Typical RCAF Bomber Station

Small Arms Ammunition in RAF parlance included all calibres of gun ammunition from 0.22 inch up to and including 20 mm. \the main turnover, resulting in high stock levels, was 0.303 inch ammo of various types used in aircraft guns and 20 mm also for installed aircraft guns. Of course, these same calibres were also used in Ground Defence weapons but the turnover was low.

It was usual to stack SAA boxed on hardstanding spaced between HE Bomb stacks since they represented low risk but 20 mm HE Ammunition was classed as 'Special HE' due to the explosive content and was stored separately.

Turnover of 0.303 inch ammo was so high at times that trucks (lorries) from user airfields collected it from the Filling Factory production lines directly. Typical stock levels at FADs ran into millions of rounds.

The main production factories for 0.303 inch were Swynerrton (Staffs) and Radway Green (Cheshire) they filled cartridge cases produced by Engineering ROFs, added Primers and Bullets to produce the finished round. Packaging varied but in all cases the inner linner was hermetically sealed with a soft-soldered 'rear-open' strip enabling the boxes to be stored in the open but with tarpaulin rain cover,

Thks David & Peter.
I now have a better view on the ammo and fueldepots favor 6 RCAF Bomber Group.

Do you have an idea where to find for information concerning all non squadron units involved in the organization/running of a bomber airfield ? Especially Middleton-St-George as I would like to describe this field for a book project. 419Sqn alone had about 25% of all the RCAF bomber crashes in Belgium ! Reason I focussing on MSG.

olympusman wrote:

Do you have an idea where to find for information concerning all non squadron units involved in the organization/running of a bomber airfield ? Especially Middleton-St-George as I would like to describe this field for a book project. 419Sqn alone had about 25% of all the RCAF bomber crashes in Belgium ! Reason I focussing on MSG.

Three sources I would recommend are firstly the website www.419squadron.com which is compiled by Dan Logan . Well detailed and illustrated it is a labour of love for Dan and well worth a visit .

Secondly the book 'Goosepool : The History of RAF and RCAF Middleton St George and Teesside Airport by Stanley D Howes . Self published in 2003 and selling for £30 this is a very weighty volume , well illustrated and compiled in diary form from the stations beginning up to , unsurprisingly 2003 . The wartime and post-war RAF sections have been compiled using the station and unit ORB's and are very detailed , even when there is nothing happening on base ! I have just weighed my copy and it is 2.3 Kgs ! Recommended .

Lastly another book but one which might put the mockers on your idea is 'Into The Night Sky : RAF Middleton St George : A Bomber Airfield At War by Paul Tweddle , Sutton Publishing , 2007 , ISBN 978-0-7509-4596-7 , £25 . I found the text heavy going at times and sparsely illustrated but it does include detail of off-station and off-duty activity in the local area .

David,
Thanks for the references !
The book of Stanley Holmes is only available second hand unless you have another (cheeper) source ?
I recently bought and read Paul Tweddle's good book.
I have contacts with Dan Logan

Air Ministry Supply Depots

Britain was split into six areas regarding their general supplies. Principal in each area was an Aircraft Equipment Depot, AED (previously known as Universal EDs). These were massive units, each with a number of local subsites and were situated in the western part of England making access from enemy bombers difficult.

The northern bomber bases were supplied from the AED at Heywood, No.35MU, north of Manchester.
www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/l...d-35-mu?limitstart=0

(Bases north of the line joining Workington in the west to Hartlepool on the east coast were fed from the Carlisle. Those south of the line approx Caernarfon on the Welsh coast to Boston near the east coast were supplied by No.61 MU Handforth just south of Manchester.)

In addition each area had a Barrack and Clothing Depot. Heywood's was 230 MU Wakefield (previously 'T' MU). That unit had its HQ at Providence House, Westgate. It needs researching properly.

There was also a forward depot known as an Equipment Park, and Heywood's one, appropriate to the RCAF bases, was 87MU at York. This was situated principally at Ben Johnson's printing works, Boroughbridge Road. I think this was HERE until relatively recently) GE shows a large factory in 2002, gone by 2005.

www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/history/144..._s___RR_Donnelley_s/

Source: AP3397/CD1131 Maintenance. Air Historical Branch

Aircraft replacements would come from an Aircraft Storage Unit, dealing with appropriate aircraft. they would be flown in via a civilian Ferry Pilot. The ASUs were airfield maintenence units again located in the west of the UK for security.

48MU Hawarden was probably the nearest, but I'm not sure which aircraft it specialised in.

Thanks Graham. Indeed all depots "feeding" Middleton-St-George are welcome !

I am also looking for the RWY, TWY, APP lighting and especially the Midleton-St-George as this one will be my "study case" of the 11 canadian bomber fields. Of the RCAF 85 crashes in Belgium, about 15% (and not 25% as mentioned in a previous msg but still the highest rate of losses in belgium... !) are from 419Sqn, based MSG.

This airfield will have an important place in my project.

Most studies are focussing on crew & aircraft. Ground-staff and infrastructures put aside. Without them, no bomber can fullfill his mission...

Graham,

What type of RWY, TWY, APP lighting were installed favor the RCAF airfields and especially Middleton-St-George ?

Just ended the reading of the book you suggested... interesting !

Looking now for a copy of the MSG book "Goosepool..."

Thks

Thierry

olympusman wrote:

What type of RWY, TWY, APP lighting were installed favor the RCAF airfields and especially Middleton-St-George ?

Runway Contact Lighting was fitted initially at Dalton, Linton and Middleton.
It was later intended (and probably installed) at Leeming and Topcliffe.

All stations had full Drem Mk.II Airfield Lighting, except Dishforth which theoretically was Mk.I, though I suspect it may have been upgraded

In the early days of WWII Standard Beam Approach was provided at Croft, Dalton, Leeming, Linton, Middleton-s-G, Topcliffe and Wombleton. It was later removed from Croft and Dalton. It was intended for Tholthorpe, but not completed. Middleton’s was at some point converted to the low-power version. Dishforth and Skipton were deemed unsuitable sites.

The superior LUCERO radar landing system was installed at all 6 Group stations.

Plenty on these systems in the forum, e.g:
www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/a...-abbreviations#17066

Interesting on the MSG airfield plan are the "Arrester Gear System" positions.
Where they ever used ?

Was it this system ? www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/a...rester-gear?start=10
Were they installed above ground or underground ?

Thks

olympusman wrote:

Interesting on the MSG airfield plan are the "Arrester Gear System" positions.
Where they ever used ?

Was it this system ? www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk/forum/a...rester-gear?start=10
Were they installed above ground or underground ?

Thks

Not sure if you have seen the BFA 1946 images of MSG, you should be able to see where the arrester was britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW001001

I put this onto the MSG thread screen shot of the gear or at least where is should be?