought for a second airfield. A site was chosen at Thurdistoft near Castletown and work began immediately on the construction of a new station, RAF Castletown.[2]

Operational history

Castletown officially opened on 28 May 1940[2] as a satellite of RAF Wick.[3] Wick was then a station in 18 Group, Coastal Command[1] though also serving as a sector headquarters for 13 Group in Fighter Command. On 7 June 1940, Castletown ceased to be a satellite of Wick and became an operational station of 13 Group. The new station itself had its own satellite at RAF Skitten, which opened in December 1940.

The first aircraft, Hawker Hurricanes of 504 Squadron, arrived on 9 June 1940. Throughout the Battle of Britain Castletown provided air cover for Scapa with 504 Squadron being replaced by 3 Squadron and later 232 Squadron.[4] From September to October 1940, also 808 FAA Squadron, flying Fairey Fulmars, operated there, as one of only two FAA squadrons taking part in the Battle of Britain.[5]

After the Battle of Britain, the threat of invasion receded but attacks on Scapa continued. In 1941 124 Squadron was formed at Castletown to provide convoy and coastal patrols.[6] This activity continued until 1944 when the last squadron (by coincidence 504 Squadron) left and the station began to be wound down. The last known aircraft to visit the station was a Sikorsky Hoverfly helicopter of 771 Squadron FAA in March 1945[7] and the station closed soon after.[7]

As fighter activity decreased Castletown became a base for air-sea rescue duties with 282 Squadron being raised specifically for this purpose at Castletown in 1943.[8] 282 Squadron was replaced by 278 Squadron in 1944.

Ground defence of the station was initially provided by army units but from 1942 onwards No. 2816 Squadron RAF Regiment fulfilled these duties.[9]

Squadrons based at station

Sqn	Aircraft	From	Arrived	Departed	To	Notes
3	Hawker Hurricane I	RAF Wick RAF Turnhouse RAF Skaebrae	3 September 1940 13 October 1940 10 February 1941	14 September 1940 7 January 1941 3 April 1941	RAF Turnhouse RAF Skaebrae RAF Martlesham Heath	[10]
17	Hurricane IIA/I	RAF Martlesham Heath	5 April 1941	16 June 1941	RAF Elgin	Detachments at RAF Elgin & RAF Sumburgh.[11]
54	Supermarine Spitfire VB/IIB	RAF Hornchurch	17 November 1941	2 June 1942	RAF Wellingore	[12]
66	Spitfire LF IXB	RAF Bognor	8 May 1944	14 May 1944	RAF Bognor	[13]
118	Spitfire VI	RAF Peterhead	19 October 1943	20 January 1944	RAF Detling	Det at RAF Peterhead.[14]
123	Spitfire I/IIA/VB	RAF Drem	22 September 1941	11 April 1942	en route Egypt	Det at RAF Tain.[15]
124	Spitfire I/IIB/VA/VB	Reformed here	10 May 1941	17 November 1941	RAF Biggin Hill	Reformed here.[15]
131	Spitfire VB/VC	RAF Westhampnett	22 January 1943	26 June 1943	RAF Exeter	[16]
132	Spitfire IXB/VB/VI	RAF Detling	17 January 1944	10 March 1944	RAF Detling	[16]
167	Spitfire VB	RAF Scorton	1 June 1942	14 October 1942	RAF Ludham	Det at RAF Peterhead.[17]
213	Hurricane I	RAF Driffield	18 February 1941	11 May 1941	en route Egypt via HMS Furious	[18]
232	Hurricane I	RAF Sumburgh	18 September 1940	13 October 1940	RAF Skitten	[19]
260	Hurricane I	Reformed here RAF Skitten	22 November 1940 7 January 1941	5 December 1940 10 February 1941	RAF Skitten	[20]
278	Westland Lysander IIA Supermarine Walrus	RAF Matlask	21 April 1942	February	RAF Shoreham	As a detachment from RAF Coltishall.[21]
282	Walrus Avro Anson I	Formed here	1 January 1943	12 January 1944	Disbanded	Dets at RAF Peterhead, RAF Drem and RAF Ayr.[22]
310	Spitfire VA/VB/VI	RAF Exeter	26 June 1943	19 September 1943	RAF Ibsley	Det at RAF Sumburgh.[23]
331	Hurricane I/IIB	RAF Catterick	21 August 1941	21 September 1941	RAF Skaebrae	[24]
404	Bristol Blenheim IVF	RAF Thorney Island	20 June 1941	27 July 1941	RAF Skitten	[25]
504	Hurricane I Spitfire VB/VC/VI Spitfire IXB/VB	RAF Wick RAF Redhill RAF Hornchurch	21 June 1940 19 September 1943 10 March 1944	2 September 1940 18 October 1943 30 April 1944	RAF Catterick RAF Peterhead RAF Digby	Full strength.[26] Det at Sumburgh.[26] Full strength.[26]
607	Hurricane I	RAF Skitten	27 July 1941	20 August 1941	RAF Skitten	[27]
610	Spitfire VB/VC	RAF Ludham	15 October 1942	20 January 1943	RAF Westhampnett	[27]
808 FAA	Fulmar I	RNAS Worthy Down	5 September 1940	2 October 1940	RNAS Donibristle	[5]

The following RAF Regiment units were here at some point:[28]

• No. 2833 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2877 Squadron RAF Regiment

References

Citations

1. Myers, P. "Air Operations RAF Wick". Caithness.org. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
2. Castletown Recalls p. 3.
3. Guttridge, Andrew (2002). "WW2 Defences in Caithness Part 2, Air Defences". Caithness Field Club Bulletin. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
4. Wood, Derek & Dempster, Derek (1967) [1961]. The Narrow Margin: The Battle of Britain and the rise of air power 1930–1940 (2nd ed.). London: Arrow Books. ISBN 978-0-09-002160-4.
5. Bussy, Geoffrey: Fairey Fulmar. Hall Park Books, Warpaint Series. No.41. p. 8
6. "History of No. 124 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
7. Castletown Recalls p. 11.
8. "282 Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
9. Castletown Recalls p. 13.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 24.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 30.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 42.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 58.
16. Jefford 1988, p. 59.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 71.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 74.
20. Jefford 1988, p. 80.
21. Jefford 1988, p. 82.
22. Jefford 1988, p. 83.
23. Jefford 1988, p. 85.
24. Jefford 1988, p. 87.
25. Jefford 1988, p. 89.
26. Jefford 1988, p. 95.
27. Jefford 1988, p. 99.
28. "Castletown". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 12 June 2020.

Bibliography

• Andrew Guttridge, ed. (2005). Castletown Recalls 1939–1945 (PDF). Castletown Heritage Society. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
• 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.

External links