RAF Long Kesh
Encyclopedia
RAF Long Kesh was a Royal Air Force
station at Maze
, Lisburn
, Northern Ireland
, from 1941 until 1971.
Various aircraft operated from the base during World War II
, including the Supermarine Seafire and Spitfire
.
Long Kesh was a target in Operation Green (Ireland)
, a second front to Operation Sea Lion which was the planned Nazi
invasion of the UK. Long Kesh was to be destroyed by German paratroopers while Aldergrove
, Nutts Corner
and Langford Lodge
were to be captured.
From 1971 the then disused base became the Long Kesh Detention Centre. It was here that republicans were interned
after August 9, 1971, when security forces launched dawn raids to arrest 452 known or suspected members of the Irish Republican Army
(IRA). From 1976 these makeshift structures were abandoned in favour of the newly built H-Blocks in what became HM Prison
Maze
.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station at Maze
Maze, County Down
Maze is an electoral ward in the Lisburn City Council area of Northern Ireland. It predominantly lies in County Down although its northwestern corner lies in County Antrim, the division being the River Lagan....
, Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, from 1941 until 1971.
Various aircraft operated from the base during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, including the Supermarine Seafire and Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
.
Long Kesh was a target in Operation Green (Ireland)
Operation Green (Ireland)
Operation Green often also referred to as Case Green or Plan Green , was a full scale operations plan for a German invasion of Ireland in support of Operation Sea Lion . Despite its detailed nature, Green is thought to have been designed only as a credible threat, a feint, not an actual operation...
, a second front to Operation Sea Lion which was the planned Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
invasion of the UK. Long Kesh was to be destroyed by German paratroopers while Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Aldergrove was a Royal Air Force station situated northwest of Belfast. It adjoined Belfast International Airport, sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of the surrounding area...
, Nutts Corner
RAF Nutts Corner
RAF Nutts Corner was a Royal Air Force station in County Antrim near Belfast. It was originally a civil airfield, then it became a military airfield and subsequently Northern Ireland's main civil airport until the 1960s.-Civil operations:...
and Langford Lodge
RAF Langford Lodge
RAF Langford Lodge is a former Royal Air Force station near Belfast, Northern Ireland. Today the airfield is owned by RLC a subsidiary of RLC Engineering Group which is head quartered in the Isle of Man...
were to be captured.
From 1971 the then disused base became the Long Kesh Detention Centre. It was here that republicans were interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
after August 9, 1971, when security forces launched dawn raids to arrest 452 known or suspected members of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA). From 1976 these makeshift structures were abandoned in favour of the newly built H-Blocks in what became HM Prison
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
Maze
Maze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
.
Operational units and aircraft
- No. 74 Squadron RAFNo. 74 Squadron RAFNo. 74 Squadron RAF, also known as a "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger head motif, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s.-First World War:...
(1942) - Supermarine Spitfire ISupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s... - No. 88 Squadron RAFNo. 88 Squadron RAFNo 88 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917.-Involvement in World War I:The squadron was moved to France in April 1918 where it undertook fighter-reconnaissance duties...
Detachment (1941-1942) - Douglas Boston III - No. 226 Squadron RAFNo. 226 Squadron RAFFirst formed on 1 April 1918 at Pizzone, Italy, by re-designating the Bombing School Pizzone, No. 226 Squadron RAF operated fast bombers and fighter aircraft and formed No. 472, 473 and 474 Flights within it in September 1918...
Detachment (1941) - Bristol Blenheim IVBristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter... - No. 231 Squadron RAFNo. 231 Squadron RAFNo. 231 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force between 1918 and 1946, active in both World War I and World War II in various roles.-In World War I:No. 231 Squadron was formed form Nos...
(1941-1942) - Curtiss Tomahawk I & IIB - No. 290 Squadron RAFNo. 290 Squadron RAFNo. 290 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as an anti-aircraft cooperation unit in World War II.-Formation in World War II:The squadron formed at Newtownards on 1 December 1941 and was equipped with Hurricanes, Oxfords and Martinets to provide practice for the anti-aircraft...
(1943-1944) - Miles MartinetMiles Martinet|-See also:-Bibliography:* Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0.... - No. 422 Squadron RCAFNo. 422 Squadron RCAFNo. 422 Squadron RCAF was a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force, formed during World War II.422 General Reconnaissance Squadron formed at RAF Castle Archdale near Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, in April 1942. It was a flying-boat squadron, flying PBY Catalinas and Short Sunderlands to patrol the...
(1942) - Consolidated Catalina IBPBY CatalinaThe Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...