RAF Marston Moor

RAF Marston Moor
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Tockwith
Coordinates	53°57′42″N 001°18′16″W / 53.96167°N 1.30444°W
Map
RAF Marston Moor Location in North Yorkshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 00/00 0 0 Concrete 00/00 0 0 Concrete 00/00 0 0 Concrete

RAF Marston Moor was a Royal Air Force airfield at Tockwith, North Yorkshire, during the Second World War. It was originally called RAF Tockwith, but confusion with RAF Topcliffe lead to the name change.^[1][2]

RAF Marston Moor and RAF Church Fenton were the closest airfields to West Yorkshire and would act as a defence should Leeds be attacked. As it happens Leeds was seldom bombed.

Close by in West Yorkshire was HMS Ceres in Wetherby. This was an inland naval base.

In 1943, Group Captain Leonard Cheshire was the Station Commander.

Marston Moor was also in control of RAF Rufforth and RAF Riccall.^[1]

During the war, American actor Clark Gable was stationed at the airfield before being relocated to RAF Polebrook.

Based units

165 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) using the Handley Page Halifax.^[3]

1652 HCU also with the Halifax between January 1942 and June 1945.^[2]

1665 HCU from RAF Saltby with Halifaxes and the Short Stirling before moving to RAF Linton-on-Ouse.^[3]

No. 268 Maintenance Unit RAF between 1945 and 1949.^[3]

Current use

It is now known as Tockwith Airfield and the runways are used for driving tuition. Former buildings are now part of a business park.^[2] The village of Tockwith has expanded onto the airfield with the eastern side and main section of one runway now dissolved by housing.^[3]

References

1. "RAF Marston Moor". Atlantik Wall. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
2. "RAF Marston Moor". The Wartime Memories Project. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
3. "RAF Marston Moor". Control Towers. Retrieved 8 April 2012.

Location grid

External links

• The Wartime Memories Project - RAF Marston Moor, Tockwith

Coordinates: 53°57′43″N 1°18′16″W / 53.9619°N 1.3045°W