RAF Acaster Malbis

{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force station in Yorkshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} {{Use British English|date=November 2017}} {{Infobox military installation | name = RAF Acaster Malbis | ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg | ensign_size = 90px | native_name = | partof =  | location = [[Acaster Malbis]], [[North Yorkshire]] | country = England | image =  | caption = | image2 =  | alt2 = | caption2 = | type = [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|Royal Air Force station]] | coordinates = {{Coord|53|52|36|N|001|07|11|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}} | gridref = | pushpin_map = North Yorkshire#UK | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within North Yorkshire | pushpin_label = RAF Acaster Malbis | pushpin_label_position = left | ownership = [[Air Ministry]] | operator = [[Royal Air Force]] | controlledby = [[RAF Bomber Command]] | open_to_public =  | site_other_label =  | site_other =  | site_area =  | code =  | built = {{Start date|1941}} | used = 1942 - {{End date|1957}} | builder = | fate = | condition = | battles = [[European theatre of World War II]] | events = | past_commanders =  | garrison =  | occupants =  | designations = | website = | footnotes =   | IATA = | ICAO = | LID = | GPS = | WMO = | elevation = {{Convert|8|m|0}} | r1-number = 04/22 | r1-length = {{Convert|1828|m|0}} | r1-surface = [[Concrete]] | r2-number = 11/29 | r2-length = {{Convert|1280|m|0}} | r2-surface = Concrete | r3-number = 16/34 | r3-length = {{Convert|1280|m|0}} | r3-surface = Concrete | h1-number = | h1-length =  | h1-surface = | airfield_other_label =  | airfield_other =   }} '''Royal Air Force Acaster Malbis''', or more simply '''RAF Acaster Malbis''', is a former [[Royal Air Force]] [[Royal Air Force station|station]] located {{Convert|5.9|mi}} south of [[York]] city centre and {{Convert|5.7|mi}} east of [[Tadcaster]], [[North Yorkshire]], England. It was developed from a small grass airfield at the beginning of the [[World War II|Second World War]] and its main use was as a training base for [[RAF Bomber Command]], before being used by [[RAF Maintenance Command]] from 1944 until 1957.

==Station history==

The airfield was originally opened as a satellite of [[RAF Church Fenton]] before [[No. 601 Squadron RAF]] arrived from [[RAF Duxford]] with [[Bell P-39 Airacobra|Bell Airacobra]]s staying between January and April 1942 before being re-equipped with [[Supermarine Spitfire]] VB's and moving to [[RAF Digby]].{{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=98}} Acaster Malbis was then used by No. 21 Group Flying Training Command as a relief landing ground for [[Airspeed Oxford]]s of [[No. 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF]] ((P)AFU) from [[RAF Leconfield]], with these leaving in January 1943.<ref name="CT">{{cite web|url=http://www.controltowers.co.uk/A/Acaster_Malbis.htm|title=RAF Acaster Malbis|publisher=Control Towers|accessdate=6 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="RAFWEB">{{cite web|url=https://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-A.htm |title=RAF Acaster Malbis |publisher=Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation|accessdate=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Sturtivant2007p34">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=34.}}</ref>

Then surprising during 1943 the airfield was re-built to the specifications of a heavy bomber station with hard runways and spectacle dispersals being built under the control of [[No. 4 Group RAF]] of [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]], however the station did not receive any aircraft before being transferred to [[No. 7 Group RAF|No. 7 (Training) Group Bomber Command]]. During 1944 the airfield was used by [[Handley Page Halifax]]es of 1652 and 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit.<ref name="Sturtivant2007p97">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=97.}}</ref><ref name="Sturtivant2007p99">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=99.}}</ref> Also in 1944 the airfield was used by [[Armstrong Whitworth Whitley]]s of [[No. 1341 Flight RAF|1341 Special Duties Flight]] on radio and signal counter-measures work.<ref name="Sturtivant2007p119">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=119.}}</ref>

No operational flying units were based at the airfield but No. 4 Group Aircrew School (later [[No. 4 Aircrew School RAF]]) did arrive in the winter of 1944 but they moved out in October 1945 before the airfield was closed to flying during February 1946.<ref name="CT"/><ref name="Sturtivant2007p44">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=44.}}</ref><ref name="Sturtivant2007p155">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=155.}}</ref>

The airfield played host to three different maintenance units of [[RAF Maintenance Command]] with the first being [[No. 91 Maintenance Unit RAF]] (MU) which arrived during 1944 before leaving on 15 December 1947 which was replaced by a sub-site of the same unit until 31 March 1948.<ref name="Sturtivant2007p179">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=179.}}</ref> During this [[No. 80 Maintenance Unit RAF|No. 80 MU]] moved in on 21 January 1947 using Acaster Malbis until 12 December 1947.<ref name="Sturtivant2007p178">{{Harvnb|Sturtivant|2007|p=178.}}</ref> The last maintenance unit was a sub site of [[No. 93 Maintenance Unit RAF|No. 93 MU]] which arrived on 1 April 1957 and left on 1 August 1957.<ref name="RAFWEB"/><ref name="Sturtivant2007p179" />

==Current use==

The site was decommissioned in 1963 and sold off but by the mid-1970s it was used by light aircraft transporting businessmen and jockeys for horse-racing season lasting until the mid-1980s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ainstyvillages.org.uk/AsArticles1.html |title=RAF Acaster Malbis |publisher=AinstyVillages |accessdate=11 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903124814/http://www.ainstyvillages.org.uk/AsArticles1.html |archivedate=3 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The airfield today still has bits of the old runways and perimeter tracks with hangars and dispersals easy to spot. The site also has two small industrial estates with the first being called "Brockett Industrial Estate" and the second "Waterline Industrial Estate" due to the close distance to the [[River Ouse, Yorkshire|River Ouse]].<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/acaster-malbis |title=Acaster Malbis |publisher=[[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]]|accessdate=7 June 2012}}</ref> [[File:Disused airfield perimeter track - geograph.org.uk - 738597.jpg|thumb|right|Disused peritrack at RAF Acaster Malbis]]

==See also== * [[List of former Royal Air Force stations]]

==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist|2}}

===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} *{{cite book |last1=Jefford |first1= C G |title= RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 |year=1988 |publisher= Airlife |location= [[Shrewsbury]] |isbn= 1-85310-053-6 }} *{{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Sturtivant|2007}}|reference=Sturtivant, R. ''RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912''. Air Britain, 2007. {{ISBN|0-85130-365-X}}.}} {{Refend}}

==External links== * [http://www.airfieldarchaeology.co.uk/raf-acaster-malbis.html Airfield Archaeology – RAF Acaster Malbis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233110/http://www.airfieldarchaeology.co.uk/raf-acaster-malbis.html |date=3 March 2016 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acaster Malbis}} [[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire]] [[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Military airbases established in 1942]] [[Category:Military airbases closed in 1957]]