No 6 Group (Bomber Command) - Skipton on Swale Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Dalesman: This cache has been in need of care and maintenance for some time and as the owner has not responded to my note I am archiving it.
I would ask that the CO visits the site and removes any physical remains of this cache.

Guidelines:**You are responsible for occasional visits to your cache to maintain proper working order, especially when someone reports a problem with the cache (missing, damaged, wet, etc.). You may temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to search for it until you have a chance to fix the problem. This feature is to allow you a reasonable amount of time - normally a few weeks - in which to check on your cache. If a cache is not being maintained, or has been temporarily disabled for an unreasonable length of time, we may archive the listing.**

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Hidden : 2/16/2008
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

This is a series of caches based on Second World War airfields around North Yorkshire. They are all accessible by car and it is possible to do them all in one hit but it will involve a drive of some 160 miles.

They are all stand alone caches and can be done in any order. To complete the series you will need the co-ordinates of the final cache, Lest We Forget. These are contained one digit at a time, randomly, in the other caches.

During the Second World War No 6 Group (Royal Canadian Air Force) Bomber Command was based in North Yorkshire. Equipped with the Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster bomber aircraft, the Canadians remained at these bases until after the end of the war. The impact of the RCAF had a lasting effect on the local villages and many have erected memorials which are proudly displayed and carefully maintained. Nearly 25,000 Canadian servicemen and women were based here in North Yorkshire.

Five of the airfields are still operational, one as an international airport and the others, having been returned to the RAF, are used for military purposes. (You will not be required to enter any military premises). The remainder have been left derelict and have either returned to nature or are used for agricultural or light industry. Many reminders of the War, be it old buildings or pieces of runway, still remain to this day at all of them.

Skipton was opened in 1942 and was home to four bomber squadrons, all Canadian, for the rest of the War. Although No 6 Group was formed by the Royal Canadian Air Force, for some reason the flight engineers were all RAF personnel. One such man was Pilot Officer Chris Panton, from Lincolnshire. He was killed with his crew on the famous Nuremburg bombing raid in 1944. In his memory, his two brothers have since formed the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby, near Boston, Lincolnshire. They have managed to restore a Lancaster and it regularly does taxi runs on the old airfield there.

Crews from Skipton remained at the end of the War and were used to fly home Allied troops from Italy. The base closed in October 1945 and has been returned to agriculture. Many of the old buildings still remain and a public bridleway gives access to the old control tower and technical site.

The Skipton memorial is at N 54° 12.735’ W 001° 26.408’ and commemorates not only the Canadians, but also a young local boy who was killed in an air crash at Skipton during the War.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

TCB

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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