RAF Harrogate

{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England}} {{use British English|date=November 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox military installation | name = RAF Harrogate | ensign =Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg | ensign_size =90px | native_name = | location = [[Harrogate]], [[North Yorkshire]] | country = England | image = | alt = | caption = | type = RAF administrative station | coordinates ={{Coord|53|58|43.6|N|1|32|34.8|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}} | gridref = | image_map = | image_mapsize = | image_map_alt = | image_map_caption = | pushpin_map = North Yorkshire | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Location in North Yorkshire | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_image = | pushpin_label = RAF Harrogate | pushpin_label_position = top | pushpin_mark = | pushpin_marksize = | ownership = [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] | operator = [[Air Ministry]]<br>[[Royal Air Force]]<br>Ministry of Defence | controlledby =  | open_to_public =  | site_other_label =  | site_other =  | site_area =  | built ={{Start date|1940}} | used = 1940–{{End date|1994}} | height =  | length =  | fate = Sold, buildings demolished and site redeveloped for housing. | condition = Closed }} '''Royal Air Force Harrogate''' or '''RAF Harrogate''', sometimes known as '''Ministry of Defence (MoD) Harrogate''', was the name for two distinct [[Royal Air Force]] establishments within the town of [[Harrogate]], [[North Yorkshire]], England. The main site was at St George's in the south-west of the town and was home to a medical training establishment (MTE), supply branch and [[Women's Auxiliary Air Force]] (WAAF) training centre. The site was demolished in 1994. The term RAF Harrogate was also applied to the requisition of several hotels in Harrogate town centre which acted as a No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre during [[World War II]]. This should not be confused with [[RAF Menwith Hill]], a current RAF base near Harrogate.

==History== The Air Ministry Unit was situated on St George's Road in Harrogate and consisted of non-flying training, a medical training establishment (MTE) and also functioned as a logistics base.<ref>{{cite web|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 18 Jun 1992|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1992-06-18/Writtens-6.html|website=publications.parliament.uk|accessdate=24 November 2017}}</ref> During the Second World War, the unit's main role was to carry out recruit training for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and also provide a headquarters (and clerical site) for No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (No. 7 PRC) which processed mostly aircrew returning from overseas during the [[Second World War]] (especially after training courses).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Stancombe N.|title=To war with the Royal Air Force|date=2006|publisher=Serendipity|location=Darlington|isbn=9781843941873|pages=9–11}}</ref> Other reception centres were also being activated at this time (Brighton, Heaton Park, Bournemouth and many others) with some being solely for [[Dominion]] or [[RAAF]] crews, which left No.7 PRC as a processing centre only for Royal Air Force crews.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jefford|first1=C.G.|title=Observers and navigators and other non-pilot aircrew in the RFC, RNAS and RAF|date=2014|publisher=Airlife|location=Shrewsbury|isbn=978-1-909808-02-7|page=229|edition=2}}</ref>

Many of the staff rotating through No. 7 PRC were billeted in the hotels in the centre of Harrogate. The hotels were requisitioned by the [[Air Ministry]] in anticipation of [[London]] being bombed in the early days of the Second World War. This cluster of Hotels were also commonly referred to as RAF Harrogate by the aircrew and local people.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bamford|first1=Joe|title=The Salford Lancaster; the fate of 106 Squadron's PB304|date=1996|publisher=Pen & Sword|location=Barnsley|isbn=0-85052-519-5|page=14|edition=1|chapter=2; The Crew}}</ref> One of the largest contingents was over 700 aircrew billeted at The Queen Hotel in Harrogate, which was handed back in 1946 (the [[Crown Hotel, Harrogate|Crown Hotel]] in Harrogate was not de-requisitioned for war purposes until 1958).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Neesam|first1=Malcolm|title=Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam's Our Heritage: Cedar Court hotel|url=https://www.northyorkshirenews.com/whats-on/arts/harrogate-historian-malcolm-neesam-s-our-heritage-cedar-court-hotel-1-4831516|accessdate=23 November 2017|work=www.northyorkshirenews.com|date=16 August 2012}}</ref>

WAAF recruit training would be held at RAF Harrogate between May 1940 and August 1941. It was named just WAAF Depot until January 1941 when it was renamed No. 1 WAAF Depot.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stations-H|url=https://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-H.htm#Harrogate|website=www.rafweb.org|accessdate=23 November 2017}}</ref> WAAF recruits were also billeted in hotels in the town and were drilled outside the hotels rather than back at the headquarters site.{{sfn|Escott|1989|p=123}} Recruit training intakes officially ended in May 1941, and training was transferred to [[RAF Bridgnorth]] in [[Shropshire]], but training there did not come on stream officially until September of the same year.{{sfn|Escott|1989|page=131}}

After the Second World War, No.7 PRC Moved to [[Market Harborough]] in [[Leicestershire]] in December 1945.<ref>{{cite web|title=7 Personnel Reception Centre. Formed at Harrogate (UK) in March 1942. Moved to Market...|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160644|website=discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk|accessdate=23 November 2017}}</ref> The medical training establishment continued to 1946<ref>{{cite web|title=Operational Training Unit: Medical Training Establishment and Depot, Halton, Harrogate,...|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100422|website=discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk|accessdate=24 November 2017}}</ref> and the rest of the site continued as part of the supply chain under various names (RAF Harrogate, MoD Harrogate, Support Management Group) but was most often referred to as MoD Harrogate<ref name=":HAN:">{{cite web|last1=Banks|first1=Robert|title=MoD Establishment (Harrogate) (Hansard, 22 May 1992)|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1992/may/22/mod-establishment-harrogate|website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|accessdate=23 November 2017|date=22 May 1992}}</ref> with a name change to RAF Harrogate in 1992 when its responsibility was being wound down and staff and processes were being transferred to [[RAF Wyton]] in Cambridgeshire. At the time of its closure, RAF Harrogate had over 1,200 civilian staff and over 300 military staff working at the site.<ref name=":HAN:" /> The responsibilities of RAF Harrogate were transferred to the new [[RAF Support Command|Support Command]] at [[RAF Brampton]] on 1 April 1994.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bellamy|first1=Christopher|title=RAF changes will create two new command units|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/raf-changes-will-create-two-new-command-units-1540405.html|accessdate=23 November 2017|work=The Independent|date=15 August 1992}}</ref>

==Notable people== The list below contains details of those well-known people who were posted to, or dealt with by RAF Harrogate. *[[Michael Beetham|Sir Michael Beetham]] - longest serving [[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Air Staff]] of the RAF, attended No. 7 PRC in 1943 after flying training in [[America]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Jacobs|first=Peter|title=Stay the distance : the life and times of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham|date=2011|publisher=Frontline Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84832-552-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/staydistancelife0000jaco/page/20 20]|chapter=2; Bomber Pilot|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/staydistancelife0000jaco/page/20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Probert|first1=Henry|title=High commanders of the Royal Air Force|date=1991|publisher=H.M.S.O.|location=London|isbn=0-11-772635-4|page=88|edition=1}}</ref> *[[Haynes Manual|John Haynes]] - creator of the Haynes Manuals diagrammatic books. Haynes was posted to RAF Harrogate as a supply officer after serving at [[RAF Aden]], where he had undertaken his first strip down and photographic process.<ref>{{cite news |title=John Haynes Obituary|editor-last=Witherow|editor-first=John |work=The Times |issue=72770 |date=14 February 2019 |page=55|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> *[[Johnnie Johnson (cricketer)|Air-Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson]] - was in command at MoD/RAF Harrogate in the 1960s<ref>{{cite news|title=Air Vice-Marshal 'Johnnie' Johnson|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/air-force-obituaries/5562130/Air-Vice-Marshal-Johnnie-Johnson.html|accessdate=23 November 2017|work=The Telegraph|date=17 June 2009}}</ref> *[[Noor Inayat Khan]] - went through her WAAF training at RAF Harrogate before being posted to Balloon Command<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jacobs|first1=Peter|title=The RAF in 100 Objects|date=2017|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud|isbn=978-0-7509-6536-1|page=159}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

===Sources=== *{{cite book|last=Escott|first=Beryl|title=Women in Air Force Blue|year=1989|publisher=Patrick Stephens|location=Wellingborough|isbn=1-85260-066-7}} {{RAF stations in Yorkshire}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrogate, RAF}} [[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire]] [[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Military history of North Yorkshire]] [[Category:Harrogate|RAF]] [[Category:Military installations established in 1940]] [[Category:Military installations closed in 1994]]