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Royal Air Force Dishforth or more simply RAF Dishforth is a former Royal Air Force station near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, England. Opened in 1936, the base was used as a bomber airfield during the Second World War with both British and Canadian squadrons flying missions from the airfield. After the war, the base was used by various squadrons and training units before being disposed of in 1992 and handed over to the Army Air Corps.
The first squadrons to arrive were No. 10 Sqn in January 1937, who immediately transferred from Handley Page Heyford aircraft to Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk 1 aircraft, and in February, No. 78 Sqn arrived, also with Heyfords, and were re-equipped with Whitleys in July of that same year. It was the dispersals across the A1 road that the Whitleys of No. 78 Sqn were stored, with barriers having to be placed across the carriageway to allow the aircraft to move back and forth.
When the Second World War started, No. 10 Sqn were engaged in leaflet dropping over Europe (known as Nickel raids, or Nickelling), whilst No. 78 Sqn in the pre-war period had been used to assimilate new crews fresh from training. At this time, the base was under the command of No. 4 Group, and whilst some bombing raids did take place, the squadrons were mostly engaged in leaflet dropping, including one raid over Berlin which was a round trip. In December 1939, No. 78 Squadron were sent to Linton-on-Ouse, and No. 51 Sqn moved in from Linton. Both No. 10 and No. 78 Sqns were used on bombing raids in the early part of 1940 with sorties over Norway and over the Ruhr.
In July 1940, No. 10 Sqn were transferred to RAF Leeming when it was opened, with an administrative detachment from No. 78 Sqn sent to Leeming as well to get the base up and running. Dishforth was used by several squadrons from RAF Leeming during early 1941 for '"bombing-up purposes", as the airfield at Leeming was in the process of being concreted. Later in 1940, No. 78 Sqn returned from Leeming, with No. 10 Sqn being posted out of Dishforth for Leeming, leaving No. 51 and No. 78 Sqns at Dishforth.
In February 1941, Whitleys from both squadrons took part in Operation Colossus, a commando raid on aqueducts in southern Italy. (2025). 9781784383787, Pen & Sword. ISBN 9781784383787 The RAF at that time did not have any suitable aircraft to transport troops over such a long-distance, however, the range of the Whitleys, and their ventral (side) gun turret, which was easily adapted into a jumping position for troops, made it ideal for the task. No. 12 (Blind Approach Training) Flight (later to become No. 1512 (Beam Approach Training) Flight) was formed at Dishforth in September 1941, flying .
In April 1941, No. 78 Sqn was posted to RAF Middleton St George, leaving No. 51 Sqn as the only occupant. In the almost three-year tour that 51 Sqn performed at Dishforth, they flew 1,806 sorties, and lost 50 aircraft (an attrition rate of 2.8%). In early 1942, the Whitleys of 51 Sqn took part in raid on a radar installation in Bruneval, and in Operation Chariot, the raid on St. Nazaire. In June 1942, the first of the Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons, No. 425 (Alouette), was formed with Vickers Wellington aircraft. The squadron set about training and carried out their first raid on the night of the 5 and 6 October. In the same month as No. 425 were undertaking their first operational missions, No. 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron was formed up at Dishforth, becoming operational in January 1943.
In January 1943, Dishforth, along with ten other RAF airfields, was handed over from the RAF to the Royal Canadian Air Force (No. 4 Group RAF to No. 6 Group RCAF. Operations were concentrated at Leeming, Linton-on-Ouse and Middleton St George, with substations and the training bases being RAF Topcliffe, Wombleton, Dalton and Dishforth, which had No. 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit. Both Canadian squadrons moved out of Dishforth in 1943; 425 in May and 426 in June respectively, which allowed for the runway to be upgraded. The RCAF kept Dishforth as the training arm for its bomber squadrons and when the upgrade was complete in November 1943, No. 1664 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) was allocated to the base.
In November 1944, the base was transferred into No. 7 Group, which had a responsibility for all the HCU stations. (1975). 9780117715929, H.M.S.O. ISBN 9780117715929 With hostilities in Europe at an end, the base was transferred again to RAF Transport Command, and continued with its training role. In November 1945, No. 1332 (Transport) Heavy Conversion Unit arrived from RAF Riccall, taking over training for long-haul transport routes and taking the aircraft form the existing HCUs at Dishforth.
300 police personnel a year trained on 14-week courses. Times Thursday October 6 1983, page 2 In December 1979, it was looking at possible closure, Ripon Gazette Friday 7 December 1979, page 14 or to be privatised in the early 1980s, or again closure in 1985. In August 1985 it was decided to close the site, Ripon Gazette Friday 16 August 1985, page 1 being closed by 1986. Ripon Gazette Friday 26 September 1986, page 3
During the 1985 miners' strike, six miners retrained as police, at the college. It took police personnel north of Nottinghamshire. Times Saturday February 16 1985, page 2
| + !Squadron/Unit !Dates !Posted from !Posted to !Notes !Ref | |||||
| No. 4 Group Practice Flight | July – September 1937 | ||||
| No. 6 Group Communication Flight | December 1942 – July 1945 | Reformed and disbanded at Dishforth | |||
| No. 10 Sqn | January 1937 – July 1940 | RAF Boscombe Down | RAF Leeming | ||
| No. 12 (BAT) Flight | September – October 1941 | Formed and disbanded at Dishforth | |||
| No. 30 Sqn | April 1953 – November 1959 | RAF Benson | RAF Eastleigh | ||
| No. 47 Sqn | September 1948 – August 1949 | RAF Fairford | RAF Topcliffe | ||
| No. 51 Sqn | December 1939 – October 1942 | RAF Linton-on-Ouse | RAF Snaith | ||
| No. 78 Sqn | February 1937 – December 1939 | RAF Boscombe Down | RAF Linton-on-Ouse | ||
| No. 78 Sqn | July 1940 – April 1941 | RAF Linton-on-Ouse | RAF Middleton St George | ||
| No. 215 Sqn | April 1954 – September 1958 | Reformed and disbanded at Dishforth (to become No. 230 Sqn) | |||
| No. 230 Sqn | September 1958 – November 1958 | RAF Nicosia | Formed at Dishforth | ||
| No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit | April 1951 – January 1962 | RAF Thorney Island | Formed at Dishforth by merging No. 240 and 241 OCUs | (2025). 9781861267290, Crowood Press. ISBN 9781861267290 | |
| No. 297 Sqn | November 1948 – August 1949 | RAF Fairford | RAF Topcliffe | ||
| No. 425 Squadron | June 1942 – May 1943 | Telergma (North Africa) | Formed at Dishforth | ||
| No. 426 Squadron | October 1942 – June 1943 | RAF Linton-on-Ouse | Formed at Dishforth | ||
| No. 1332 (Transport) Heavy Conversion Unit | November 1945 – January 1948 | RAF Riccall | Disbanded at Dishforth to form No. 241 OCU | ||
| No. 1512 (BAT) Flight | October 1941 – February 1942 | RAF Banff | Formed at Dishforth from No. 12 (BAT) Flight | ||
| No. 1659 Conversion Unit | July 1944 | (2025). 9781844151837, Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 9781844151837 | |||
| No. 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit | December 1943 – April 1955 | RAF Croft | Disbanded at Dishforth |
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