The airfield is now used by factory's and due to the amount of lorries / traffic around I decided to move the cache from it’s original GZ on the airfield to an area nearby, can be completed as a quick cache and dash now too.
Silloth Airfield was opened in June 1939, just before the start of WW2, and closed on 31 December 1960. It is located 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of the coastal town of Silloth, Cumbria, England.
As the history of the Airfield illustrates, it was originally designed to be used by RAF Maintenance Command, 22MU, but was handed over to Coastal Command during November 1939. No1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit (OTU) was then responsible for training pilots and crews from the UK and Allied countries.
The aerodrome now had twin responsibilities, the maintenance and repair of planes for use in the War effort and the training of crews to fly planes and help win the War.
The people who worked and served at Silloth Aerodrome and many who live in the local community of Silloth-on-Solway are proud of its rich heritage and the role the airfield played during WW2.
Sharing Heritage: Silloth: The Impact of World War 2 (2013-2014)
There is an airfield project led by Silloth Tourism Action Group (STAG), who have been awarded £9,600 for a project to research the history of Silloth Airfield and community memories of the town’s wartime years. The aim is to research information and preserve Silloth’s rich heritage for the Town and future generations. Members of Silloth Tourism Action Group (STAG) and other volunteers from the community are participating in the project. Visual images and information is being researched and, wherever possibles, this archive of material and stories about the airfield will be recorded digitally to create an on-line resource. Specifically, the project will look at:
- the building of the airfield and effect on local people
- how Silloth accommodated the many airmen who arrived in the town during World War 2
- what aircraft were used
- how pilots were trained
- air accidents and what became known as the ‘bodies on the beach’
- memories of the airfield told by people who lived the experience
- decommissioning of the aircraft and the legacy of the airfield, eg. the arrival of new businesses and the impact on the local economy
The ultimate aim is to ensure that the importance of Silloth airfield during the last world war and its impact on the local community over the years is not forgotten.
***Congrats to Dalraddy on the FTF***