RAF Findo Gask
Encyclopedia
RAF Findo Gask was a Royal Air Force airfield located 7 mi (11.3 km) west of Perth
, Scotland
used during the Second World War
It would appear that it had 3 runways made of Sommerfeld Track
(a form of wire netting based surface).
The Tower is of the "Watch Office for All Commands" (12779/41) type, with an extra floor and reduced size front windows. There were 8 hangars, One T2 hangar (415 foot), 3 Blisters (85 × in height), 4 Dorman Long Blisters (90 × in height).
There seems to have been a flooding problem at the airfield due poor drainage; the airfield was often waterlogged and muddy and continued flooding led to the eventual abandonment of the airfield in 1944, when all training moved to RAF Tealing
. The airfield also proved to be to unsuitable for the North American Mustang.
In late 1944 the airfield was used by units from the Polish Army for training purposes.
After the war ended the airfield was designated as Camp 233, and the accommodation was used to house German prisoners-of-war, who worked the land in the area.
The airfield was then home to a maintenance unit, No. 260 Maintenance Unit, and used for storage until 1948.
There are no signs of the airfield runways today and the area is mainly used for agriculture, although one area of the airfield near the Tower does appear to have had housing built on it.
The tower still survives (it was reported that it had been demolished in 2006) in a derelict state.
It was also used as a "Satellite Landing Ground" from 28 March 1943 to 12 September 1944 for No. 9 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit based at RAF Errol
with Miles Master
s.
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
used during the Second World War
History
It was opened on 14 June 1941 as a Flying Training Airfield.It would appear that it had 3 runways made of Sommerfeld Track
Sommerfeld Tracking
Sommerfeld Tracking, named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld, then living in England, was a lightweight wire mesh type of prefabricated airfield surface. First put into use by the British in 1941, it was a wire netting stiffened laterally by steel rods...
(a form of wire netting based surface).
The Tower is of the "Watch Office for All Commands" (12779/41) type, with an extra floor and reduced size front windows. There were 8 hangars, One T2 hangar (415 foot), 3 Blisters (85 × in height), 4 Dorman Long Blisters (90 × in height).
There seems to have been a flooding problem at the airfield due poor drainage; the airfield was often waterlogged and muddy and continued flooding led to the eventual abandonment of the airfield in 1944, when all training moved to RAF Tealing
RAF Tealing
- Overview :During the Second World War, the Ministry of Defence built an aerodrome at Tealing and No.56 Officer Training Unit opened in March 1942, equipped with Hawker Hurricane, Miles Master & Westland Lysander aircraft...
. The airfield also proved to be to unsuitable for the North American Mustang.
In late 1944 the airfield was used by units from the Polish Army for training purposes.
After the war ended the airfield was designated as Camp 233, and the accommodation was used to house German prisoners-of-war, who worked the land in the area.
The airfield was then home to a maintenance unit, No. 260 Maintenance Unit, and used for storage until 1948.
There are no signs of the airfield runways today and the area is mainly used for agriculture, although one area of the airfield near the Tower does appear to have had housing built on it.
The tower still survives (it was reported that it had been demolished in 2006) in a derelict state.
Operational units and aircraft
| Unit | Period | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron was a Polish squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and the United Kingdom in 1940... 'A' & 'C' Flights |
26 October 1942 to 8 March 1943 | Westland Lysander Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War... |
| No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron 'B' Flight | 15 December 1942 to 10 January 1943 | North American Mustang Mk. I |
It was also used as a "Satellite Landing Ground" from 28 March 1943 to 12 September 1944 for No. 9 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit based at RAF Errol
RAF Errol
RAF Errol is a World War II airfield near the village of Errol in Perth & Kinross, Scotland, on the north bank of the Firth of Tay approximately half way between Perth and Dundee. The airfield opened in January 1943. Errol housed a special 305th air training squadron for the Soviet crews receiving...
with Miles Master
Miles Master
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Amos, Peter and Don Lambert Brown. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0....
s.
External links
- RAF Findo Gask Control Towers Website
- The History of No. 309 Polish Squadron Polish Squadrons Remembered
- photographs of RAF Findo Gask
- RCAHMS Photographs & Archealogical Data