RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor,East Riding of Yorkshire in England
A sergeant on flying control duty reports the landing of a Halifax Mk V of No. 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit at Holme-on-Spalding Moor, 21 October 1943
Site information
Type	Royal Air Force station parent station 1941-43 44 Base HQ 1943-45
Code	HM[1]
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command *No. 1 Group RAF *No. 4 Group RAF RAF Transport Command
Location
RAF Holme Shown within East Riding of Yorkshire Show map of East Riding of Yorkshire RAF Holme RAF Holme (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	53°48′22″N00°44′31″W / 53.80611°N 0.74194°W /53.80611; -0.74194
Site history
Built	1940 (1940)/41
In use	1941 - 1983 (1983)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	3 metres (10 ft)[1]AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 04/22 1,280 metres (4,199 ft) Concrete 08/26 1,372 metres (4,501 ft) Concrete 12/30 1,829 metres (6,001 ft) Concrete

RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, or more simplyRAF Holme is a formerRoyal Air Forcestation located inHolme-on-Spalding-Moor,East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

The site was built during theSecond World War, it was used during the war by theRoyal Air Force (RAF) as a bomber station, and after the war as a transport airfield and bomb store before being "mothballed". In the 1950s, the RAF used the station as a training camp before it was transferred to theUnited States Air Force (USAF) as a reserve station during theCold War. After USAF use, it became a testing airfield forBlackburn Aircraft and its successorBritish Aerospace until 1983, when the airfield was closed. Many of the airfield buildings survive as anindustrial estate, but most of the runways have been demolished.

Construction of the airfield began in late 1940, and the airfield was built with three concreterunways and hardstandings for 36 aircraft. The runwayheadings and lengths were as follows:

Main Runway 12/30 120° and 300° 1,800yards (1,646 m)

Runway 04/22 40° and 220° 1,200 yards (1,097 m)

Runway 08/26 80° and 260° 1,100 yards (1,006 m)

A year later, all three runways were extended; Runway 12/30 to 2,000 yards (1,829 m), 04/22 to 1,400 yards (1,280 m) and 08/26 to 1,500 yards (1,372 m).^[2]

Threehangars were constructed, a^[3] and five Type T2s.^[2] The technical buildings, including the administration and control buildings, were to the north east of the runways. The accommodation area was further to the north east of the site, and at its maximum housed over 2,000 service personnel. This was well away from themunition stores, that were to the north west of the site.

Operational command of the station was given to1 Group ofRAF Bomber Command. The first squadron allocated to Holme was458 SquadronRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF), equipped withVickers Wellington aircraft. Arriving in August 1941, the squadron conducted its first operation in October 1941, and remained until January 1942. On or about 1 September 1941 the airfield was bombed as a secondary target after a raid on Newcastle with some loss of life.^[4] No squadrons were allocated until the extension of the runways was completed,^[5] and it was August 1942 before oneflight of theHandley Page Halifax equipped460 Squadron RAAF arrived. This stay only lasted a few weeks before the 460 Squadron aircraft left,^[5] and101 Squadron RAF arrived^[6] on transfer from3 Group.^[5] 101 Squadron was in the process of re-equipping withAvro Lancaster aircraft,^[6] and did not fly any operations until November 1942.^[5]

In June 1943, a reorganisation of group boundaries within Bomber Command saw the station transferred from 1 Group to4 Group.^[5] This change in command resulted in a change of squadrons, with 101 Squadron being replaced by the Halifax equipped76 Squadron RAF. 76 Squadron remained at Holme until after the end of the war in Europe.^[7] 4 Group transferred from Bomber Command toRAF Transport Command in May 1945, and during its final weeks at Holme, 76 Squadron was re-equipped with theDouglas Dakotas.^[7] The Dakotas of 76 Squadron were replaced by the same of512 Squadron in July 1945, before 512 Squadron left in October 1945.^[8]

From February 1944 to May 1945,^[9] also based at Holme was1689 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight^[10] that flewHawker Hurricane aircraft on fighter affiliation duties.^[a]

Also based at Holme during 1943–1944 wasNo. 1520 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF of23 (Training) Group,RAF Flying Training Command^[11] flyingAirspeed Oxford aircraft.

After the departure of 512 Squadron, the base was reduced to "care and maintenance" status with just a small number of men to look after it. Part of the airfield was also used as store for surplus bombs.^[12]

• 1941–1942Group Captain F E Nuttall
• 1942 Group Captain A R Combe
• 1942–1943 Group CaptainR S Blucke RAF
• April – June 1943 Group CaptainD E L Wilson RAAF.^[b]
• June 1943 – early 1944 Group CaptainG S Hodson RAF
• 1944–1945 Group Captain J E Pelly-Fry RAF
• 1945 Group Captain R H Harris^[13]

In 1951, with theKorean War still in progress, the decision was taken to expand the number of stations used for flying training. Holme was one of the airfields chosen, and in March 1952No. 14 Advanced Flying Training School RAF (14 AFTS) was re-formed at Holme, flying Airspeed Oxford andPercival Prentice aircraft.^[14] This use of the airfield did not last long, and 14 AFTS was disbanded in January 1953.^[15]

The station was then handed over to theUnited States Air Force while the proposed main airfield for the USAF in Yorkshire,Elvington was under development. The USAF use did not last long, and the airfield was returned to the RAF in 1957; however, the USAF had lengthened the runways, including extending Runway 12/30 to 2,000 yards (1,829 m).

Surplus to RAF requirements, Holme was leased toBlackburn Aircraft Ltd for use as a test base from 1958. The location was convenient for Blackburn's main factory atBrough Aerodrome, only 16miles (25.7 km) away, where the runway was not long enough for use by the new aircraft Blackburn was then working on, most especially theBlackburn Buccaneer.^[16] The use of Holme passed through Blackburn's acquisition byHawker Siddeley, and subsequentlyBritish Aerospace, until the latter ceased use of Holme in December 1983.

Most of the buildings still stand, and are used as an industrial estate.^[17] A memorial to the wartime squadrons stands at the main entrance.

• Delve, Ken (2006).Northern England : Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury: Crowood.ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
• Falconer, Jonathan (2012).RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing.ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
• Jefford, C G (1988).RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912.Shrewsbury: Airlife.ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

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