RAF Patrington
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RAF Patrington (or Royal Air Force Patrington), was a
Ground-controlled interception Ground-controlled interception (GCI) is an air defence tactic whereby one or more radar stations or other observational stations are linked to a command communications centre which guides interceptor aircraft to an airborne target. This tactic wa ...
(GCI) station of the Royal Air Force in the
East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
, England. The base was operational during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but was replaced by RAF Holmpton during the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, although Patrington's domestic site remained open until the mid-1970s to house personnel for Holmpton. Some of the buildings of the old technical site survive abandoned near to Patrington Haven, but the domestic site has had a holiday park built upon it.


History

The site was opened in January 1942 as Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) station number 09G, staffed by technicians from No. 73 Signals Wing, part of No. 60 Group RAF. The main building on the technical site was known as the ''Happidrome'', which was used as the Northern Sector Operations Centre (SOC) between 1947 and 1953, until the SOC at RAF Shipton was opened. Domestic accommodation was opened at Patrington Haven in the early 1950s which remained until 1975 and the combined RAF Patrington locations covered an area of . The houses were later sold, but the barrack blocks were demolished and replaced with a holiday site. In October 1952, during Exercise Ardent, 100 paratroopers were dropped in East Yorkshire to simulate an attack on a Sector Operations Centre (SOC), with Patrington being chosen as the target. At the same time, Patrington was being used as a reporting centre for a
Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
helicopter (SAR) which was based out of
RAF Linton-on-Ouse Royal Air Force Linton-on-Ouse or more simply RAF Linton-on-Ouse is a former Royal Air Force station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (Brit ...
. It would continue to have a helicopter role when a
Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning . Species of otherwise unrelated trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', a ...
from No. 275 Sqn was outbased at Patrington during 1953 and 1954. During the early 1950s, controllers of the
Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is ...
surface to air ''Surface To Air'' is the second full-length album by Zombi. It was released in the United States by Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matt ...
(SAM) missile programme were outbased at Patrington. During this time, the staff at weekends were drawn from the RAuxAF Fighter Control Units, No. 3609 (West Riding) Squadron being a large supplier of auxiliary workers at the site. The original site at Patrington was due to be upgraded to have a new bunker under the
ROTOR ROTOR was an elaborate air defence radar system built by the British Government in the early 1950s to counter possible attack by Soviet bombers. To get it operational as quickly as possible, it was initially made up primarily of WWII-era syst ...
programme, but the geological conditions at the site were found to be unsuitable, as it was land reclaimed from the
Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...
. So the radar site at Easington on the East Riding coast was closed, and a new bunker was built at Holmpton some distant from Patrington technical site eastwards.


Chronology

*1942 – sites opens as a GCI at TA297203 *1951 – Domestic site opens at TA302212 *1953–1954 – Underground bunker site opens at TA366288 as RAF Holmpton *1955 – Technical site at Patrington closes *1958 – The domestic site at Patrington, and the technical site at Holmpton become known as ''RAF Patrington'' *1975 – Domestic site at Patrington closes, the bunker site reverts to being called RAF Holmpton *1984 – The domestic site is auctioned off by the
MoD Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US * ...


Post closure

Since it was sold off in the 1980s, the domestic site now hosts a holiday park. In 2013, a memorial sculpture was unveiled on the holiday site. The original buildings at the Patrington Second World War site are still there, including the ''Happidrome''.


Notable personnel

* Geoffrey Cooper, former officer commanding in 1971 *
Ted Hughes Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He wa ...
– Hughes served as a ground wireless mechanic at the site between 1949 and 1952. *
Alan Rawlinson Alan Charles Rawlinson, (31 July 1918 – 27 August 2007) was an Australian airman who became a fighter ace in World War II. He was credited with at least eight aerial victories, as well as two aircraft probably destroyed, and a ...
, former officer commanding in 1958


Notes


References


Sources

*


External links


Images of the derelict technical site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrington Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom Military history of the East Riding of Yorkshire