RAF Thornaby

Royal Air Force Thornaby, or more simply RAF Thornaby, is a former Royal Air Force station located in the town and borough of Thornaby-on-Tees, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command all operated from the base over its history, but its stint under Coastal Command is what the base was notable for, particularly in the air-sea rescue environment and the development of the Thornaby Bag. This was an emergency bag dropped to downed aircrew at sea and contained food, cigarettes and drink.

The aerodrome was officially opened on 29 September 1929, although flying in Thornaby dates back to 1912 when Gustav Hamel used the Vale Farm for a flying display. Subsequently, the Royal Flying Corps used the same fields as a staging post between Catterick and Marske Aerodrome between 1914 and 1918. In 1920, the government purchased 50 acres (20 ha) of farm land from Thornaby Hall and developed the site.

The first squadron to occupy the new airfield was No. 608, who were formed here as No. 608 County of York (North Riding) Squadron on 17 March 1930, under the command of Flying Instructor, Squadron Leader William Howard-Davies, and operating Westland Wapitis and Avro 504Ns. No 608 Squadron were the first of the three Yorkshire based auxiliary flying units to be formed, the others being 609 (West Riding) squadron at RAF Yeadon and 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron at RAF Doncaster.

Between March 1936 and July 1937 Thornaby was No. 9 Flying Training School RAF, the stations first regular Royal Air Force unit. The Squadron Commander was C.H. Elliot-Smith with Squadron Leader David D'Arcy Alexander Greig (1900–1986) as CFI who had been a pilot with the RAF's High Speed Flight and who had taken part in the 1929 Schneider Trophy. On 14 January 1937, No. 608 were re-equipped with Hawker Demon two seat interceptors and transferred into No. 12 (Fighter) Group RAF. Thornaby became an RAF station proper when a station headquarters was established on 1 June 1937 under the command of Wing Commander John Leacroft MC (1888–1971).

233 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron equipped with Avro Ansons arrived in May 1937 and in June 1937 the station was transferred to Coastal Command with 224 (GR) Squadron, also equipped with Ansons, arrived in July of the same year. The late 1930s saw the station alternating between Coastal and Bomber Commands, with 608 being a designated fighter squadron. From 1 September 1938, No. 233 and 224 Squadrons were replaced by Bomber Command 106 and 185 Squadrons equipped initially with Fairey Battles before re-equipping with Handley Page Hampdens.

Ansons of 269 Squadron and Vickers Vildebeests of 42 (Torpedo Bomber) Squadron relocated here during the Munich crisis while 106 and 185 moved temporarily to RAF Cottesmore before moving back to Thornaby after the crisis. Thornaby was one of only ten airfields in the country known to have had paved runways before the war started, although runways were under construction at eight fighter stations due to an Air Ministry conference on 28 April 1939, but only two of these were completed by 3 September 1939.

On 20 March 1939 No. 608 Squadron were transferred to No. 18 Group Coastal Command and with war looming were embodied into the RAF for full-time duties on 24 August 1939. Numbers 106 and 185 Bomber Command Squadrons moved to Cottesmore in August 1939 and Coastal Command 220 Squadron arrived with Ansons on 21 August from RAF Bircham Newton, thereafter the station remained within Coastal Command until the end of hostilities. Almost immediately after arriving No. 220 began to re-equip with the American built Lockheed Hudson, during this period the instructors of the 220 Squadron Hudson Conversion Flight (The Hudson Circus) along with 220 and 608 Squadrons were inspected by King George VI who visited the station on 1 November 1939 accompanied by Chief Of Air Staff together with Sir Frederick Bowhill and Air Commodore Breeze, AOC 18 Group.

A detachment from 224 Squadron (the first squadron to become operational on the Hudson) arrived from Leuchars to cover 220 Squadron's "war work", whilst they were being converted onto the Hudson. On 16 October 1939 the first 220 Squadron Hudson operation took place, during the conversion the squadron carried on for a short time with the Anson due to a shortage of serviceable Hudsons, a number of which were awaiting modifications such as installation of gun turrets, bomb racks and fitting of twin front Browning machine guns, this was completed at Thornaby.