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[RAF Elsham Wolds] [Other Local Airfields] [RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor]

Holme-On-Spalding Moor – East Yorkshire

Holme-on-Spalding Moor E Yorks

Little remains to identify the site of the old airfield which is in the centre of this photo

Situated north east of Goole on east side of the A614 road  the airfield was built on Holme Common between the A614 road to the west and the Market Weighton Canal which formed the eastern boundary. A short distance to the south was the River Foulness and to the north the Land of Nod Road and the village of Holme-on-Spalding Moor from which it was named. Approach by road could only be made from the west.

Airfield construction workers moved to the site in 1940 and started to develop it into a standard pattern airfield with the main technical and accomodation site on the northern side of the landing area, the main hangar being a J Type. Briefing rooms, control tower, officers and men’s quarters were built in record time. The airfield was officially opened in August 1941 under No I Group, Bomber Command, although it had been used by light aircraft prior to then. The first units, which both arrived during August, were No 21 BAT Flight which formed here with Oxfords and was later to become No 1520 BAT Flight and 458 Squadron RAAF which were formed at Williamtown, New South Wales on the 8th of the previous month.

Vickers Wellington 458 Squadron Holme-on-Spalding Moor 

Vickers Wellington 458 Squadron Holme-on-Spalding Moor

This Squadron was officially established in Britain on August 25 1941 at Holme-on-Spalding Moor as a medium bomber unit in No 1 Group. It was equipped with Vickers Wellington IVs. The commanding officer, W/C Mulholland (later killed in action on February 16 1942) and one of his flight commanders, Squadron Leader Johnston, were Australians and many RAAF aircrew were immediately posted in but it was not fully RAAF. The Squadron were quickly into their stride and began operations on the night of 20/21 October when ten Wellingtons were despatched—two to Emden and eight to Antwerp. One aircraft was unable to locate Antwerp and returned with its bombs and one failed to return.

By the end of January 1942, 458 Squadron had bombed Mannheim, Aachen, Cologne and Dtisseldorf in the campaign against German transport centres as well as attacking ports and other North Sea installations. The last operation was on January 28/29 1942, when two aircraft bombed Boulogne docks and at the end of the month 458 Squadron were withdrawn from all Bomber Command duties and, after having re-equipped with Wellington Ics, moved to the Middle East in March 1942.

The airfield was then used mainly by non-operational units while further construction work was carried out. During August the newly formed 460 Squadron Conversion Flight arrived from RAF Breighton with Handley Page Halifaxes. At this stage of the war the existing heavy conversion units were unable to accomodate all squadrons that were either forming or re-equipping with four-engined bombers, and many crews were trained by these units. On these Conversion Flights more experienced crew first learned to fly the new aircraft and then acted as instructors. This was the case with 460 Squadron Conversion Flight, but for some reason it was decided to discontinue Halifax training and to equip 460 Squadron with Lancasters. On September 26 1942, the conversion flight moved back to Breighton. T

In September 1942, No 101 Squadron arrived from Stradishall, Suffolk with their Wellington IIIs. The following month they began to convert to Lancasters the newest and most up-to-date bomber and with these began to operate almost nightly from Holme-on-Spalding Moor against targets in Germany and Italy.

In the first week of January 1943, No 1503 BAT Flight, which had arrived from Mildenhall on September 5 1942, moved out to Lindholme. 1943 saw the long distance raids continue with Milan and Spezia being added the list of Italian targets.

 After flying an impressive number of operations with Lancasters, 101 Squadron moved south to Ludford Magna in June 1943. It was immediately replaced by No 76 Squadron from Linton-on-Ouse and the station was transferred to No 4 Group and became No 44 Base Station. Within three days 76 Squadron made its first attack from its new base when, as part of the main force, it bombed an armament works at Le Creusot. Operations from here continued on a heavy scale and in February 1944 the unit began to convert to the radial-engined Halifax Mk III and continued operations with these. Towards the end of May the Oxfords of No 1520 BAT Flight moved to Leconfield and the status of the station as at June 6 1944 was No 76 Squadron with Halifax Mk Ills and No 1689 Bomber Defence Training Flight which had recently moved in and was operating with Spitfires, Hurricanes and Martinets under No 4 Group. Flown by experienced fighter pilots, the BDT Flight did invaluable work giving bomber crews experience by making dummy attacks which forced the bombers to take evasive action as they would have to in the hostile skies over Germany. During March 76 Squadron began to convert to the Halifax VI and the last operational mission of the war was on the 25 April when 25 Halifaxes were despatched to bomb gun batteries on the island of Wangerooge. 22 bombed the primary target, one aborted and two failed to return.

Handley Page Halifax I 76 Squadron Holme-on-Spalding Moor

Handley Page Halifax I 76 Squadron Holme-on-Spalding Moor

Handley Page Halifax 76 Squadron 1941 Holme-on-Spalding Moor

Handley Page Halifax 76 Squadron 1941 Holme-on-Spalding Moor

No 1689 BDT Flight moved out during April and, on May 7 1945, the station, along with 76 Squadron, was transferred to Transport Command. The resident unit converted to Dakotas and began training for their part of flying passengers, troops, mail and freight over the main air trunk routes of the world. 76 Squadron finally left Holme-on-Spalding Moor in July 1945 and by the end of the year it was in India. Douglas Dakotas had also arrived at Holme-on-Spalding Moor when  512 Squadron arrived from the continent in July 1945. This unit began to train new crews to fly the Dakotas but remained only a few months and on October 8 1945 was posted to Egypt.

With the last flying unit now gone the station closed down and was placed on Care and Maintenance. It remained under these conditions until 1952 when it re-opened during the Korean War as the base for No 14 Advanced Flying Training School whose Percival Prentice T1 and North American Harvard T2b trainers made a sharp contrast with the heavy bombers that had used the same runways a few years earlier. In 1954, No 14 AFTS moved out and the site was vacated by the RAF. Only a small party of RAF men under the command of F/L GF Booth remained behind to welcome the Americans.

That same year the airfield was transferred to the USAAF and was used by the Americans until nearby Elvington was refurbished. The first 200 United States Service Engineers arrived during February 1954 to prepare the station for the arrival of the United States Air Force and by the end of February a further 600 Americans had arrived.

The USAAF left in 1957 and the airfield was then taken over by Blackburn Aviation whose NA39 prototype, forerunner of the Buccaneer, first flew in 1958. In order that the runways could be resurfaced here in preparation for the forthcoming McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, permission was given for the company to use Driffield as a flight test base from September 1967 to February 1968. The airfield was then used by British Aerospace and the airfield was a satellite to Brough, being responsible for all flight test operations. The control tower, type 518/40, with the met section, hangars and technical area buildings were kept in very good order. The runways were renovated but only the east-west one is used. British Aerospace are carrying out a programme of engine and equipment tests on new products and operated Buccaneer and Phantom aircraft from the airfield for a number of years.

Blackburn Buccaneer Air traffic Control History Website

Blackburn Buccaneer Air traffic Control History Website

In 1983 British Aerospace no longer need the airfield. The runways were dug up and the land reverted to agricultural use. The airfield buildings including the hangars form what is now Holme Industrial Estate and many of the old buildings were still in use. However in recent years it appears from the Google maps that there has been significant development on this site and many of those may have disappeared although the hangars still seem to be present. A memorial to the wartime squadrons stands or stood at the main entrance. It may have been moved since I last visited some years ago as I cannot find that on the Google maps now.

Holme-on-Spalding Moor guard house

Holme-on-Spalding Moor guard house

Holme-on-Spalding Moor memorials

Holme-on-Spalding Moor memorials

Compiled by David Fell. Photos from WWP and the Air traffic control website

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Latest Additions to this site

1st February 2025 - Holme-on-Spalding Moor

1st February 2025 - Allen Crash

1st February 2025 - Mykietyn Crash

1st February 2025 - Carlson Crash

1st January 2025 - RAF Leconfield

1st January 2025 -  71 Squadron

1st January 2025 - Bourassa Crash

1st January 2025 - Clark Crash

1st January 2025 - Herbert Crash

1st December 2024 - Baxter Profile

1st December 2024 - Dickens Profile

1st December 2024 - Beverley

1st December 2024 - Kaye Crash

1st December 2024 - Hunter Crash

* 1st November 2024 - RAF Catfoss

1st November 2024 - Buchanan Crash

1st November 2024- Proudfoot Crash

* 1st October 2024 - RAF Spilsby

1st October 2024 - Roberts Photo Album

1st October 2024 - Burkey Crash

* 1st September 2024 - Atwick

1st September 2024 - Treasure Crash

1st September 2024 - Berryman Crash

* 1st August 2024 - RNAS Hornsea Mere

1st August 2024 - Marshall Sons and Co

1st August 2024 - Croskin Crash

1st August 2024 - Brown GC Crash

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*1st July 2024 - Clayton Shuttleworth Ltd

1st July 2024 - Curtis H16 N4067 Crash

1st July 2024 - Conze Crash

*1st June 2024 - Robey and Co Ltd

1st June 2024 - Curtiss H16 K38 Crash

1st June 2024 - RAF Mertheringham

* 1st May 2024 - Lincolnshire Aircraft Production - WW1

1st May 2024  - Ruston Proctor Lincoln

1st May 2024 - Duncan Crash Page

1st May 2024 - Hocking Crash Page

*1st April 2024 - 255 Squadron RAF Fighter Command

1st April 2024 - Boddy Loss

1st April 2024 - Bracebridge Heath

1st April 2024 - Pinnock Crash

1st April 2024 - Ross Crash

* 1st March 2024 - 22 Squadron RAF Coastal Command

1st March 2024 - West Common

1st March 2024 - Chalmers Crash

Bomber Command interest are the

166 Squadron website

and the

550 Squadron and North Killingholme website.