RAF Sydenham explained

RAF Sydenham RAF Belfast RNAS Belfast RNAY Belfast HMS Gadwell HMS Gannet III
Location:	Belfast, County Antrim
Country:	Northern Ireland
Type:	Royal Air Force station
Pushpin Map:	Northern Ireland#UK
Pushpin Label:	RAF Sydenham
Pushpin Map Caption:	Shown within Northern Ireland
Ownership:	Air Ministry Admiralty
Operator:	Royal Air Force Royal Navy
Controlledby:	RAF Flying Training Command Fleet Air Arm
Used:	1939-
Battles:	European theatre of World War II Cold War
Elevation:	1m (03feet)
R1-Number:	04/22
R1-Surface:	Asphalt
R2-Number:	00/00
R2-Surface:	Concrete

Royal Air Force Sydenham or more simply RAF Sydenham is a former Royal Air Force station in Northern Ireland. In the 1970s it was the main servicing base for Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft, employing 650 civilian workers.^[1]

History

The following units were posted here at some point:^[2]

Royal Air Force

• No. 88 Squadron RAF
• No. 226 Squadron RAF

Units

• No. 3 Civilian Fighter Control Co-operation Unit RAF (March 1957 – June 1958)
• Detachment of No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF (1943)
• No. 8 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA (March 1941 – May 1942) became No. 8 Ferry Pool ATA (May 1942 – August 1945)
• No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF
• No. 23 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (September 1939)
• No. 24 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (January – September 1939) became No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (September 1939 – February 1942)
• No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF (June 1940 & February – April 1941) became No. 31 Wing RAF (April – June 1941)
• No. 79 Wing Calibration Flight RAF
• No. 203 Gliding School RAF (September 1949 – November 1952)
• Detachment of No. 1480 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (September 1942)
• No. 1494 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (April 1942 – April 1943)
• Belfast University Air Squadron (January – May 1941) became Queens University Air Squadron (May 1941 – December 1945 & March 1947 – January 1992)
• RAF Northern Ireland Communication Flight RAF (October 1940 – October 1942 & December 1945 – December 1946)

Current use

The site is now George Best Belfast City Airport.

References

Bibliography

• Book: Sturtivant. R. Hamlin. J. Halley. J. Royal Air Force flying training and support units . 1997 . Air-Britain (Historians). UK. 0-85130-252-1.

External links

• Northern Ireland base closes, Flight International, 15 April 1978, v. 113, no. 3604, p. 1035.

Notes and References

1. Northern Ireland Committee of Irish Congress of Trade Unions, "The Defence Stations in Northern Ireland: The Case for Retention", March 1976
2. Web site: Sydenham (Belfast City) (George Best Belfast City). Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. 15 February 2015.