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never built upon. Others were partly erected. Also several construction site buildings were never used or lived in during the war years. Approximately 5 miles of water mains was laid to the aerodrome of 6"dia, class D pipe from the Silent Valley reservoir. Ownership of this was ceded to the local authority when the station was closed.
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time to remove roofs and anything else that was salvageable. Most of the farmers had their lands cultivated and ploughed all ready for the planting of early potatoes. Sheds were full of boxes of sprouted Arran Pilots ready to be planted. (The early potato crop was important in this area of small (5-15 acres) family farms).
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Some of the best agricultural land in the area was vested. Compensation, considered by some to be totally inadequate, was offered, but not always accepted. In some cases households were asked to vacate their homes almost overnight. Some people refused to move out and the station was literally built
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Air
Ministry Compulsory Acquisition orders gave the occupiers three days to get out, without obligation on the Air Ministry to find them alternatative accommodation. This short notice period applied only to houses that were sited where the runways were going to be built. Other home owners had more
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From 1944 until the end of the war, salvage of both 8th and 9th AF war weary aircraft became an increasingly feverish aspect of work at both stations, as was the training of bomber crews. Air gunners were trained at RAF Greencastle by the USAAF where the 4th
Gunnery & Tow Target Flight were
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Around 450 buildings were erected of various shapes and sizes and at a safe distance from the
Ammunition & Bomb Stores and Runways (as per detailed schedule). A number of the foundations on the communal, living and other sites throughout the aerodrome which were excavated and concreted were
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Many of the buildings still exist but are in a derelict condition. The basic layout of the station can still be seen from above but the signature of the runways is gone. A caravan site occupies much of the southernmost portion.
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The airfield was returned to RAF control in 1945 and almost immediately closed down. In the 1960s the runways were broken up and the concrete used to construct boundary walls by the land owners.
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From 3 December 1943 until
September 1944 it was used by the 4th Gunnery and Tow Target Flight with Havocs, Lysanders and Vengeance A-35B's in the B-24 gunnery school, later moved to
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Commencement of
Aerodrome Construction 12 January 1942. Consulting engineers; Messrs Landon-Every And Ferkin Ltd. Main contractor; Messrs A.M. Carmichael (Scotland).
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Between 1943 and
February 1944, 5th Combat Crew Replacement Centre ground to air firing practice for B-24 Liberator bomber crews, later moved to
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Cranfield Loyal Orange Lodge 907 recently unfurled a new banner with a memorial to the
American Army in the Cranfield and Greencastle area.
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From May until August 1944 was classed as the busiest period of WW2, output in July alone being 330 heavy bomber crews from
Greencastle and
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328:(AAF Stn 597) and was established to handle the overflow from the extremely busy parent station.
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July 1944, 5th
Replacement & Training Squadron (Bombardment) established at Greencastle.
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around them in the townlands of – Derryoge, Dunnaval, Ballynahatten, Cranfield, and Grange.
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February 1945 until May 1945 the 5th
Airdrome Squadron was in control of air depot.
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airfield located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the fishing village of
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30 July 1942, opened but USAAF did not take over until 3 August 1943.
287:(OTU) in April 1942 but it was almost immediately transferred to the
502:"United States Military Aviation in Northern Ireland 1942-1945 pt3"
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flew into the station for an inspection. He was met by General
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April 1942, Built as an RAF bomber OTU but transferred to USAAF.
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553:"United States Military Aviation in Northern Ireland 1942-1945"
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and Divisional artillery, which were drawn up on the airfield.
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Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
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1135:Military units and formations established in 1942
357:The following RAF units were here at some point:
433:On 31 May 1945 it was returned to RAF control.
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8:
1140:Royal Air Force stations in Northern Ireland
412:During 1944 it was a satellite air depot to
280:and took in a large part of Cranfield Bay.
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607:
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1145:Buildings and structures in County Down
582:Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust
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523:
521:
519:
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479:List of former Royal Air Force stations
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59:of the type flown from RAF Greencastle.
1155:World War II sites in Northern Ireland
992:Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment
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915:List of equipment of the RAF Regiment
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494:
7:
1170:Defunct airports in Northern Ireland
1165:Military history of Northern Ireland
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124:RAF Greencastle (the United Kingdom)
816:Princess Mary's RAF Nursing Service
1056:Combined Cadet Force (RAF section)
396:May 1942, No. 2852 Sqn RAF formed.
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291:(USAAF) and renamed AAF Stn 237.
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972:Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
242:European theatre of World War II
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103:
77:
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49:
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1150:Military history of County Down
1066:RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine
946:List of serving senior officers
324:The station was a satellite to
283:It was opened as an RAF bomber
382:No. 2775 Squadron RAF Regiment
377:No. 2756 Squadron RAF Regiment
372:No. 2755 Squadron RAF Regiment
367:No. 2754 Squadron RAF Regiment
362:No. 2708 Squadron RAF Regiment
127:Show map of the United Kingdom
1:
418:Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses
289:United States Army Air Forces
197:United States Army Air Forces
91:Shown within Northern Ireland
94:Show map of Northern Ireland
841:RAF Mountain Rescue Service
836:RAF Search and Rescue Force
531:"Ballymartin and Ballykeel"
346:Consolidated B-24 Liberator
266:Royal Air Force Greencastle
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997:Warrant Officer of the RAF
692:Operational Training units
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941:List of notable personnel
872:Royal Auxiliary Air Force
738:Satellite Landing Grounds
636:
555:. Ulster Aviation Society
504:. Ulster Aviation Society
285:Operational Training Unit
64:
48:
34:
1076:RAF Football Association
977:Air Member for Personnel
697:Schools / Training units
256:50 metres (164 ft)
43:in Northern Ireland
987:Air Member for Materiel
578:"Greencastle (Kilkeel)"
442:On 17 May 1944 General
533:. Raymonds County Down
342:Vultee Vengeance A-35B
877:RAF Volunteer Reserve
452:5th Infantry Division
388:Key Operational Dates
910:List of RAF missiles
893:List of RAF aircraft
811:RAF Medical Services
796:RAF Chaplains Branch
448:Stafford LeRoy Irwin
444:Dwight D. Eisenhower
248:Airfield information
158:54.03361°N 6.06056°W
1071:RAF Benevolent Fund
1006:symbols and uniform
639:Ministry of Defence
438:Visit by Eisenhower
334:Douglas A-20 Havocs
154: /
1051:Air Training Corps
967:Chief of Air Staff
831:RAF Music Services
425:RAF Chipping Ongar
414:RAF Langford Lodge
338:Westland Lysanders
326:RAF Langford Lodge
163:54.03361; -6.06056
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951:Personnel numbers
846:RAF Marine Branch
826:RAF ground trades
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23:USAAF Station 237
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1042:associated civil
806:RAF Legal Branch
801:RAF Intelligence
687:Conversion units
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348:gunnery school.
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174:Site information
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450:and viewed the
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274:Royal Air Force
270:RAF Greencastle
268:or more simply
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865:reserve forces
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851:RAF Air Cadets
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1044:organisations
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982:Air Secretary
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931:Officer ranks
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55:A-20G of the
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960:appointments
791:RAF Regiment
777:branches and
707:Glider units
585:. Retrieved
557:. Retrieved
547:
535:. Retrieved
506:. Retrieved
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300:Construction
282:
272:is a former
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238:Battles/wars
203:Site history
183:Air Ministry
15:
936:Other ranks
702:Ferry units
458:Current use
223:In use
161: /
149:006°03′38″W
137:Coordinates
41:County Down
1129:Categories
1081:RAF Museum
856:Operations
821:RAF Police
779:components
712:Misc units
646:formations
587:16 October
559:16 October
537:16 October
508:16 October
485:References
420:and B-24s.
344:'s in the
320:Operations
146:54°02′01″N
924:personnel
886:equipment
759:Squadrons
677:Squadrons
648:and units
253:Elevation
226:1942-1945
1099:timeline
1023:Roundels
747:Regiment
721:stations
662:Commands
473:See also
189:Operator
1114:commons
1094:history
1028:Uniform
898:current
764:Flights
682:Flights
353:Cluntoe
295:History
278:Kilkeel
228: (
213: (
37:Kilkeel
1104:future
1013:Ensign
903:future
733:Former
728:Active
667:Groups
1018:Badge
754:Wings
672:Wings
655:units
416:with
208:Built
179:Owner
57:USAAF
589:2013
561:2013
539:2013
510:2013
340:and
258:AMSL
230:1945
215:1941
211:1941
1131::
580:.
569:^
518:^
493:^
336:,
39:,
622:e
615:t
608:v
591:.
563:.
541:.
512:.
427:.
406:.
232:)
217:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
