Royal Air Force Dallachy or more simply RAF Dallachy, 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 situated east of
Elgin,
Moray,
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 ...
.
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 ...
it was a fighter station, used by
18 Group RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
.
History
Opened in March 1943, it was originally used as a training station by
No. 14 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF
No. 14 (Advanced) Flying Training School (14 (A)FTS) is a former Royal Air Force flying training school that operated between 1939 and 1953.
References Citations
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{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Mili ...
, using
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...
s.
In September 1943, it was reorganised for operational use by several squadrons, including
No. 144 Squadron RAF
No. 144 Squadron RAF was a Squadron (aviation), squadron of the British Royal Air Force. It was first formed in 1918 during the First World War, operating as a bomber squadron in the Middle East. It reformed in 1937, serving in the bomber and ant ...
,
and
No. 455 Squadron RAAF
No. 455 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) torpedo bomber squadron during World War II and became famous as part of the "ANZAC Strike Wing" that was formed from Australian and New Zealand squadrons. Raised in early 1941, mainly fro ...
.
Towards the end of 1944, it was reorganised again with
No. 489 Squadron RNZAF, flying
Bristol Beaufighters
on shipping strikes, and
No. 524 Squadron RAF with radar-equipped
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its ...
s.
The airfield was closed in June 1945, becoming a
Territorial Army training centre until 1958.
[
]
Units
A memorial now stands in the nearby village of Bogmoor to remember the air crews and soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War.
Current use
The site is largely intact. However, most of the former airfield is now used by a waste recycling company. The control tower is in a ruinous state and no other buildings exist. Dallachy Aeromodellers, an active radio control model flying club, use a section.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dallachy
Royal Air Force stations in Scotland
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
Defunct airports in Scotland
Airports established in 1943
Buildings and structures in Moray