RAF Sydenham

Former Royal Air Force station in County Antrim, Northern Ireland (1939–1970)

Royal Air Force Sydenham or more simply RAF Sydenham is a former Royal Air Force station in Northern Ireland. In the 1970s it was the main servicing base for Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft, employing 650 civilian workers.^[1]

History

The following units were posted here at some point:^[2]

Royal Navy

• 702 Naval Air Squadron
• 706 Naval Air Squadron
• 721 Naval Air Squadron
• 800 Naval Air Squadron
• 804 Naval Air Squadron
• 807 Naval Air Squadron
• 808 Naval Air Squadron
• 811 Naval Air Squadron
• 812 Naval Air Squadron
• 815 Naval Air Squadron
• 818 Naval Air Squadron
• 819 Naval Air Squadron
• 822 Naval Air Squadron
• 825 Naval Air Squadron
• 826 Naval Air Squadron
• 827 Naval Air Squadron
• 836 Naval Air Squadron
• 836M Flight
• 838 Naval Air Squadron
• 842 Naval Air Squadron
• 845 Naval Air Squadron
• 848 Naval Air Squadron
• 849 Naval Air Squadron
• 857 Naval Air Squadron
• 881 Naval Air Squadron
• 882 Naval Air Squadron
• 885 Naval Air Squadron
• 886 Naval Air Squadron
• 887 Naval Air Squadron
• 888 Naval Air Squadron
• 889 Naval Air Squadron
• 891 Naval Air Squadron
• 899 Naval Air Squadron
• 1772 Naval Air Squadron
• 1790 Naval Air Squadron
• 1830 Naval Air Squadron
• 1831 Naval Air Squadron
• 1833 Naval Air Squadron
• 1835 Naval Air Squadron
• 1836 Naval Air Squadron
• 1843 Naval Air Squadron
• 1850 Naval Air Squadron
• 1851 Naval Air Squadron
• 1852 Naval Air Squadron
• 870 Squadron RCN (VF-870)

Royal Air Force

• No. 88 Squadron RAF
• No. 226 Squadron RAF

Units

• No. 3 Civilian Fighter Control Co-operation Unit RAF (March 1957 – June 1958)^[3]
• Detachment of No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF (1943)^[4]
• No. 8 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA (March 1941 – May 1942) became No. 8 Ferry Pool ATA (May 1942 – August 1945)^[5]
• No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF
• No. 23 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (September 1939)^[6]
• No. 24 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (January – September 1939)^[6] became No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School RAF (September 1939 – February 1942)^[7]
• No. 75 (Bomber) Wing RAF (June 1940 & February – April 1941)^[8] became No. 31 Wing RAF (April – June 1941)^[9]
• No. 79 Wing Calibration Flight RAF
• No. 203 Gliding School RAF (September 1949 – November 1952)^[10]
• Detachment of No. 1480 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (September 1942)^[11]
• No. 1494 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (April 1942 – April 1943)^[12]
• Belfast University Air Squadron (January – May 1941) became Queens University Air Squadron (May 1941 – December 1945 & March 1947 – January 1992)^[13]
• RAF Northern Ireland Communication Flight RAF (October 1940 – October 1942 & December 1945 – December 1946)^[14]

Current use

The site is now George Best Belfast City Airport.

References

Citations

1. Northern Ireland Committee of Irish Congress of Trade Unions, "The Defence Stations in Northern Ireland: The Case for Retention", March 1976
2. "Sydenham (Belfast City) (George Best Belfast City)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
3. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 91.
4. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 71.
5. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 115.
6. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 110.
7. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 106.
8. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 318.
9. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.
10. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 168.
11. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 134.
12. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.
13. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 306.
14. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 228.

Bibliography

• Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.

External links

• Northern Ireland base closes, Flight International, 15 April 1978, v. 113, no. 3604, p. 1035.