RAF High Ercall

RAF High Ercall USAAF Station AAF-346
High Ercall, Shropshire in England
RAF High Ercall Shown within Shropshire Show map of Shropshire RAF High Ercall RAF High Ercall (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	52.763°N 2.590°W / 52.763; -2.590
Type	Royal Air Force station parent station 1941-43 sector station 1943-45
Code	HC[1]
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1941-45 No. 9 Group RAF * No. 81 (OTU) Group RAF RAF Maintenance Command 1945-62
Site history
Built	1938 (1938)/41
Built by	G. Walker & Slater Ltd
In use	April 1941 - February 1962 (1962)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	67 metres (220 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Concrete 00/00  Concrete 00/00  Concrete

Royal Air Force High Ercall or more simply RAF High Ercall is a former Royal Air Force sector station situated near the village of High Ercall, 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.

History

RAF High Ercall on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1941

Construction of the airfield began in 1938 and was mostly complete by 1940. The airbase was initially run by RAF Maintenance Command and civilians from the Ministry of Aircraft Production also worked at the airfield. From 1941 onward the airbase was taken over by RAF Fighter Command, and was used mainly by night fighter units, such as No. 68 Squadron and No. 255 Squadron.[2] From 1942 the airfield was also used by the United States Army 8th Air Force's 309 Fighter Squadron, which flew British Supermarine Spitfires with USAAF markings.[3][4] In 1943 the role of the airbase changed to become focused on training; it was used mainly by No. 60 Operational Training Unit for this purpose.[2]

From 1951 the station became a Relief Landing Ground for flying and navigation training. If pilots were unable to land at their main base they could divert to High Ercall. The Station fulfilled this role from March 1951 for No. 6 Flying Training School RAF, and from 1957 for the Central Navigation and Control School which was based at RAF Shawbury.[5]

Squadrons

• No. 41 Squadron RAF[6]
• No. 68 Squadron RAF[7]
• No. 247 Squadron RAF[8]
• No. 255 Squadron RAF[9]
• No. 257 Squadron RAF[9]
• No. 285 Squadron RAF[10]
• No. 535 Squadron RAF[11]

Other units

• No. 3 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF.[12]
• No. 60 Operational Training Unit RAF[12] was reformed here in May 1943 to train intruder crews using the de Havilland Mosquito.[13]
• No. 1456 (Fighter) Flight RAF[12]
• No. 29 Maintenance Unit RAF (MU)[12]
• No. 99 Maintenance Unit RAF[12]
• No. 222 Maintenance Unit RAF[12]
• No. 236 Maintenance Unit RAF[12]
• No. 6 Flying Training School RAF[12]
• 27th Fighter Squadron (USAAF)[12]
• 92d Fighter Squadron (USAAF)[12]
• 309th Fighter Squadron
• 810 Naval Air Squadron[12]
• No. 1489 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF[12]

Post-military use

In 1946, a Handley Page Halifax bomber at High Ercall was purchased by Australian pilot Geoff Wikner who used the plane to fly home. Wikner also charged a number of passengers to embark on the flight with him. This marked the first post-war commercial flight between the United Kingdom and Australia.[4]

The airbase closed in the early 1960s.[4]

Between the 1960s and 1990s, the site was the Multi-Occupational Training and Education Centre (MOTEC) which provided training for workers including HGV drivers and mechanics and hosted the RTITB National Junior Mechanic Competition 1987.

The majority of the runways have been removed leaving only small tracks however nine hangars still are present spread out over the site and near a local village. A local Wartime Aircraft Recovery Group also occupies a section of the site.[3]

In 2002 it was proposed to build a centre for asylum seekers on the site.[14]

In 2014 the site was sold to the Greenhous Group who later successfully applied to the council to store new cars there before they were sold on the UK market.[15][16]

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 109.
2. "RAF High Ercall, Shropshire". Derelict Places. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
3. "RAF High Ercall". English Heritage - Pastscape. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
4. Neal, Toby (26 September 2018). "Haunting images of High Ercall's wartime airfield revealed". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
5. "Stations-H". rafweb.org. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
6. Jefford 2001, p. 38.
7. Jefford 2001, p. 46.
8. Jefford 2001, p. 77.
9. Jefford 2001, p. 79.
10. Jefford 2001, p. 83.
11. Jefford 2001, p. 96.
12. "High Ercall". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
13. Sturtivant 2007, pp. 198–206.
14. BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2040324.stm
15. Shropshire Star, http://www.shropshirestar.com/shropshire-business/2014/03/11/for-sale-former-shropshire-military-base-where-time-stands-still/
16. "50 jobs to be created as former RAF base near Telford will store cars". Shropshire Star. No. 15, 764. 19 May 2016. p. 1.

Bibliography

• Falconer, Jonathan (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
• Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Sturtivant, R. RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912. Air Britain, 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.