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MHG18739 - Tain Airfield

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Full Description

Many buildings extant. Bombing range to the North which is still in use. Operations block to the South still has some original signs. Photos. J A Guy, 20th Century Defences, (report nos. 1, 8 & 11)
A M Fox, Highland Council, 10.10.01.
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NH88SW 14.00 Centred 8302 8170

NH88SW 14.01 Centred NH 8320 8390 Bombing Range
NH88SW 14.02 NH 8376 8356 Tracked Target Range
NH88SW 14.03 NH 8374 8330 Operations block
NH88SW 14.04 NH 830 815 Buildings
NH88SW 14.05 NH 8302 8169 Control Tower; Air-raid shelter
NH88SW 14.06 Centred NH 8560 8085 Military Camp
NH88SW 14.07 Centred NH 8455 8105 Military Camp
NH88SW 14.08 NH 8373 8330 and NH 8390 8340 Control Towers;
Buildings
NH88SW 14.09 NH 8248 8191 Buildings
NH88SW 14.10 Centred NH 8080 8036 Radio station
NH88SW 14.11 Centred NH 8310 8250 Buildings; Bomb Store; Air-raid Shelters

Tain airfield was developed from a pre-war landing ground serving the Tain Bombing Ranges (NH88SW 14.01), part of which was used to build the complex. The airfield consists of three runways, from 4,350ft to 6,000ft in length with three dispersal areas, and Bellman, Blister and 'T2' type hangars the airfield was further extended when the west runway was lengthened.
D J Smith 1983.

Tain airfield is situated to the S of Morrich More and occupies a large area to the N and S of the public road to Portmahomack. The three runways are still extant, with the main NE-SW strip now occupied by an oil pipeline fabricator, who have laid a large diameter pipe along the full length of the runway. The other runways are grass-grown as are the many hardstandings and parkways.
The airfield is recorded on vertical air photographs taken during 1945 as operational, (Visible on RAF 106G/UK/751 5083-5091, flown 1945) and the frames include the tracked target range, operations building and all the S part of the drome.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE) May 1997

Nicki Macrae posted photos of some of the airfield buildings on the Highland HER Facebook page in June 2011. <1>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 8279 8185 (2431m by 2207m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH88SW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	TAIN

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