RAF Wigtown

[alanatabz]

Hi all.

Date: 03-SEP-1939
Time: 15:00 LT
Type: Westland Wallace Mk II
Owner/operator: 9 AOS Royal Air Force (9 AOS RAF)
Registration: K6028
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Bruntwood Tap, Bennachie, Scotland - United Kingdom
Phase: En route
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Wigtown, Cumberland
Destination airport: RAF Evanton, Easter Ross


Question, RAF Wigtown, was it operational in 1939?

[Stig Jarlevik]

Odd details Alan

Not being British it took me quite awhile to see that there is something wrong here. I can only locate one Wigtown which is in Wigtownshire (Scotland), but your take off point gives Wigtown in Cumberland. As far as I can see there is no Wigtown in Cumberland (which is in England and not Scotland)

Checking RAF Wigtown (in Wigtownshire), it seems to have received its first unit on 13 Sep 1941 (1 AOS)

If Cumberland (nice sauce BTW) is what is correct, the name of the airfield must be something else....I think....

Anyone else?
Cheers
Stig

[alanatabz]

Hi Stig

I was trying to get to grips with a plane departing an airfield, that in theory wasn't open.

The plane was listed as from RAF Penhros in north Wales.

I wonder if the flight came from North Wales and Wigtown (the area) is a good landmark based on the shape of the land. So Wigtown was a waypoint rather than an Airfield.

Regards

Alan

[Stig Jarlevik]

Good point Alan

Nice to see we agree that Wigtown itself is a very unlikely take off point.

Cheers
Stig

[Leendert]

Just to add that Wigtown (Bay) is also mentioned in Flight Magazine of 24 April 1924 as a waypoint (or even quick landing ground?) on a mail & passenger run between Belfast and Liverpool.


Regards,
Leendert

[rafcommands]

Usual regurgitated crap, copy and pasted from elsewhere - passed off as gospel by a site that claims copyright on content but refuses to actively stop it's own infringement.

Corrected Form 1180 states No.1 A O School
Ferry to Evanton on disbandment of No.1 AOS

Ross

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Ross

Nice to see you back again.
You are quite right

No 1 AOS merged into 9 AOS when that unit formed at 3.9.1939 at Penrhos.
On 2.9.1939 1 AOS moved (in advance) to Penrhos and it seems their aircraft were dispersed from that base to plenty of others, among them Evanton on the 3rd.

So what we are looking at was an aircraft moving from Penrhos to Evanton

Cheers
Stig