Royal Air Force Ripon (also known as Royal Flying Corps Ripon) was a

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

airfield maintained by the Royal Flying Corps in the city of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. The airfield was home to No. 76 Squadron which was employed on Home Defence (HD) in the United Kingdom. The airfield was created when the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) commandeered the southern half of

Ripon Racecourse Ripon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England and is nicknamed the Garden Racecourse. History Racing on the present site on Boroughbridge Road began on 6 August 1900. but racing has taken plac ...

in 1916. After the end of the First World War, the airfield was returned to horse-racing.

History

In 1916, the southern part of Ripon Racecourse, only south-west of the city of Ripon, was pressed into service as a base for No. 76 Squadron RFC. No. 76 Squadron was employed on Home Defence duties and had individual flights located at Catterick, Copmanthorpe and Helperby, with Ripon acting as the headquarters. Other landing grounds could be used in an emergency ( RAF Manywells Height), though in practice, lesser used locations saw very little activity (if any). As with the other landing grounds in Yorkshire, the site at Ripon was quite compact, covering only with basic facilities. The role of 76 Squadron at the base was in countering any

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

threats from air, most notably the

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

airships that would try bombing runs across the north. In 1917, No. 189 Squadron formed at RFC Ripon as a night training squadron and its stay at the airfield was short (only 5 months) before moving south to Suttons Farm. On 1 April 1918, the Royal Air Force was formed from the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service. RFC Ripon was changed to Royal Air Force Ripon, though this name would only exist for 11 months. No. 76 Squadron moved to Tadcaster in March 1919 and was disbanded there just three months later. The airfield at Ripon was returned to the racecourse owners. Even after this, the portion of the racecourse to the south was used to land civilian flights including Sir Alan Cobham's Circus in the 1920s. The site was re-used during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

as a

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

(PoW) camp. During the Second World War,

RAF Dishforth Royal Air Force Dishforth or more simply RAF Dishforth is a former Royal Air Force station near to Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. Opened in 1936, the base was used as a bomber airfield during the Second World War with both British and Canad ...

, some to the east of Ripon was also commonly known as RAF Ripon due to its proximity to the town, but this was a purely unofficial name. The town also had another civilian airfield, due south of the city, that existed briefly in the 1920s.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ripon, RAF Military units and formations established in 1916

World War I airfields Royal Flying Corps airfields

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

World War I sites in England