RAF Kirkistown

RAF Kirkistown
HMS Corncrake II
RAF Kirkistown; HMS Corncrake II
Portavogie, County Down in Northern Ireland
	RAF Kirkistown on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1941
	RAF Kirkistown Shown within Northern Ireland RAF Kirkistown RAF Kirkistown (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates	54°27′18″N 005°27′57″W / 54.45500°N 5.46583°W
Type	Royal Air Force satellite station
Code	IK
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry; Admiralty
Operator	Royal Air Force; Royal Navy
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1941-44; RAF Northern Ireland 1944-45; Fleet Air Arm
Site history
Built	1940/41
In use	July 1941 – 1952
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	6 metres (20 ft) AMSL
Runways
00/00	Tarmac
00/00	Tarmac
00/00	Tarmac

Royal Air Force Kirkistown or more simply RAF Kirkistown is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of Ballyhalbert, County Down, Northern Ireland.

It was a satellite to the RAF Fighter Command airfield at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula.

History

RAF Ballyhalbert opened officially on 28 June 1941 and the Kirkistown satellite airfield opened in July 1941. On 22 January 1942, No. 504 Squadron RAF moved to Kirkistown.^[2] In 1945, Ballyhalbert Airfield was designated a Royal Naval Air Station as "H.M.S. Corncrake", and Kirkistown Airfield was known as "H.M.S. Corncrake II".^[3] The following units were here at some point:^[4]

No. 485 Squadron RNZAF (1942)^[5]
No. 1493 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (April – May 1942) became No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF (May – November 1942)^[6]
No. 2898 Squadron RAF Regiment
No. 4117 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment

Naval Units

Current use

Today the site is home to Kirkistown Circuit, a regular venue for car and motorcycle races. The circuit utilises the northern parts of the former air base's runways and perimeter roadways.^{[citation needed]}

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b Falconer 2012, p. 122.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 95.
^ "Kirkistown". Ballyhalbert Airfield. A Brief Chronology. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
^ "Kirkistown". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.

Bibliography

Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.