Royal Air Force Dalton or more simply RAF Dalton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near to Dalton, North Yorkshire, England.

The airfield was by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. It was a satellite of nearby RAF Topcliffe.

History

RAF Dalton was home to No. 102 Squadron beginning in November 1941. No. 102 Squadron returned to Topcliffe in June 1942 and for a time Dalton hosted No. 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF (HCU) flying Handley Page Halifaxes. The airfield was improved in 1942 and in early 1943 was allocated to No. 6 Group Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Canadian squadrons stationed here at one time or another included No. 428 Squadron, No. 424 Squadron, No. 420 Squadron, and No. 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF (which moved to RAF Wombleton in October 1943). The station also housed No. 1691 Bomber Gunnery Flight RCAF and its successor, No. 1695 Bomber Defence Training Flight RCAF, the last RCAF unit to serve at this station.

In November 1944, control passed from No. 6 Group to the new No. 7 (Training) Group. By August 1945 all units at Dalton were disbanded or transferred.

Operational units and aircraft +data from Unit From To Aircraft Version No. 102 Squadron RAF 15 November 1941 7 June 1942 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Handley Page Halifax Mk.V Mk.II No. 420 Squadron RCAF 6 November 1943 12 December 1943 Vickers Wellington Mk.X No. 424 Squadron RCAF 3 May 1943 15 May 1943 Vickers Wellington Mk.X No. 428 Squadron RCAF 7 November 1942 31 May 1943 Vickers Wellington Mks.III and X No. 1652 HCU 13 July 1942 22 August 1942 Handley Page Halifax Mks.I, II No. 1666 'Mohawk' HCU 5 June 1943 21 October 1943 Handley Page Halifax Mks.II, III No. 1691 (Bombing) (Gunnery) Flight 26 June 1943 15 February 1944 Miles Martinet Airspeed Oxford Mk.I Mk.II No. 1695 (Bomber) Defence Training Flight 15 February 1944 23 April 1945 Miles Martinet Hawker Hurricane Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I MksIIc, IV Mk.I, IIa, Vb, Vc

Current use The aerodrome facilities are now being used for commercial and industrial uses.

A major employer on the estate is Severfield plc. In 2011, Severfield and Mace test assembled the Shard's spire on the airfield before breaking it down again for transport to London and final assembly.

References Citations

Bibliography

External links RAF Dalton, Yorkshire on airfields.fotopic.net RAF Dalton on wikimapia (zoom in for best result)