Some abbreviations used:
SLG – Satellite Landing Ground
OTU – Operational Training Unit
PAFU – (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit
SNCO – Senior Non-Commissioned Officer
OR – Other Ranks
WAAF – Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
EFTS – Elementary Flying Training School
ERFTS – Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School
MU – Maintenance Unit
RAF Balado
Originally named RAF Balado Bridge, this airfield, 2 miles west of Kinross was utilised for training Polish Spitfire and Hurricane pilots. It was established on 30 March 1942 as a Satellite Landing Ground (SLG) supporting RAF Grangemouth and remained operational until 25 June 1944. Among other uses, RAF Balado was the base for No. 58 OTU RAF (later renamed No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit – disbanded in June 1944) and was briefly used as an SLG by No. 9 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit (PAFU) based at RAF Errol. The runways (1,650 and 1,400 yards long) were constructed of hardcore and concrete. There were 25 hard-standings for aircraft. The station’s RAF complement included 24 officers, 83 SNCOs, and 616 ORs – its WAAF complement included 8 officers, 20 SNCOs, and 180 ORs.
Simulated night flying at RAF Balado commenced on 5 August 1942 with pilots sporting special goggles to replicate dark conditions. To assist with take-off and landing, the runway was marked by 8 sodium flares.
In the post-war period, RAF Balado became an ‘aircraft graveyard’ where the McDonnell Aircraft company (Milnathort) dismantled hundreds of superfluous and unwanted RNFAA naval aircraft. The work peaked in 1946/1947 and lasted at least until 1955.
Between 1985 and 2006, part of the RAF Balado site functioned as a NATO SATCOM SLG Listening Station. Many will remember the radio station here with the aerials housed inside the large ‘Golf Balls’. In 2002, a de-commissioned Jet Provost T3A XM412 was delivered to RAF Balado to undergo preservation work. The popular T-in-the Park music festival took place at the former RAF station between 1997 and 2014.
A US civilian aircraft, Vultee Valiant BT-13A trainer
aircraft (NX54084) christened ‘Next Thursday’s Child’ was parked at Balado
aerodrome in March 1952. This was a plane used by Richarda Morrow-Tait, a
24-year-old aviator who on 18 August 1948 became the first woman to fly around
the world. Following several mishaps, minor damage, and an engine change in
Calcutta, Morrow Tait had to make an emergency landing in Alaska with her
single-engine Percival Proctor IV (G-AJMU), ‘Thursday’s Child’. The aircraft
was not repairable and after some fund raising, she continued the journey by
purchasing the Vultee Valiant. She landed back at Croydon, one year and one day
later 19 August 1949.
Between 1985 and 2006, part of the RAF Balado site functioned as a NATO SATCOM SLG Listening Station. Perthshire locals will remember the radio station here with the aerials housed inside what looked like a large ‘golf ball’. In 2002, a de-commissioned Jet Provost T3A (XM412) was delivered to RAF Balado to undergo preservation work. The popular (and now defunct) T-in-the Park music festival took place at the former RAF station between 1997 and 2014.
An SLG generally included 1-2 grass runways blended into their natural surroundings from aerial observation to disguise their usage and potential target. Typically, SLGs were utilised by maintenance units – aircraft being dispersed on site to reduce attack potential and damage.
Other units using RAF Balado during the Second World War include No. 2 Combat Training Wing, No. 2 Tactical Exercise Unit (TEU), and the civilian firm of T. McDonald & Sons.
Note: The appellation ‘Thursday’s Child’ is sourced from the popular children’s song, ‘Monday’s Child’: “Monday’s child is fair of face … Thursday’s child has far to go …”.
RAF Buttergask
Situated at Saucher, near Kinrossie and Collace, RAF Buttergask was an SLG used by 1 Group, RAF No. 11 EFTS. It was officially operational between 1 December 1942 and 28 November 1948.
RAF Buttergask was essentially just a large field, but it did see thousands of circuits by pilots in de Havilland Tiger Moths. It was probably used by No. 11 EFTS from as early as 1941 and was still in use by them until late 1945.
Buttergask has 2 associations with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The first is Macbeth’s Law, a 15 feet high mound near Lawton House.
The second is Dunsinane Hill (Fort of Macbeth) that lies a mile south of the airfield made famous in Act 4, Scene 1 of Macbeth:
“Macbeth shall never vanquished be until
Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him”.
Dunsinane Hill can be accessed by a path that begins close to the village of Collace.
RAF Errol
The RAF opened an airfield by the village of Errol, within the Carse of Gowrie, midway between Dundee and Perth, on 1 August 1942. Operations at RAF Errol commenced with the transfer of No. 9 (P)AFU from RAF Hullavington in Wiltshire and No. 21 AFU, which was posted there on 9 August 1942.
The station’s RAF complement included 67 officers, 116 SNCOs, 1682 ORs – its WAAF complement included 10 officers, 15 SNCOs and 405 ORs. There were 6 Type 1 hangars and 13 blister hangars, 17 concrete hard standings (circular), 3 runways arranged in an ‘A’ orientation of lengths 1,600 yards, 1,180 yards, and 1,170 yards. No. 21 AFU maintained a complement of 37 pilots, 9 of whom were from New Zealand.
Units using RAF Errol during the Second World War include:
No. 9 EGS (Elementary Gliding School).
No. 9 (P)AFU (Navy pilot training unit relocated from
RAF Hullavington, Wiltshire).
No. 260 MU, No. 271 Squadron RAF.
No. 810 Squadron RNFAA.
No. 1544 BAT Flight (Blind (later Beam) Approach Training Flight).
No. 1680 (Transport) Flight RAF
Training at Errol was initially for naval pilots though it remained an RAF unit (see also – Murie Cemetery, Fairey Swordfish, and the river Tay). Miles Master and Hawker Hurricane aircraft were mainly used, supplemented later by Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore, both single-engine (carrier-borne) biplane torpedo bombers. In mid-1942 the aircraft on strength were: 36 Miles Master, 10 Hawker Hurricane 5 Fairey Swordfish and 5 Fairy Albacore. In addition, in May 1943, a pair of Fairey Barracuda (carrier-borne) torpedo and some Fairey Albacore dive bombers were allocated to No. 9 PAFU for conversion purposes. As the training increased at RAF Errol, they were allocated the use of SLGs at RAF Findo Gask, RAF Balado, RAF Tealing and RAF Kinnell (near Friockheim, Angus). By March 1944 the establishment training aircraft increased to 126 Miles Master and 14 Fairey Albacore/Swordfish. By August 1944 the unit had converted to using 96 North American Harvard trainer aircraft. Later several Hawker Hurricanes, Airspeed Oxford, and de Havilland DH.89 Dominie aircraft were also acquired and the Glider School from May to November 1945 utilised the Slingsby T.6/T.23 Kirby Kite, single seat sport glider.
Early in 1943, 3 Supermarine Walrus single-engine, amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft were loaned to RAF Errol. Despite remonstration that at least one Walrus should be retained for rescuing downed pilots in the river Tay, they were assigned elsewhere in April 1944.
Between 25 January 1944 and 30 August 1944, RAF No. 1544 BATF was formed at RAF Errol flying Airspeed Oxfords. The unit flew in from RAF Scampton in June 1944, the original intention was to be affiliated to No. 14 PAFU at RAF Banff, the unit disbanded in August 1944. The Beam Approach Training Flight Oxfords carried distinctive yellow triangles to warn other aircraft to keep clear as the pilot was frequently flying on signal and instruments with the cockpit window screened off.
The Western Isles Communication Flight, no. 1680, had a detachment at RAF Errol from April to May 1944.
The station’s RAF complement included 67 officers, 116 SNCOs, 1682 ORs – its WAAF complement included 10 officers, 15 SNCOs and 405 ORs. There were 6 Type 1 hangars and 13 blister hangars, 17 concrete hard-standings (circular), 3 runways arranged in an ‘A’ orientation of lengths 1,600 yards, 1,180 yards, and 1,170 yards. No. 21 AFU maintained a complement of 37 pilots, 9 of whom were from New Zealand.
Although initially utilised for the advanced training of RAF pilots, RAF Errol is best known as the base of No. 305 Ferry Training Unit (FTU), a specialist training entity commissioned to provide crossover training in the twin-engine Armstrong Whitworth A.W.41 Albemarle transporter for Soviet aircrew of the Moscow Special Assignment Airgroup (MSAA) – later given the prestigious accolade of being named the 10th Guards Air Transport Division. Two hundred Albemarle aircraft were ordered by the Soviet Air Force in October 1942 although only 14 were provided: P1455, P1477, P1562, P1567, P1590, P1595, P1636, P1637, P1638, P1640, P1642, P1645, P1647, and V1598. The air groups mission was to fly the contracted 200 Albemarle back to the Soviet Union.
The first group of Soviet pilots and engineers (3 of each) landed at RAF Prestwick on 11 January 1943. Two weeks later they began the first Albemarle transporter flights. Despite the cancellation of the order in May 1943 due to technical faults and suitability issues with the aircraft, between 14 December 1942 and 30 April 1944, the FTU at RAF Errol trained 60 Soviet engineers, navigators, and pilots. The training undertaken by Soviet personnel included a limited amount of de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber training. It is likely that in 1944 a few Mosquitos were flown from RAF Errol to the Soviet Union. No. 305 (FTU) stopped training at RAF Errol in March 1944 and disbanded the following month.
There is a somewhat tragic story associated with the MSAA. An Albemarle ST1 (P1503) crewed by Major Aleksander Gruzdin (pilot), Vasily Drjamin (navigator), Alexander Alexeev (flight engineer), and Staff Sergeant Frantisek Drahovzal crashed during a training run. Their plane came down on 29 May 1943 near to the village of Fearnan that sits close to Loch Tay and a few miles from Kenmore, Perthshire, killing all on board.
Gruzdin’s ashes were taken back to Moscow where he was awarded the accolade, ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’. He lies next to his wife who also was a pilot. To commemorate and venerate the bravery of the MSAA and the sacrifice made by the 4 who perished at Fearnan, a memorial has been raised on the ground formerly occupied by RAF Errol. In a symbolic gesture to the Soviet Union, the memorial includes several birch trees, a national icon of Russia.
Another notable MSAA pilot based at RAF Errol within No. 305 FTU is Peter Kolennikov who trained with the unit between 1 January 1943 and 30 April 1944. Kolennikov’s war record saw him awarded several medals for bravery and gallantry including 2 Orders of the Red Star. The medals were well deserved: Kolennikov, as part of the Special Moscow Airgroup, carried out many daring missions including the evacuation of civilians from Leningrad, evacuating casualties from Sevastopol under dense artillery fire, and flying behind enemy lines to provide supplies to partisans during the Rzhev campaigns. A memorial has been established at the airfield to acknowledge the loss of Russian airmen (during training) in an Albemarle crash near Fearnan in Highland Perthshire and the bravery of the Moscow Special Assignment Airgroup. The memorial includes a number of birch trees – the birch being Russia’s national symbol.
Units using RAF Errol during the Second World War include:
No. 9 EGS (Elementary Gliding School). No. 9 PAFU (Navy pilot training unit relocated from RAF Hullavington, Wiltshire).
No. 260 MU, No. 271 Squadron RAF.
No. 810 Squadron RNFAA.
No. 1544 BAT Flight (Blind (later Beam) Approach Training Flight).
No. 1680 (Transport) Flight RAF.
Two Armstrong Whitley A.W.38 twin-engine bombers, each towing a glider, landed at RAF Errol from RAF Kirkbride (Cumbria) on 6 August 1943. The outmoded Whitley had been removed from frontline service but nonetheless attested to be useful as a glider tug. In addition, RAF Errol was used as a base for packing and air-dropping supplies to advancing troops. Six Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, (aka Dakotas) of No. 271 Squadron RAF were used at RAF Errol for this purpose. A pair of Airspeed As.51 Horsa 1 troop-carrying gliders are listed on the manifest of RAF Errol. These gliders were towed into flight by the station’s Dakota complement. Although RAF Errol had been photographed by Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft in April 1943, the later additions to the airbase remained unknown to the German military.
In 1943, the Allies tried to deceive the German high command that an invasion of Norway was planned. ‘Operation Tindall’ was conceived to suggest that the main goal of the Allies was a sea and air landing at Stavanger – to capture the city and Sola Airfield, which could be used as a base for forward operations well beyond the range of Scotland-based fighter squadrons. RAF Erroll was a player in ‘Operation Tindall’.
There were a series of three deception operations designed to deceive the Germans that an invasion might occur in areas such as Brest and Boulogne in France or at Stavanger in Norway. The second of three-deception operations of the plan, Operation Cockade was Operation Tindall in which RAF Errol played a part. It was conceived to suggest that the goal of the allies was a sea and air landing at Stavanger, Norway in mid-September 1943. The Germans kept back twelve army divisions in Norway to counter the potential threat. This weaking their defences in Sicily which the allies invaded 9 July 1943 – 17 August 1943 and the forces available for the German Operation Citadel, the encircling attack at the Battle of Kursk, July 1943 which was repulsed by the Soviet Red Army. Adolf Hitler eventually cancelled further attempts to break through the Soviet defences during this offensive, in part due to the news of the Allied invasion of Sicily. The soviets suffered 800,000 casualties at Kursk. These deception plans also weakened the German defences at Normandy where the D-Day landings took place in June 1944.
Two Armstrong Whitley A.W38 twin-engine bombers, each towing a glider landed at RAF Errol on 6 August 1943. RAF Errol at the time was a base for packing and air-dropping supplies to advancing troops using six Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, (aka Dakotas) of RAF 271 Squadron. A pair of Airspeed As.51 Horsa I troop-carrying gliders were listed on the manifest of RAF Errol in 1943. It is conceivable that the goings on at Errol worried the Germans, a Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft of Luftwaffen-Führungsstab Ic (Command Staff) was detailed to photograph the Flugplatz (airfield) in April 1943.
Notes:
RAF ‘Flights’ were fully independent flying units of less than squadron size.
The Supermarine Walrus which was first flown in 1933 was designed by R. J. Mitchell, he of the legendary Spitfire design fame.
The last aircraft to use RAF Errol was probably a Vickers Wellington from RAF Dalcross (Inverness Airport) that landed there in August of 1945.
Drahovzal was a 34-year-old cook in the Czechoslovakian Army who wished to take an aerial excursion before the end of his tour in Scotland. He lies in Murie Cemetery, Errol, a section of which was reserved for airmen who died while based at RAF Errol.
‘Operation Tindall’ was one of 3 ‘fake’ invasion stories, the other 2 being ‘Operation Wadham’, an invasion at Brest, and ‘Operation Starkey’, an invasion at Boulogne.
No. 271 Squadron RAF became part of the newly formed No. 46 RAF (Transport) Group in February 1944. They trained extensively with the 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions and the 1st (Polish) Independent Parachute Brigade.
RAF Findo Gask
RAF Findo Gask was located at Clathymore, near Findo Gask, some 8 west of Perth. it was operational between 14 June 1941 and 12 September1948. it was, however, abandoned as an airfield in 1944 due to problems with flooding, mud, and poor drainage. the complex comprised3 grass runways (1,100, 1,250, and 1,950 yards) fabricated with Sommerfeld wire mesh tracking, a type t2 (13-bay) hangar, 7 blister hangars (portable arched of corrugated steel sheeting), a technical area, dispersal areas, 16 hard- standings for aircraft, and accommodation facilities. The airfield’s complement included 59 officers, 70 SNCOs, 538 ORs, and 196 WAAF personnel. Pilots using RAF Findo Gask used Dupplin Lake on the grounds of the Dupplin Estate (east of the airfield) as a flying landmark.
RAF Findo Gask operated as a flight training airfield for personnel joining Polish squadrons. Flights A and C of No 309 Squadron operated out of RAF Findo Gask between 26 October 1942 and 8 March 1943 (Westland Lysanders); Flight ‘B’ of No. 309 Squadron between 15 December 1942 and January 1943 (North American Mk I P-51 Mustangs). Flight ‘B’ was subsequently redeployed to RAF Gatwick as Findo Gask’s runways proved too short for the Mustangs. In addition, the airfield operated as an SLG for the RNFAA’s Miles M.9 Masters of No. 9 PAFU (RAF Errol) (28 March 1943 – 12 September 1944) – No. 25 SLG. Other units using RAF Findo Gask during the Second World War include No. 11 EFTS, No. 44 MU, and No. 260 MU.
One consistent comment recorded in reports regarding the field at Findo Gask was that it suffered poor draining, with the runways becoming waterlogged and muddy. The grass runways were constructed using Sommerfeld steel tracking, which used steel mesh pinned to the ground and reinforced with steel bars, but continued flooding led to the eventual abandonment of the airfield. It also was proved to be too short for the North American P-51 Mustangs. The ground at Findo Gask was eventually deemed so unsuitable, too soggy, for the squadron to operate from. They were sent south to conduct English Channel patrols and reconnaissance missions over France. They were then reallocated up to RAF Peterhead. The 309 Squadron Polish airman in their Mustangs, flew protection cover for very many Russia bound convoy patrols in the North Sea.
Findo Gask
RAF Grangemouth
Not quite in Perthshire, RAF Grangemouth lay just to the south of Perthshire across the River Forth. It played a primary role in the instruction of hundreds of RAF, Polish Air Force, and other international pilots within No. 58 OTU RAF.
In 2008, a memorial garden was opened on land that stood within the peri meter fence (Abbotsinch Road, by the Powdrake Roundabout) of the former RAF Grangemouth to memorialise the 71 trainee pilots (from 11 different countries) who died while training at the station. Their names are inscribed on a wall within the garden. On 9 May 2013, a full-size replica of a Spitfire Mk 1 (upon a plinth) was added to the memorial garden. The replica bears the code PQ-N, the plane flown by Sergeant Pilot Eugeniusz Lukomski (23), who died in an accident during training in November 1941. His plane crashed in the Avondale Estate, Polmont.
A typical flight training course delivered by No. 58 OTU RAF at RAF Grangemouth is detailed below.
14 July-25 August 1941
Flying Miles Masters – 2 hours 50 minutes dual, 6 hours 25 minutes solo.
Flying Supermarine Spitfires – 36 hours 10 minutes.
Link – 6 hours 50 minutes.
Instrumentation – 3 hours.
Formation Flying – 12 hours.
Flying aptitude was listed under several headings:
Natural Aptitude Skill in Landing
Airmanship Aerobatics and Dog Fight
Cockpit Drill Instrument Flying
Formation Flying Air Firing Map Reading.
RAF Methven
Situated to the east of Methven Castle (close to where Loan Leven Quarry is located today), RAF Methven operated as No. 24 SLG RAF. Operational units based at RAF Methven included No. 652 Squadron RAF (28 March 1943 – 2 July 1943) equipped with de Havilland Tiger Moths and later Taylorcraft Auster observation aircraft, No. 44 Maintenance Unit RAF, and an Air Observation Post. The station was established in 1940.
The airfield that covered 3 fields in area included accommodation buildings made of wood and those of Nissen design hidden among a wooded area (on the south side of the A85 close to the minor road to Tibbermore. Aircraft sent to RAF Methven for repair were hidden in ‘cut-out’ areas among the trees. Aircraft repaired at RAF Methven included Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers, Hawker Hurricanes, Vickers Wellington medium bombers, and Westland Lysanders. On 30 July 1943, a Short Stirling 4-engine heavy bomber landed at RAF Methven. By the end of the year, Stirling bombers were a regular sight at the airfield.
By the end of the war, RAF Methven had been converted into an ‘open’ camp for Italian and later German prisoners of war. Camp life was not harsh, and many prisoner accommodation huts had their own small gardens.
Notes:
No. 652 Squadron RAF moved with the Second Army from the breakout at Normandy, through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and into Germany. The ‘C’ of the squadron has been recognized as responsible for discharging the last British gunshots of the war in Europe while guiding artillery at the siege of Dunkirk – 7 May 1945 – alongside No. 665 Squadron RCAF.
Vickers Wellington bombers were predominantly designed by Barnes Wallace, he of the ‘bouncing bomb’ and ‘Dambusters’ renown. (Wallace also designed the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito.) There is a good chance a few Mosquitos were repaired at RAF Methven. Along with RAF Findo Gask, RAF Methven was used for warehousing light non-operational aircraft such as the 3-seater dual-control Percival Proctor monoplane (formerly stowed at RAF Perth).
The Short Stirling was renowned for its challenging flight
characteristics during take-off and landing. It is striking that such a large
aircraft was landed at all on RAF Methven’s single runway.
RAF Perth
The idea of an aerodrome at Perth was first mooted in the early 1930s by Thomas Hunter, Lord Provost of Perth (later the local Member of Parliament) but received scant backing from the inhabitants of the Fair City. It was anticipated an airfield near Perth would attract several air operations, including domestic scheduled flights, and airmail services.
In late 1934, the British Government announced an expansion of the RAF and Councillor Ure Primrose revived Hunter’s plans for an aerodrome. This time there was an expectation that a small aerodrome might attract pilot training work to Perth and in turn draw business to the area. A year later, tenders were put out for the planned aerodrome.
In December 1936, Airwork Limited, a firm based in Middlesex, England, commenced its lengthy connection with Scone Aerodrome by firstly undertaking the delivery of RAF flying training. This was RAF No. 11 ERFTS, a flight preparation facility for RAF personnel.
For the construction of the airfield, a relatively fog-free site 400 feet above sea level was nominated just beyond Scone village. Work began in June 1935. Flying training commenced on the frozen airfield on 14 January 1936 with the first recorded landing – a DH.85 Leopard Moth (G-ACHD) piloted by W. Gardiner. Landing was suspended as the thaw came, to allow the newly sown grass to establish. A direction-finding tower was soon installed.
Perth initially enjoyed 4 daily civilian passenger services, 2 to Glasgow and 2 to Inverness. In 1936-7, North Eastern Airways began regular services between Perth and Newcastle, Leeds, Doncaster, and London, northwards to Aberdeen, and westwards to Renfrew using Airspeed AS.6 Envoys, and later de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide’s. A service was established by British Airways between Perth and Stav anger and Oslo (both Norway) using Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra’s and German Junkers JU 52s of Swedish registration in September 1939. This was not to last very long as war hostilities had commenced on the first of that month with Germ any’s attack on Poland. The service was closed on 9 April 1940 with the invasion of
During the Second World War, RAF Perth (based at Scone Aerodrome) maintained a compliment of 28 officers, 37 SNCOs and 326 ORs – a total of 391. There are no records of the WAAF personnel at RAF Perth. The grass runway length was listed as 1,300 yards, extendible and in a direction, NE to SW. As well as a large hangar whose construction pre-dated the war, the RAF employed 2 civil buildings – one 160 x 90 feet, the other 120 x 110 feet. Six blister type buildings were added alongside (at least) 4 defensive pillboxes. No hard-standings for aircraft are detailed in available archival records.
At the end of December 1940, RAF Perth was the base for 90 de Havilland Tiger Moths of a total of 367 training aircraft assigned to RAF No. 11 ERFTS at RAF Perth. As well as Tiger Moths, the training school operated Airspeed Oxford, Avro Anson, Hawker Audax, Hawker Hart, Hawker Hind, Hawker Hurricane, Miles Magister, Miles Master, North American Harvard, and Fairey Battle aircraft. The 41 aircraft of No. 5 FIS included Airspeed Oxfords, Miles Magisters, Miles Masters, and Tiger Moths.
Units Based at RAF Perth During the Second World War
Main Units
RAF No. 11 ERFTS (27 January 1936 – 3 September 1939).
No.7 Civilian Air Navigation School (9 January 1939 – 1 November
1939). The school was run by civilians until the start of the Second World War at which point it became part of the RAF and was renamed as No. 7 Air Observer & Navigation School (1 November 1939 – 1 June 1940).
No. 11 EFTS (3 September 1939 – 18 March 1947).
Other Units
Wireless Development Flight (12 September 1939 – 24 October 1939). ‘D’ Flight,
Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (15 September 1939 – Unknown).
No. 7 Air Observer & Navigation School (AONS) (1 November 1939 – 1 June 1940).
No. 5 Flying Instructors School (FIS)
(8 October 1940 – 23 November 1942). No. 5 FIS (Elementary).
No. 5 FIS (Supplementary)
No. 9 Gliding School (November 1945 – Unknown).
No. 9 EGS.
No. 11 RFS (18 March 1947 – 20 June 1954).
No. 11 EFTS.
No. 666 Squadron RAF (1 May 1949 – 10 March 1957).
No. 1966 Reserve AOP Flight (1 May 1949 – 1 January 1957) – associated with Taylorcraft Auster observation (artillery spotting) aircraft.
No. 1967 Reserve AOP Flight (2 February 1954 – 1 September 1955) – associated with Taylorcraft Auster observation (artillery spotting) aircraft.
Glasgow University Air Squadron (1 December 1950 – 1 January 1965). No. 1 Civilian Fighter Control Co-operation Unit (8 March 1957 – 31 January 1961). Universities of Glasgow & Strathclyde Air Squadron (1 January 1965 – 1992).
No. 309 Squadron (March 1941 – May 1941) – the squadron was based at RAF Perth until RAF Findo Gask was available. The training undertaken by the squadron at RAF Perth included night flying.
No. 12 Air Experience Flight (1 April 1996 – Unknown).
Experimental Flight. No. 7 CANS.
Detachments
No. 6 AACU (2 May 1940 – 20 November 1940). No. 7 AACU (27 December 1940 – 1941).
Notes:
Hundreds of pilots were trained at RAF Perth during the war. There must have been at least 100 training aircraft in use every day. The airfield was a ‘pilot factory’ producing the large numbers of pilots required by the war effort. When you read about some of the Second World War pilots who were trained at Scone (RAF Perth), you will further understand the impressive contribution of this aerodrome to the war effort.
Hundreds of pilots were trained at RAF Perth during the war. There must have been at least 100 training aircraft in use every day. The airfield was a ‘pilot factory’ producing the large numbers of pilots required by the war effort. When you read about some of the Second World War pilots who were trained at Scone (RAF Perth), you will further understand the impressive contribution of this aerodrome to the war effort.
In the post-war period, the RAF underwent major changes. On 20 June 1954, RAF No. 11 EFTS was renamed as an RFS and was reequipped with de Havilland Chipmunks. And, in 1960, Airwork acquired the Aeronautical Engineering College in Hamble, and relocated it to its existing training operation at Perth/Scone Aerodrome where it became known as Airwork Services Training. Scone Aerodrome’s pair of runways were laid with asphalt in 1969. The company added an English language school to the facilities in 1971 to fulfil an Imperial Iranian Navy training agreement. The Flying School and the Aeronautical Engineering College became part of Air Service Training. Pilot training at Scone stopped in 1996 but a popular and successful engineering training college continues at Perth College, which forms part of the University of the Highlands & Islands, as Air Service Training.
Today, the main entrance road from the A94 into the airport is called Spitfire Avenue. Perth Airport at New Scone is still in use by private and business aircraft, the Scottish Aero Club, and pilot training organisations. There are currently no commercial scheduled flights from the airport.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Service (SCAA) was formed
in 2012 and launched a helicopter air-ambulance service in May 2013 using Perth
Airport as its central base. Take Off, c/o The Scottish Aero Club at Scone
Airport is a charitable trust set up to increase opportunity, education, and
awareness in the field of aviation in Scotland.
As part of the US government lend-lease programme, Britain received aid, military equipment, and aircraft. Some of the aircraft that had long-distance capability were flown over the Atlantic via Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland before landing at either RAF Prestwick or RAF/USAAF Burtonwood in Lancashire, whereafter they were delivered to where they would be in service. Shorter-range aircraft, such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, were shipped to British ports, including that at Govan. From Govan, the crated aircraft were transported to RAF Renfrew and RAF Perth for assembly. They were then flown to operational units by the ATA.
There is an interesting short film of the first post-war flying display at the aerodrome viewable on the British Pathé website – Around Britain (1947). (first 28 seconds, opens in new tab)
Notes:
Ostensibly a civilian operation, the ATA included 168 female pilots (of a pilot complement of over 1,300). Its unofficial motto was ‘Anything to Anywhere’.
Airwork Service Training at Hamble purchased several Airspeed Oxfords after the war, some of which ended up at Scone Aerodrome. In total, 750 Airspeed Oxfords (Mk 1) were manufactured by the Standard Motor Car Company Limited, Coventry.
Former Second World War flying instructor Ian Rae served with No. 11 RFS in the 1950s. His time there and earlier experiences in the RAF are the subject of his collection of poetry – A Pilot’s Notes (2011).
RAF Tealing
Like RAF Grangemouth, RAF Tealing lay just beyond the borders of Perthshire, some 6 miles north of Dundee and 25 miles east of Perth. It deserves inclusion in this book as it was the home of No. 56 OTU RAF and operated for a time as an SLG for No. 9 PAFU (RAF Errol).
Flight instruction at RAF Tealing employed Hawker Hurricanes, Westland Lysanders, and Miles M.9 Masters. With the deployment of No. 527 Squadron, the Hurricanes were swapped for Supermarine Spitfires. The squadron’s operational role was radar station calibration. Given the proximity of University College, Dundee, where Robert Watson-Watt, who played a pioneering role in the development of radar, held a professorship, he may have been the reason that No. 527 Squadron was sited at RAF Tealing.
One important episode associated with RAF Tealing is the visit to Britain in May 1942 of Vyacheslav Molotov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, to deliberate with the British Government the opening of a second front against Nazi Germany. Molotov’s secret flight in a high altitude 4-engine Petlyakov Pe-8 bomber from the Soviet Union took him over Luftwaffe dominated airspace. None the less, his plane landed at RAF Tealing safely.
Molotov’s onward flight to meet Vyacheslav Molotov Winston Churchill might well have been his last. Two, de Havilland DH.95 Flamingo airliners were provided for the passage, one of which crashed near to the village of Great Ouseburn in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire killing all its passengers (senior RAF personnel and Soviet staff) and crew. Molotov had been given the choice as to which plane to take. By pure fortuitousness he was not on the plane that crashed. At his meeting with Churchill, Anthony Eden, the British Foreign Minister, and other government members, Molotov formally signed the Anglo-Soviet (mutual assistance) Treaty of 1942 that created a military and political alliance between the 2 great political powers.
The Imperial War Museum is the depository of several films showing the arrival of Molotov at RAF Tealing and his later departure from RAF Prestwick.
Note: Considered one of the inventors of radar,
Robert Watson-Watt whose first wife was from Perth, is buried in the graveyard
of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Pitlochry (see Margaret Watson-Watt).
RAF Whitefield
RAF Whitefield situated near Wolfhill, some 7 miles north-east of Perth, opened late in 1939, primarily as a Relief Landing Ground (RLG) to RAF Perth. It comprised a small (1,050-yard-long) grass runway with 8 blister hangars and temporary accommodation (possibly tents). To assist night landings, the airfield utilised a ‘Gooseneck Flarepath’, which comprised several short, oval watering-can-style paraffin lamps, with wicks protruding from their spouts, placed along the runway. They were later replaced by small electric Glim Lamps and Chance Floodlights powered by a generator mounted on a trailer.
RAF Whitefield closed on 9 July 1945, the land reverting to farmland. Today, only the flight office survives as evidence of the former airfield. Records detail a staffing complement of 36 in 1944. Units using RAF Whitefield during the Second World War include No. 11 EFTS and No. 5 Flying Instructor School (FIS). The airfield was employed to ease the load at RAF Perth and was very busy in this task. As would be expected from a busy flight training school, there were many recorded accidents, most due to poor landings especially those involving night flying. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in any known incident. In one case, a de Havilland Mosquito FBV1 (HP856) out of RAF No. 8 OTU was forced to land at RAF Whitefield due to its cockpit filling with smoke because of a faulty radio. The aircraft underwent repair and continued in service until being scrapped in July 1947.
Scone Park
Scone Park was an SLG of RAF Perth. It is not listed as a separate RAF airfield; it was regarded as being part of RAF Perth at Scone. Scone Park is today occupied by Scone Racecourse.
South Kilduff Airfield
Between Balado and Crook of Deven lies the farm of South Kilduff. It was described as a ‘3rd class landing ground’ by the NW Area of the Royal Flying Corps, 46th Wing of No. 77 Home Defence Squadron – one of the home defence squadrons formed in 1916 in response to bombing raids by German Zeppelin airships. No. 77 Squadron was responsible for the defence of the Firth of Forth and the coastline from Berwick-upon-Tweed northwards.
Such landing grounds were created in case of engine failure or if bad weather prevented an aircraft from returning to its main base. When the squadron was flying, the farmer, on whose land the strip lay, was telephoned to remove any of his animals that might be grazing on the landing area.
RFC South Kilduff landing strip measured 440 metres by 247 meters (11 hectares). There are no traces of its existence left. Where it was exactly is unknown, there are two or three fields to my knowledge that are possibilities. The airfield was notified for relinquishment at the end of WW1. Royal Aircraft Factory, BE2 and BE12 fighters were allocated to RFC 77 Squadron. In 1918, they switched to Avro 504ks. The BE 12 was the single-seat version of the BE 2. The Avro 504k was a two-seat training aircraft, some were converted for anti-zeppelin work and converted for night fighting. The Avro 504 was used by 38 countries and more than 10,000 were built until production ended in 1940 in Japan (Yokosuka K2Y).
Research by Ken Bruce