Walter Henry Powell World War II

Three-and-a-half miles west south-west of Thirsk, with the A61 Thirsk to Ripon road forming its south-eastern boundary, Skipton-on-Swale was one of the closely-packed bomber stations in the Vale of York. Farmland in the parishes of Skipton-on-Swale and Sand Hutton was acquired for the satellite for Leeming late in 1940. It was originally planned to have 1,400 and 1,100 yard runways but after construction of the perimeter track and 24 pan type hardstandings, much of this work was torn up so that longer runways could be installed. The main runway 04-22 then became 1,900 yards long, the 09-27 1,400 yards and 16-34 1,350 yards. The proximity of the River Swale on the west side caused a rather unusual arrangement of hardstandings and their access lanes. The technical site was on the north-east side and approached from the A167. A T2 and Bl hangar were positioned on the technical site and another T2 on the opposite side of the airfield. The dispersed domestic sites catered for 1,924 males and 166 females. Main contractor was George Wimpey & Co. Ltd.

At first Skipton came under the auspices of No. 4 Group but, earmarked for No. 6, the station received No. 420 Squadron and its Wellingtons when these were transferred from No. 1 Group at Waddington in preparation for joining the planned RCAF group. This was in August 1942 but in mid-October the squadron was moved on to Middleton St George, reputedly because of the incomplete state of Skipton's camp. Not until the following spring was the station again occupied by a flying unit. Officially born at Skipton-on-Swale on May Day 1943, No. 432 Squadron started operations with Wellingtons on the night of the 23rd/24th of that month. In September, No. 432 was moved to East Moor and another RCAF squadron was formed to replace it.

No. 433 Squadron came into being in late September 1943 to fly Halifaxes, being joined in November by No. 424 recently returned from North Africa to re-equip with Halifaxes. No. 433 entered combat on the night of January 2/3, 1944 and No. 424 made its first raid with the Halifax to Berlin on February 15/16. These squadrons were to see out the war at Skipton, converting to Lancasters in January 1945. By the end of hostilities 98 bombers had been lost in operations flown from this station; 21 Wellingtons, 66 Halifaxes and 11 Lancasters.

Following VE-Day, both squadrons remained in Bomber Command until disbanded in mid-October 1945. Although the RAF maintained a housekeeper unit at the airfield for a few months under the auspices of a Maintenance Unit, there was no further use for the base and by the `fifties it was returned to agriculture. Today, parts of the runways remain intact as bases for poultry houses, the greater part of the area having been devoted to poultry farming for the past three decades. Source: http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s94.html