MHG19754 - Dornoch Airfield
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Only the air strip could be seen. J A Guy, 20th Century Defences, (report nos. 1, 8 & 11)
A M Fox, Highland Council, 10.10.01.
NH88NW 4 centred 800 885
Dornoch was probably chosen as a Satellite Landing Ground because of the dearth of suitable level areas in this part of Scotland. The airfield closed during 1945, however the strip was re-established in 1967 with Loganair Services to Inverness and Wick operating in 1972 but these proved uneconomic. Occasionally still used by light aircraft with no evidence of any wartime buildings apart from a rather odd tin shed near the caravan site. <1>
In 1941 Dornoch airstrip was developed by the RAF at a cost of £38,000 and on 10 August 1941 it was officially opened as 40 Satellite Landing Ground (SLG) with one RAF officer and 12 other ranks billeted at the Royal Golf Hotel. Shortly thereafter 45 Maintenance Unit (MU) Kinloss used Dornoch for storage of Spitfires, Havocs and Whitleys, with possibly Wellington bombers (45 MU Operations Record Book (ORB) recording the overshoot and damage of Wellington 1C, X9930 on 13 Sep 41). The use of the airfield for storage was short, largely due to the inability to camouflage aircraft on the large open space of the links, rendering them vulnerable to enemy attacks. In 1943, following the reorganisation of 41 Group Maintenance Command, Dornoch was taken over by 46 MU Lossiemouth, with the main party arriving on 11 October 1943. Dornoch was then used for storing Beaufighters, 90 being held in May 1944 and 108 in July. The airfield was at its maximum capacity in April 1945 with 'planes being prepared for service rather than storage. Although there is no mention of Lancasters at Dornoch in 46 MU ORB they were evidently there as shown in this photograph, with a 46 MU air fitter Archie Campbell of Loch Rannoch recalling getting a dressing down "for using a local Witch's stone as an anchor while towing a Lancaster out of soft ground. <1>
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG2817 Text/Publication/Volume: Smith, D J. 1989. Britain's military airfields, 1939-45. 179; Photo, 179.
- <1> SHG2816 Text/Publication/Volume: Smith, D J. 1983. Action stations 7: military airfields of Scotland, the North-East and Northern Ireland. 80.
- <2> SHG2367 Text/Publication/Volume: Hughes, J.. 1999. A Steep Turn to The Stars, A history of aviation in the Moray Firth. 2nd.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 8006 8840 (800m by 800m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH88NW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | DORNOCH |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://trove.scot/place/93105 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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