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CLIFTON (YORK) 135                                                                      

Yorkshire.

Mar Ref:- 5359N 0106W

 

 

 

 

 The first association with aviation at this site took place on the 27th of May 1933 when a traveling Air Pageant visited a large meadow at Rawcliffe Manor. Not long after this the City of York decided to join in with scores of other towns and have its own civilian aerodrome, choosing an area known as Clifton Moor.

The grass landing ground, complete with a small hangar and club-house was constructed in 1935, and was ready for flying by its official opening on the 4th July 1936. Yorkshire Aviation Services Ltd. was given the contract for running the aerodrome, where from then up to the outbreak of the war, a successful flying club operated.

It was common practice in the mid 1930s for flying clubs to be given contracts by the Air Ministry to train young civilians to fly so that if an emergency should arise they could be employed in the communications and aircraft ferrying role. This scheme was known as the Civil Air Guard, the Yorkshire Aviation Services (YAS) took part and trained numerous students using its five Gipsy Moth aircraft from September 1938 to the time it closed in late August 1939.

It was also standard practice to offer similar contracts for the training of pilots for the RAF Volunteer Reserves. Once again Y.A.S was given a contract for the running of No.52 Elementary Reserve Flying Training School. Although the wheels were set in motion in the summer of 1939, war broke out before any students arrived.

In September 1939 the aerodrome was taken over by the Air Ministry when it was allocated to R.A.F Station Linton on Ouse, which in turn decided to disperse its bomber aircraft to Clifton in case the enemy bombed Linton. Consequently, for the first few weeks of the war 'A Flight' of No.51 Squadron with its Whitley Mk.2 bombers were present. Because there were no living facilities the airmen were billeted in civilian lodgings.

In the Spring of 1940, the Air Ministry made plans to fully develop the airfield, and quickly erected many wooden huts and buildings around the club house area in the south west corner. A canvas hangar was also provided prior to a steel 'T1 type' being erected later in 1941. Later still in 1941 a complete RAF Station was built at the south east side, complete with living sites dispersed in fields to the south-east with accommodation for 500 personnel.

The first occupants were No.4 Group Communications Flight which arrived from Linton in April 1940 with its odd Magister, Hornet Moth and Proctor aircraft. It served the staff officers of No.4 Group H.Q that had recently moved into Heslington Hall. This Flight later received an Oxford and Dominie, and remained here until moving to Elvington in June 1943.

More serious involvement by the R.A.F commenced on the 27th of August 1940 with the arrival of No.4 Squadron from Linton. This squadron operated in the Army Co-operation role for which it was equipped with Westland Lysanders. Initially it was employed on coastal patrols as invasion was thought imminent. It was also trained in dropping mustard gas should this have taken place. However, its usual role was co-operating with the army on exercises, and even with the Home Guard at times.

The main resident during the Army Co-op era was No.4 Squadron, who remained based here through to March 1943. Lysander aircraft were in use until April 1942 when they were replaced by Mustangs, although they attempt to operate with American built Tomahawks in the summer of 1942. Three other similar equipped army co-op squadrons also spent shorter periods at Clifton, the last one (No.231) departing on the 7th of July 1943.

Perhaps the oddest squadron to be based here (over the first three months of 1943 only) was No.809 of the Fleet Air Arm equipped with six Fairey Fulmars, also employed in the army co-op role for gun laying practice.

After the last Mustang equipped squadron departed several ‘Air Observation Post’ Flights were here on detachment, equipped with the small Auster A.O.P aircraft. All the above had been busily involved with exercising with the large army establishments based in Yorkshire, York being the H.Q of Northern Command. However, with most army co-op squadrons tending to move southwards in early 1944 to take part in the forthcoming Invasion of Europe, no further operational use was made of Clifton.

The RAF Station aspect then became part of Fighter Command. To ferry fighter aircraft around the North of England, No.4 Aircraft Delivery Flight arrived from Acklington on the 8th of March 1944, complete with a few Dominie, Oxfords and Ansons, which were used for shuttling about the ferry pilots. When this small Flight left for Hutton Cranswick on the 7th June 1945, it brought to an end all RAF association with Clifton.

Because of the large numbers of Halifax four engine-bombers based in Yorkshire, the Ministry of Aircraft Production decided to establish a Civilian Repair Unit (C.R.U) at Clifton in 1941. This necessitated the enlargement of the landing area and three concrete runways and a perimeter track being provided. It was also at this time that numerous fighter pens and revetments were constructed for the resident R.A.F.Mustangs, together with some 12 Blister hangars and three sets of Flight huts dispersed around the perimeter.

The Halifax repair and overhaul depots were to be run by Handley Page Ltd. For whom two large hangar complexes were built, one at the Rawcliffe village side to the west, the other at Water Lane end to the south. The first mentioned site came onto line in July 1941, whilst work on the second was started in mid 1942.

During the remainder of the war, some 2000 Halifax aircraft were repaired or overhauled, for which a very huge civilian work force was employed. After the war ended in May 1945, nearly 1,000 surplus Halifax's were flown in from all over the country, and for the next two years the main task was the stripping down of these old war horses, helped by a detachment of No.60 M.U from Shipton. A huge pile of metal some 80 feet high could be seen near Rawcliffe village.

A few Halifax aircraft were modified during this post war period but by mid 1947 all work came to an end, when the airfield and the M.A.P complexes closed down. Like hundreds of other disused airfields the Government did not dispose of the site, loaning the buildings near the main entrance to the army. They in turn used them as offices and for storing army pay records. The Water Lane hangar complex was used for storing Home Office equipment.

In 1949 the York Flying Club was formed, but due to the small number of members they could not afford the high rent asked by the Air Ministry, in spite of holding a successful fund raising air display in mid June 1951. Sadly this venture closed at the beginning of 1953.

With exception of the Water Lane hangar complex, that was retained as a Ministry of Food grain store, the Government finally sold the airfield in 1955 to York Corporation. They toyed with the idea of turning it into York Airport, but the encroaching housing development, and lack of funds scuttled things, so the airfield was let out for cattle grazing. In the mid 1980s the entire airfield commenced to be developed into a light industrial park, housing estate, and shopping complex. At the time of writing in 2000 this is almost complete, the only major structure remaining is the southern MAP hangar complex which acts as a grain store.