Royal Air Force Grangemouth or more simply RAF Grangemouth is a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

station located north east of Falkirk,

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

History

It was opened as the Central Scotland Airport in May 1939 and operated as a Civilian Air Navigation School (CANS) until early September 1939. After the war it was used as Gliding School until 1946. It was then used by

RAF Maintenance Command RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973. History ...

until its closure in June 1955.

Second World War

From September 1939 – March 1941 it was used by 602 Squadron flying Supermarine Spitfires, 141 Squadron flying

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

s and

Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed private ...

s and 263 Squadron flying

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila, ...

s. In December 1940 it was used by No. 58 Operational Training Unit (later renamed

No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit RAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a Typography, typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal number, ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For exampl ...

). The air traffic control tower (watch tower) was of a pre-war civilian type. There were 10 Hangars, two were of a civil type and the other eight were of the Blister type. In an attempt to reduce the number of crashes caused by over-shooting, the east–west runway was extended by about 300 yards in the summer of 1942. This runway intersected with the Inchyra Road runway and extended west to where Candie Crescent now starts off Overton Road. The Charlotte Dundas Shopping Centre was built over part of the remains of this runway in 1960–1961.

Post war

After the war, it was used as a gliding school and by No. 13 Refresher Flying School RAF, then by

until closure in 1955. Unfortunately at 0200 one Sunday in 1952 a fire started & some of the buildings were destroyed.

Timeline

* 01/05/1939: Opened as Central Scotland Airport. * 01/05/1939 – 09/39: No. 35 E&RFTS with

Hawker Hart The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...

s and de Havilland Tiger Moths and No. 10 Civilian Air Navigation School with

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCA ...

s. * 09/39 – 03/41: Airfield used by 602 Sqn Spitfires, 141 Sqn Blenheims and

Gladiators A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

and 263 Sqn

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

and 614 Sqn Lysanders. * 12/40 – 06/44: No. 58 Operational Training Unit with

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

, from 1942 satellite airfield at

RAF Balado Bridge Royal Air Force Balado Bridge or more simply RAF Balado Bridge is a former Royal Air Force station located west of Kinross, in central Scotland. It opened in 1942 as a satellite airfield to RAF Grangemouth, and closed in 1957. It has since serv ...

. * 10/43: No. 58 Operational Training Unit renamed No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit. * 1945-46: Used as a Gliding School. * 1948-49: 13 Refresher Flying School with de Havilland Tiger Moths, then used by

until closure.

Operational units and aircraft

Other Units/Wings

; No. 52 (Army Co-operation) Wing RAF 9 June 1940 – 14 July 1940. ; No. 58 Operational Training Unit No. 58 Operational Training Unit was planned to form at RAF Grangemouth in October 1940 within No. 10 Group to train night fighter crews. This was changed in early December when it actually formed as a day fighter pilot training unit, using

and Masters. It was transferred to No. 81 Group at the end of December 1940 and disbanded in early October 1943 when it was redesignated No. 2 Combat Training Wing (changed again to No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit at a later date). In the event of a German invasion the OTU would have become No. 558 Squadron (and later also as No. 563 Squadron) to operate from

RAF Turnhouse Royal Air Force Turnhouse or more simply RAF Turnhouse is a former Royal Air Force Sector Station located in Edinburgh, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of G ...

. The unit reformed on 15 March 1945, at RAF Poulton in No. 12 Group, as half an Operational Training Unit equipped with

from the day fighter element of No. 41 Operational Training Unit until it was disbanded on 20 July 1945. Codes used: - *PQ Dec 1940 – Oct 1943 *P9 Mar 1945 – Jul 1945 ;

No. 4 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF This is a List of Royal Air Force ferry units. Ferry Flights * No. 1689 (Ferry Pool Pilot Training) Flight RAF Units Crew pools Pilots pools Pools Training units Other units Aircraft See also Royal Air Force * List of ...

(April 1941 – January 1942) Commanding Officer Squadron Leader Eric Valentine Hulbert appointed 16 April 1943. ; No. 2 Combat Training Wing RAF (October 1943) See No. 58 Operational Training Unit Above. ;

(October 1943 – June 1944) See No. 58 Operational Training Unit Above. ; Sub site of

No. 14 Maintenance Unit RAF RAF Carlisle (previously RAF Kingstown) was a Royal Air Force establishment, now closed after being used for a variety of roles over a period of fifty eight years and formerly located north of Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle city centre in Cumbria, ...

(October 1944 – August 1949)

Present day

Today the site is now part of Inchyra Park, a light industrial area, the Charlotte Dundas Shopping Centre, and a housing estate. The shorter runway is now Inchyra Road, Grangemouth. Contrary to many reports, the vast majority of the site is NOT now covered by petrochemicals industry. Only a relatively small area east of Inchyra Road has such industry on it and which was only built on during the 1970s and thereafter. Some of the hangars still remain intact at Latitude, Longitude 56.013348N, 3.707562W.RCAHMS Archeological Notes & Photos
/ref> In 2008, a memorial garden was unveiled, to commemorate those who died, planted on ground granted for the purpose and located on the perimeter of the original airfield. Within the garden, a wall features the names of 71 trainee pilots from 11 countries who died whilst in training. On Thursday 9 May 2013, a full size replica of a Mk1 Spitfire was unveiled in the memorial garden. The memorial remembers the contribution of hundreds of Polish and other international pilots who developed their skills at the airfield as members of No. 58 Operational Training Unit during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Wartime Deaths

The many British and Polish pilots dying of wounds on return are buried to the south in Grandsable Cemetery.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...