RAF Clifton RAF York RAF Rawcliffe
Clifton Without,North Yorkshire in England
Site information
Type	Royal Air Force station
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command
Location
RAF Clifton Shown within North Yorkshire Show map of North Yorkshire RAF Clifton RAF Clifton (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	53°58′50″N001°06′28″W / 53.98056°N 1.10778°W /53.98056; -1.10778
Site history
Built	1936 (1936)
In use	1936-1939 Civilian Use 1939-1946 RAF use 1946-1955 (1955) Civilian Use
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	14 metres (46 ft)AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Asphalt 00/00  Asphalt 00/00  Asphalt

Royal Air Force Clifton, or more simplyRAF Clifton, is a formerRoyal Air Forcestation located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north west ofYork city centre and 2.6 miles (4.2 km) south west ofHaxby,North Yorkshire,England.

The airfield was opened in 1936 as a civilian airport but by 1939 the station was taken by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for use in theSecond World War and was returned in 1946 when the airport reopened. However, in 1955 the airfield was closed for good. The airfield during wartime was also known as RAF York and RAF Rawcliffe.

The airfield was originallyYork Municipal Aerodrome which opened in 1936 after an air circus had used the site previously but on 1 September 1939 the site was requisitioned by the RAF forBomber Command.^[1]

The first squadron to use the airfield wasNo. 613 Squadron RAF between 7 September 1940 and 8 July 1941 as a detachment while the main squadron were atRAF Firbeck.^[2] The airfield was empty untilNo. 4 Squadron RAF arrived on 27 August 1940 originally with theWestland Lysander III/IIIA adding theCurtiss Tomahawk IIA in April 1942 and theNorth American Mustang I in May 1943.^[3]

On 27 June 1942No. 169 Squadron RAF arrived with the Mustang I as a detachment fromRAF Doncaster. The squadron stayed until 12 October 1942.^[4]

• No. 169 Squadron RAF between 15 November 1942 and 18 December 1942 with the Mustang.^[4]
• No. 4 Squadron RAF between 12 March 1943 and 20 March 1943 with the Tomahawk and Mustang.^[3]
• No. 231 Squadron RAF between 21 March 1943 and 6 July 1943 with the Mustang I. The squadron had a detachment atRAF Ballyhalbert.^[5]
• No. 659 Squadron RAF between 17 August 1943 and 23 April 1944 with a brief change toRAF Burn on 31 December 1943. The squadron flew the Auster III before upgrading to the Mk. IV during March 1944.^[6]
• No. 658 Squadron RAF between 29 August 1943 and 1 January 1944 with theTaylorcraft Auster III.^[6]
• No. 48 Maintenance Unit RAF.^[7]

During its lifetime Clifton was used byRAF Bomber Command,RAF Army Cooperation Command,Fleet Air Arm,RAF Fighter Command andRAF Maintenance Command.^[8]

AHandley Page Halifax Mk VIIJP203 crashed on approach to Clifton on the 8 June 1945. The aircraft had left Hooton Park, Cheshire on route to Clifton for scrapping byNo. 48 Maintenance Unit RAF. Both crew members on board were killed.^[9]

The airfield site now forms a housing estate,^[7] industrial estate, shopping centre^[10] andlocal nature reserve (Clifton Backies).^[11]

However, there are two stubs of the original runways still visible north of the A1237 near the roundabout leading to the shopping centre. There is also a stub of another runway and taxiway visible to the south of the A1237 just west of Wigginton Road.^[12]

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

• Jefford, J (1988).RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing.ISBN 1-84037-141-2.

• UK Airshow Review Message Board - Farewell RAF Clifton

• Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom
• Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire
• Military airbases established in 1939
• Military airbases closed in 1946

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