History of RAF Woodvale

RAF Woodvale is the RAF’s only active airfield in Lancashire and was originally built as a fighter airfield for the defence of Merseyside following the winter 1940-41 raids, the airfield was officially opened on the 7^th December 1941 after the first runway was ready by October 1941, living quarters at the start were very primitive and incomplete, by the time the airfield was constructed the threat of attacks on Merseyside by enemy aircraft was virtually non existent.

The first squadron to arrive was No 308 squadron on the 12^th December 1941, and this was the start of many squadrons to visit to rest and re equip at Woodvale, a number of target towing and calibration flights also used the station. No 776 squadron (Royal Navy) brought some of their target tug aircraft over from Speke in May 1942 for use of the nearby gunnery range at HMS Charlotte. In early 1943 a number of Typhoon squadrons came to Woodvale to work up on the new fighter, later in 1943 No 322 (Dutch) formed at Woodvale.

A detachment of No 12 Pilot Advanced Flying Unit arrived to lodge in the spring of 1944 and further target tug aircraft arrived in the summer of 1944 by the arrival of a detachment of No 650 squadron from RAF Cark.

Woodvale was also used by a lot of American aircraft bringing personnel to the Rest and Recuperation Centre in nearby by Southport, in October 1944 a B-24 crashed on the airfield killing five of the twenty occupants, at the end of the war POW’s were flown direct into Woodvale for a rest break before being shipped home.

After the cessation of hostilities in Europe the airfield was handed over to the Royal Navy and became a satellite (tender) to RNAS Burscough and was known as “HMS Ringtail II”, the Navy stayed at Woodvale until January 1946 when the airfield was handed back to the RAF and used as a Motor Transport Depot.

After the reformation of the AuxAF The first flying unit to arrive was No 611 (West Lancs) squadron in July 1946 with Spitfires, in early 1951 the main runway was extended and the squadron converted to Meteors until the squadron moved to Hooton Park on the Wirral to join No 610 (Cheshire) squadron.

Woodvale was  then used by  a number of training units along with The Temperature and Humidity (THUM) flight which under took daily weather flights after their arrival from Hooton Park in  July 1951, the flight originally used Spitfires and then Mosquitoes until the flight was disbanded in May 1959. Woodvale was also the homer of No 5 Civilian anti Aircraft Co Operation Unit from December 1957 until it disbanded in 1971.

The airfield has been cleared of a lot of buildings and the remainder have been mostly re clad and is currently in use by Liverpool University Air Squadron, Manchester & Salford University Air Squadron, No 10 Air Experience Flight, No 611 (Woodvale) squadron ATC, HQ Merseyside Air Wing ATC, Woodvale Aviation Co and the West Lancs Aero Club.

No 315 (Polish) squadron at Woodvale with Polish Navy visitors

Below follows a list of squadron movements through Woodvale,

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