RAF Woodvale

Coordinates : 53°34′54″N 003°03′20″W  /  53.58167°N 3.05556°W  / 53.58167; -3.05556
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RAF Woodvale
Near Woodvale , Merseyside in England
RAF Woodvale
Ut Aquilae volent
( Latin for 'That Eagles May Fly')
RAF Woodvale is located in Merseyside
RAF Woodvale
RAF Woodvale
Shown within Merseyside
Coordinates 53°34′54″N 003°03′20″W  /  53.58167°N 3.05556°W  / 53.58167; -3.05556
Type Royal Air Force station
Area 173 hectares
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
Operator Royal Air Force
Controlled by No. 22 Group (Training)
Website https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-woodvale/
Site history
Built 1941  ( 1941 )
In use 1941?present
Garrison information
Current
commander 		Squadron Leader M Barrett
Occupants
Airfield information
Identifiers ICAO : EGOW
Elevation 11 metres (36 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
03/21 1,647 metres (5,404 ft)  Asphalt
08/26 1,068 metres (3,504 ft) Asphalt

Royal Air Force Woodvale or more simply RAF Woodvale ( ICAO : EGOW ) is a Royal Air Force Station located 4 mi (6.4 km) next to the towns of Formby and Ainsdale in an area called Woodvale which is located to the south of Southport , Merseyside . Woodvale was constructed as an all-weather night fighter airfield for the defence of Liverpool. However, it did not open until 7 December 1941 which was just after the Liverpool Blitz which peaked in May of that year. [1]

History [ edit ]

Second World War [ edit ]

Combat veteran Spitfire Mk Vb BM597 flew from RAF Woodvale.

Woodvale opened in December 1941, six months after the end of the Liverpool Blitz . It was used for short periods by RAF squadrons that were rotated out of the zones in southern of England closest to German-occupied Europe . During their time at Woodvale, squadrons defended Merseyside. Polish 308 (Krakowski) Squadron was the first to arrive, on 12 December 1941, from RAF Northolt before leaving on 1 April 1942. [2] Squadrons were rotated regularly. Several were Polish, including 315 (D?blinski) Squadron and 317 (Wilenski) Squadron . Spitfire IIs and Vbs were operated by these units. [3]

Support units working with all three Services also served there, calibrating anti-aircraft guns and towing targets for the Royal Navy . In April 1945, Woodvale briefly became a Tender for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm airfield at Burscough , HMS Ringtail , being given the name HMS Ringtail II . [4]

Cold war [ edit ]

10 AEF Grob Tutor and hangar at RAF Woodvale.

After a period of inactivity, Woodvale reopened on 22 July 1946, when the Spitfire Mk.14s of No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force , moved here from Liverpool Airport at Speke . The squadron re-equipped with Spitfire Mk.22s in February 1949. [5]

Gloster Meteor F.4 and F.8 jets were flown between May 1951 until 9 July 1951. Because of the need for better facilities, the Squadron moved to RAF Hooton Park , joining No. 610 Squadron, where it remained until its disbandment on 10 March 1957. The Temperature and Humidity Flight, operating Spitfires and Mosquitos, was based there from 1953 to 1958. [6]

The last operational flight by an RAF Spitfire was flown from Woodvale in 1957. Its mission was related to the work of a meteorological unit stationed at the base. [1] [7]

No. 5 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Unit moved to Woodvale on 1 January 1958, and operated target-towing Meteors until 30 September 1971 when the unit was disbanded. [8]

Training station [ edit ]

Since 1971, RAF Woodvale has remained a training station. Liverpool University Air Squadron - LUAS moved in from RAF Hooton Park on 2 July 1951. [9] Manchester and Salford University Air Squadron (then named Manchester University Air Squadron ) (MUAS) (now MASUAS) moved in from Manchester's Barton Aerodrome in March 1953. [10] 10 Air Experience Flight was formed at RAF Woodvale on 25 August 1958 [10] and 631 Volunteer Gliding Squadron moved in from RAF Sealand in March 2006. [11]

The current station commander is Squadron Leader Mark Barrett. [12]

A BAe Hawk T1A , number XX247, was installed as the site's gate guardian in November 2017, [13] [14] replacing an earlier Jet Provost . [14]

Based units [ edit ]

Flying and notable non-flying units based at RAF Woodvale. [11] [15]

Royal Air Force [ edit ]

No. 2 Group (Air Combat Support) RAF

No. 22 Group (Training) RAF

Civilian [ edit ]

  • Woodvale Aircraft Owners Limited - WAOL.

Woodvale Rally [ edit ]

In 1971, RAF Woodvale hosted the first annual Woodvale International Rally. [16] The event is a charitable event, that originally began as a model aircraft show. It has grown over the years to include car clubs with both classic cars , vintage cars and other vehicle displays. It usually occupies the first weekend in August. [17] The 2012 rally had to be re-located and rescheduled [18] to nearby Victoria Park , Southport , Merseyside , on safety grounds. Asbestos was discovered from old World War II structures [19] that had been buried long ago. [20]

Merseyside Police Air Support Group [ edit ]

Basing the Merseyside Air Support Group at RAF Woodvale made the station something of a target for criminals. Just before 2230 on Friday 9 October 2009 a window of the helicopter was smashed and petrol poured inside causing the helicopter to be grounded. [21]

On 17 May 2010 the Merseyside Police helicopter was again attacked and grounded, after four masked intruders broke into the airbase at around 04:00 causing what was described as minor damage. [22]

As part of the reorganisation of Police Air Support in England and Wales and the formation of the National Police Air Service , Merseyside operationally retired its dedicated Police helicopter G-XMII in July 2011. [23] Cover would then be provided with four aircraft from Cheshire, Lancashire, North Wales and Greater Manchester, the nearest to Merseyside being based at Hawarden Airport with G-XMII providing back up. [24] From 1 June 2012, Merseyside Police signed a four-year deal to lease the helicopter to the Norwegian Police Service in response to the 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway . [24]

Freedom of the Borough [ edit ]

RAF Woodvale was granted the Freedom of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton on 17 May 2011. [25]

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

Citations [ edit ]

  1. ^ a b "Mersey Reporter History Page - RAF Woodvale" . merseyreporter.com . Archived from the original on 14 June 2006 . Retrieved 8 December 2006 .
  2. ^ Jefford 2001 , p. 85.
  3. ^ Jefford 2001 , p. 86.
  4. ^ "Woodvale" . Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Archived from the original on 6 September 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  5. ^ Jefford 1988 , p. 100.
  6. ^ Jefford 2001 , p. 100.
  7. ^ "RAF Woodvale" . raf.mod.uk . Archived from the original on 18 May 2021 . Retrieved 23 June 2021 .
  8. ^ Lake 1999 , p. 48.
  9. ^ "Who is based here" . Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  10. ^ a b "RAF Woodvale" . Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  11. ^ a b "Welcome to 631 Volunteer Gliding Squadron" . 631 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  12. ^ "RAF Woodvale" . RAF . Retrieved 20 November 2023 .
  13. ^ "Out of Service British Military Aircraft" . Demobbed . Archived from the original on 14 November 2019 . Retrieved 14 October 2019 .
  14. ^ a b Regan, Pat (28 November 2017). "RAF Woodvale's new Gate Guardian - UPDATED" . On The Spot (OTS) News Southport . Archived from the original on 14 October 2019 . Retrieved 14 October 2019 .
  15. ^ "Who is based here" . RAF Woodvale . Archived from the original on 1 December 2017 . Retrieved 18 November 2017 .
  16. ^ "Wood Vale Rally" . woodvalerally.com . Archived from the original on 15 June 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  17. ^ "Whats On - Woodvale Rally" . Sefton Council. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  18. ^ "Woodvale Rally 2013 - The Woodvale Transport Festival" . Southport Reporter . Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. report
  19. ^ "Woodvale Rally is moving date and to a new location" . Southport Reporter . Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. report
  20. ^ "Press Release" . Woodvale Rally. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012 . Retrieved 14 June 2012 .
  21. ^ "Liverpool Daily Post" . Archived from the original on 23 February 2012 . Retrieved 1 April 2013 .
  22. ^ "Liverpool Echo" . 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021 . Retrieved 1 April 2013 .
  23. ^ "Liverpool Echo" . 18 July 2011. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021 . Retrieved 1 April 2013 .
  24. ^ a b "Norwegian Police lease second EC135" . 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017 . Retrieved 15 June 2013 .
  25. ^ "Honorary Freedom of the Borough" . Sefton Council . Retrieved 29 November 2023 .

Bibliography [ edit ]

  • 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, 1988. ISBN   1-85310-053-6 .
  • 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 .
  • Lake, A Flying Units of the RAF . Shrewsbury, Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1999. ISBN   1-84037-086-6 .

External links [ edit ]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Woodvale .
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