RAF Jurby

Royal Air Force Station Jurby
Located Near Jurby, Isle of Man

RAF Jurby station crest
Type Disestablished Military Airfield
Coordinates
Location code AP
Built 1939
In use 1939-1972
Demolished 1972
Current
condition
Part usable, Control tower, hangars and other buildings still stand. Runways still extant. Used as racing circuit, karting track and site of Isle of Man prison.
Current
owner
Isle of Man Government
Controlled by Royal Air Force
Garrison RAF Flying Training Command
Occupants No 5 Armament Training Station
No 5 Air Observer School,
No 5 Bombing & Gunnery School
No 1 Directorate of Initial Officer Training
Battles/wars European Theatre of World War II
Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945

Royal Air Force Station Jurby was a former RAF station built in the north west of the Isle of Man. It was opened in 1939 on 400 acres (1.6 km2) of land acquired by the Air Ministry in 1937, under the control of No. 29 Group, RAF. During World War II the station was used for training as No 5 Armament Training Station, No 5 Air Observer School, No 5 Bombing & Gunnery School, and the Air Navigation & Bombing School, in addition to a variety of operational squadrons.[1]

Jurby was originally a grass airfield but was later equipped with hard runways. Operationally it helped protect Belfast and Liverpool from German air raids. RAF Jurby closed in 1963.

The main East/West runway is bisected by a road, from when the runway was extended. As the existing road was in the way, the runway was extended over it. To facilitate its use, barriers were placed across the road and the road was closed whilst the runway was in use.

During the 1950s and 60s the No. 1 Directorate of Initial Officer Training (DIOT) was based at RAF Jurby, jokingly referred to by the trainee cadets as the "Camp on Blood Island".

Contents

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Timeline

09/39 to 02/44, No 5 Bombing and Gunnery School with Battle, Blenheim and Wallace aircraft.

07/41, Renamed No 5 Air Observer School, with Anson, Henley and Hampdens. 307 Sqn Defiants here autumn 1940.

01/41 to 03/42, 258, 302 and 312 Sqns with Hurricanes.

08/41 to 03/42, 457 Sqn with Spitfires, these were also detached to Andreas.

02/44 to 09/46, Air Navigation and Bombing School with Ansons and Wellingtons. 5/45, Renamed No 5 Air Navigation School, moved to Topcliffe.

09/46 to 10/47, No 11 Air Gunnery School from Andreas. Airfield then on care and maintenance.

04/50 to 07/53, No 1 Initial Training School.

09/53 to 09/63, Officer Cadet Training Unit from Millom.

02/64 to /72, After RAF closure used as a diversion airfield for Ronaldsway.

Today

The airfield is in part still usable. Many of its original buildings can still be seen, including the Control Tower, some hangars and the increasingly rare timber buildings which date back to 1939.

Being government owned it is used for an airshow every year. It now has mixed purposes as storage, a racing circuit, karting track and now the new Isle of Man Prison. Development of the village of Jurby has also encroached on to parts of the airfield.

See also

References

External links