# RAF Cottam

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Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

RAF Cottam Langtoft, East Riding of Yorkshire in England Disused runway Site information Type Royal Air Force satellite station Owner Air Ministry Operator Royal Air Force Controlled by RAF Maintenance Command Location RAF Cottam Shown within East Riding of Yorkshire Show map of East Riding of Yorkshire RAF Cottam RAF Cottam (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom Coordinates 54°03′48″N 000°28′59″W / 54.06333°N 0.48306°W / 54.06333; -0.48306 Site history Built 1939 (1939) In use 1939 - 1954 (1954) Battles/wars European theatre of World War II Airfield information Elevation 150 metres (492 ft) AMSL Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00 1,610 metres (5,282 ft) Concrete and Wood chips 00/00 1,230 metres (4,035 ft) Concrete and Wood chips 00/00 1,210 metres (3,970 ft) Concrete and Wood chips

**Royal Air Force Cottam** or more simply **RAF Cottam** is a former [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) [satellite station](/source/List_of_former_Royal_Air_Force_stations) near [Cottam](/source/Cottam%2C_East_Riding_of_Yorkshire) in the [East Riding of Yorkshire](/source/East_Riding_of_Yorkshire), [England](/source/England) and 3.9 miles (6.3 km) north west of [Driffield](/source/Driffield), East Riding of Yorkshire. The airfield was used only occasionally for flying, mostly being utilised as a bomb storage site.

## History

Despite being built as a bomber airfield as a satellite to [RAF Driffield](/source/RAF_Driffield), poor weather conditions meant it was never used as its intended use as operational airfield, though some flying did occur.[1] The site was constructed with three runways measuring 5,280 feet (1,610 m), 4,050 feet (1,230 m), and 3,960 feet (1,210 m).[2] The airfield was used temporarily as a dispersal site in August 1940 after a devastating raid on RAF Driffield. An attack by up to 30 [Junkers Ju 88](/source/Junkers_Ju_88)'s saw 169 bombs dropped, 13 personnel killed, 12 [Armstrong Whitworth Whitley](/source/Armstrong_Whitworth_Whitley) bombers destroyed, and as a result of the raid, Driffield was non-operational for the rest of 1940.[3][4][5] Cottam's watch office was demolished in 1980.[6] The airfield operated until June 1954.[7]

The airfield was then used by [RAF Maintenance Command](/source/RAF_Maintenance_Command) as [No. 91 Maintenance Unit RAF](/source/No._91_Maintenance_Unit_RAF) (MU) used the runways and buildings for bomb storage, until the 1950s.[6][8] In December 1944, the station was listed as having 1,057 and 188 women from Maintenance Command and No. 42 Group billeted there.[9]

## Current use

The airfield is currently farmland with little remaining buildings spread over the entire site and the dispersed areas, however the traces of the runways and dispersals can be seen from the air.[10] Ordnance Survey mapping from 1982 shows that the main north east/south west runway had been removed by that time.[11]

RAF Cottam has a unique claim to fame as the 'virtual' airfield for RAF [Air Traffic Controller](/source/Air_Traffic_Control) as well as Flight Operations simulator training at [RAF Shawbury](/source/RAF_Shawbury).[12]

## Units

Unit Dates Details Ref No. 4 Group Target Towing Flight September–October 1940 Based at nearby RAF Driffield, a detachment flew from here using Lysander aircraft [10] No. 91 Maintenance Unit 1946–1954 [8] No. 244 Maintenance Unit September 1944–December 1945 Transferred in from RAF Connel in autumn 1944 [13][14]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDelve200689–90_1-0)** [Delve 2006](#CITEREFDelve2006), pp. 89–90.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHalpenny198254_2-0)** [Halpenny 1982](#CITEREFHalpenny1982), p. 54.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["RAF Cottam – Hull & East Riding at War"](https://hullandeastridingatwar.co.uk/raf-cottam/). *hullandeastridingatwar.co.uk*. Retrieved 15 February 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHalpenny198266_4-0)** [Halpenny 1982](#CITEREFHalpenny1982), p. 66.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Otter, Patrick (1998). *Yorkshire airfields in the Second World War*. Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 89–90. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-85306-542-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85306-542-0).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CT_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CT_6-1) ["RAF Cottam airfield"](http://www.controltowers.co.uk/C/Cottam.htm). Control Towers. Retrieved 8 April 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ABCT_7-0)** ["Cottam"](http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/cottam). [Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust](/source/Airfields_of_Britain_Conservation_Trust). Retrieved 8 April 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NA_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NA_8-1) ["Maintenance Unit: No 91, RAF Cottam, East Yorks and No 91 M.U. Satellite, Southburn"](https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101234?descriptiontype=Full&ref=AIR+29/1524). *discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/*. Retrieved 15 February 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Willis, Steve; Holliss, Barry R (1987). *Military airfields in the British Isles, 1939-1945*. Sherington: Enthusiasts. p. 54. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0907700128](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0907700128).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDelve200690_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDelve200690_10-1) [Delve 2006](#CITEREFDelve2006), p. 90.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [Historic England](/source/Historic_England). ["Cottam Airfield (1392698)"](https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=1392698&resourceID=19191). *Research records (formerly PastScape)*. Retrieved 15 February 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RAF_12-0)** ["First Deployment on Operations by a junior Air Operations Officer"](http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafoperationalupdate/insiderreport/operationsofficer.cfm). Royal Air Force. Retrieved 8 April 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Connel (Oban) - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK"](https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/connel-oban/). *www.abct.org.uk*. Retrieved 15 February 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEDelve200689_14-0)** [Delve 2006](#CITEREFDelve2006), p. 89.

### Sources

- Delve, Ken (2006). *Northern England : Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire*. Ramsbury: Crowood. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-86126-809-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-86126-809-2).

- Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1982). *Action stations 4; Military Airfields of Yorkshire*. Wellingborough: Stephens. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85059-532-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85059-532-0).

## External links

- [Airfield Information Exchange](http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?2028-Cottam)

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v t e Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire Flying stations Active Leeming Topcliffe1 Former Acaster Malbis Bellasize Beverley Bircotes Bramham Breighton2 Burn2 Carnaby Catfoss Catterick Church Fenton2 Clifton Coal Aston Cottam Croft Dalton Dishforth Doncaster Driffield East Moor Elvington Finningley2 Firbeck Full Sutton Hedon Helperby Holme-on-Spalding Moor Hornsea Mere Howden Hutton Cranswick Leconfield Lindholme Linton-on-Ouse Lissett Manywells Height Marske Marston Moor Melbourne Pocklington Redcar Riccall Ripon Rufforth2 Scorton Sherburn-in-Elmet2 Skipton-on-Swale Snaith Tholthorpe Thornaby Wombleton Yeadon2 Non-flying stations Active Fylingdales3 Menwith Hill3 Staxton Wold3 Former Bawtry Bempton3 Bent Rigg3 Bowes Moor Bridlington Cowden Danby Beacon3 Goldsborough3 Harrogate Holmpton3 Hunmanby Moor Misson Northallerton4 Norton Oxenhope Moor3 Patrington3 Shipton3 Sutton on Hull Notes 1: used for only for RAF gliders 2: now used for civilian aviation 3: communications or radar sites 4: RAF hospital

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [RAF Cottam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Cottam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Cottam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.