Typical RCAF Bomber Station

For a book project I want to describe the typical organization of a RCAF Bomber Station.

Finally, which units were running an airfield between 1943 and 1945 ? Was it a global unit to run the airfield or different small units under a Base Commander ?
Like :
* Grnd-to-Air defence
* Airfield Guards
* Bomb store & Ammo handling
* Ctrl TWR
* Mx (aircraft / buildings/RWY-TWY lighting, etc…)
* Kitchen
* MT
* Firebrigade
* Medical
* Fueling
* Oxygen
Etc…

Also :
• Regional Bomb & fuel depots (> RCAF airfields were NOT connected to the pipeline !)
- - - - Where were they for 6 RCAF Grp ?
• RWY/TWY/obstacle lighting

Your help/suggestions will be much appreciated !

Thank you

Also :
• Regional Bomb & fuel depots (> RCAF airfields were NOT connected to the pipeline !)
- - - - Where were they for 6 RCAF Grp ?

FUEL

BILTON just NE of Harrogate was an Aviation Fuel Distribution Depot and appears to have supplied those airfields in Yorkshire that were operated by the RCAF.

wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=5...grat=UK10&rgrat=None

MUNITIONS

Each operational bomber airfield had its own on-airfield bomb store holding sufficient amounts to support several days missions. The nearest ammunition depot was FAD Brafferton (Forward Ammunition Depot) and it is recorded as supplying most airfields in southern Yorkshire.

wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=5...grat=UK10&rgrat=None

Thank you Peter,

Ordnance was stored in the woods surrounding Kiplin Hall.
Oxygen was stored and processed at Cundall.

I read somewhere that there was also an ammo depot at Kiplin Hall and manned by 224 MU ????

Does somebody have plans of Kiplin Hall and Cundall ??

Nice Sunday !

I went thru the Forum and found some more info about

Ammo Depots

Carnaby said on 10.1.2011 :

Massive increases in explosive storage demanded new sites. There was a main sub-site a few miles away at Pilmoor.

This Air Ammunition Park No.2 (Brefferton) was formed 1 October 1939 to serve all airfields 'in the north'. It then became 92MU and then in 1941 was termed Forward Ammunition Depot with a capacity of 10,000 tons.

More info about Pilmoor (plan?) ?


Petertheeater said on .16.03.2010

The depot (Kiplin) was re-numbered as 224 M.U. and designated a Forward Ammunition Depot (FAD) in Autumn 1942 with a capacity of 2000 tons.
Airfields at Leeming, Croft and Middleton St George now became customers.
Main storage was on the surface in woods directly to the NE of Kiplin Hall - used as HQ and accommodation - and bombs were in spaced stacks alongside temporary roads. Hodber Hill Plantation and nearby roads were also used as storage when capacity was increased.
The depot closed late 1944 and stocks were moved to Scorton airfield.

---

Oxygen

Carnaby said on 12.10.2009 :

Prior to 1943 FADs would normally receive deliveries of oxygen from British Oxygen Company for delivery to the airfields, but again with rapidly increasing demands many units were equipped with Kentford plants which enabled them to manufacture their own supply. This scheme began in April 1943, the first units being supplied to 202MU Longparish, 36MU Newdigate, 92MU Brafferton, 233MU Market Stainton, 231MU Hockering, 98MU Mawcarse and 96MU Eynsham.

---

Fuel

What was de capacity of Bilton Aviation Advanced Fuel Depot. Did it have a sub-site ?

Bilton was an Aviation Fuel Distribution Depot (AFDD), capacity 6,500 tons (two 2,000 ton D1 and five 500-ton C2 tanks)

www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/f...gate-starbeck#148599

This book has many stories about the northern bomber bases, including an aerial view of Middleton St George, plus photos from other RCAF stations. Available cheap.
We did have a thread on Pilmoor, (I placed a photo in it) but it got deleted.

Graham,

I will order a copy of "To Shatter the Sky: Bomber Airfield at War" ! Found one for 7€ P&P incl

Concerning the different "ground units" at a bomber station, do you think that the ORB's are giving the answer ???

olympusman on 04 FEB 18 asked:

More info about Pilmoor (plan?) ?

The wooded area known as Pilmoor is located here to the NE of Brafferton main site:

wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=5...grat=UK10&rgrat=None

Pilmoor was taken over as a sub-site to increase the storage capacity of the MU necessary to meet increased demands from airfields. some Nissen huts were provided for personnel and storage of weather sensitive munitions such as pyrotechnics and ammunition but bomb storage was on 'hardstands' spaced along 'rides' in the wood. The name given to the site 'PILMOOR' is misleading since the wood that I have plotted is East Wood through which the railway line from Brafferton Station ran in a curve from the west to the north joining up with the main soth/north line at Pilmoor Junction. The doubt that I have is that old maps show no 'rides' within East Wood before or after WW2 whereas the woods to the east over the mainline railway do have rides. An advantage of East Wood was a pre-existing railway spur/siding which served the timber yard and could provide a convenient receipt and dispatch for stocks.

What appears to be a Picket Hut (Temporary Brick) is extant alongside the road here and was, probably, a control point for the sub-site:

wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=5...grat=UK10&rgrat=None

Regarding KIPLIN, its capacity was sufficient only to serve some north Yorks airfields and Brafferton served a majority in the south.

This 1920 map shows the railway connections including the spur into the timber yard:

olympusman wrote:

Ordnance was stored in the woods surrounding Kiplin Hall. Oxygen was stored and processed at Cundall.

Does somebody have plans of Kiplin Hall and Cundall ??

Kiplin plan here, post 23
www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/w...-224-mu-fad?start=20

I suspect Cundall was just a large shed near the road containing the O2 equipment and limited storage. I thought I'd located the site decades ago but can't remember exactly where.

Graham
Ref the Kiplin plan and references 5 - 6 - A - B, what means SAA ?

olympusman wrote:

Ref the Kiplin plan and references 5 - 6 - A - B, what means SAA ?

Small Arms Ammunition .