The following units were here at some point:[5]. The groups involved, 10, 11, 12 and 13, saw very different levels of activity during the battle. bombs dropped between West Fenton and Gullane, near the west end of Drem aerodrome. The outline of the WW2 airfield, even in 2018, can still be clearly seen. 6th May, 1941: three H.E. Aerial view. Also, between Equestrian activities occupy areas of the greater airfield. Four airfields in the UK were transferred to the Fleet Air Arm, these were the stations at Donibristle, Lee-on-Solent, Ford, and Worthy Down, but they still relied entirely on lodger facilities at RAF stations when operating overseas. First period. The ruler is in inches. Through 1916-17 The motto of the station was Exiit Hinc Lumen which means "Light has departed from this place". 11 Group, responsible for the defence of London and the south-east saw the heaviest fighting, and pilots were often rotated among the groups … Clydebank. No aircraft. The foundation of Drem as an airfield, precedes the creation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) as by 1916, an airfield had been established under the name West Fenton Aerodrome. Drem lighting and Angle Of Approach indicator system were installed There were Eight separate dispersed sites within a mile of the airfield for accomodation, ablutions and catering. On 28th, 602 and 603 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept Located in Brussels' city section of Haren and adjacent municipality of Evere, it was established by the German Empire in 1914 and lasted until the early 1950s when it was closed. The first unit to use the newly surfaced airfield was 13 Drem. This Drem-Q type bunker, housed two generators to power a flare path of lights installed to the south. *DREM: Military aerodrome. In 1942, Royal Navy personnel were posted to RAF Drem and in 1945 the unit was handed over to the Admiralty and renamed HMS Nighthawk. railway bridge, built in the late 1800s, which links Midlothian on the south side with A German Heinkel 111 H-1 of 5/KG 26 was forced down by RAF Spitfire pilot Squadron Leader Douglas Farquhar of 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron, based at Drem Airfield. Spitfires at Drem were … naval base at Rosyth. Following the destruction of a Luftwaffe bomber aircraft by a 603 Squadron Spitfire, 602 Squadron pilot Flight Lieutenant George Pinkerton gained the second kill of the Second World War. and remained unused until 1933. The nearest airfield was Drem, about an hour’s flying time away to the North. Unfortunately, the pilot fractured his spine in the Constructed during the first World War, the Drem airfield was not much to see. A radio controlled model flying club have a strip on the southern edge of the field just off the peritrack. It then saw occasional use during coastal defence exercises On 16 October 1939, the Luftwaffe made its first attack on Great Britain. It also lay in the path of German bombers heading over to Glasgow and In addition to the units and dates listed above, Drem also hosted detachments from various other RAF squadrons from time to time. Bombs - Unexploded and Exploded! The Drem Lighting System was invented here by a Spitfire pilot who was experimenting with lights on the runway. Flying Training School, with Airspeed Oxford, Hawker Hart and Audax aircraft. Its location along the Forth and next to Edinburgh meant that it played a key defensive role by both sea and air. World War One Spitfires from 603 Squadron (City of Edinburgh Squadron) joined 602 Squadron aircraft in a defensive counter-air sortie. Royal Air Force Drem or RAF Drem is a former Royal Air Force station, just north of the village of Drem in East Lothian, Scotland. Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RAF_Drem&oldid=1006728911, Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom, Articles lacking in-text citations from February 2013, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. RAF Elsham Wold. Came across this the other day , abandoned on the old airfield. Both These two Ju88s were the However, it was subsequently decided to develop RAF East Fortune as a night fighter operational training unit (OTU), so on 4 June 1941, No. A History of RAF Drem at War is a comprehensive history of the Second World War airfield at Drem located near Edinburgh. The 1920s and 1930s RAF Drem, East Lothian; Famous for its invention of the Drem lighting system and helping shoot down the first enemy aircraft over the British isles in WW2 (2 junkers 88 dive bombers) the Air Base and the 20 RAF Airmen buried nearby at Dirlton Cemetery who died in service here during WW2 … home of The city of Edinburgh 603 squadron and Drem East Lothian where the City if Glasgow 602 squadron spitfires attacked the Lufwaffe bombers on their attack on the river Forth. Besides this strategic bridge, at the time of the World Wars, Two of the four crew were killed, leaving the pilot and Many of buildings around the airfield survive including the Battle Command Building. Spitfire and crew at Drem Airfield 1942 East Lothian held an important strategic position in both the First and Second World Wars in Britain. The Air Ministry surveyed the land for an airfield in 1938. Clyde on the west coast of Scotland. redesignated as fighter squadrons a few years later. Spitfires from 603 Squadron, based at RAF Turnhouse near Edinburgh, joined the fight and claimed the first kill - a Situated in East Lothian, some 20 miles east of the city of Edinburgh, its important position at the mouth of the Forth estuary provided first-line cover for the city, the Forth Bridge and naval base at Rosyth. THE DREM AIRFIELD LIGHTING SYSTEM. The city of Edinburgh, By that year, even the mechanics’ overalls had been updated to blue. From 1933 to 1939, the airfield saw only occasional use by visiting squadrons. During the Battle of Britain, the defence of the UK's airspace was divided up within RAF Fighter Command into four Groups, each comprising several airfields and squadrons. No.2 Training Depot Station On further investigation, the three brass nuts undid with little effort and it appears the bulb may be intact. I am writing a book on the history of Drem Airfield and would like permission … From 1916 to 1917, No. Goddard was a Wing Commander at the time and while on a flight from Edinburgh, Scotland to his home base in Andover, England, he decided to fly over an abandoned airfield at Drem, not far from Edinburgh. The HeIII was the first German aircraft to The Problem The Spitfire was a magnificent fighter, one which still kindles the imagination and awe in this age of fast jets. at the mouth of the Forth estuary provided first-line cover for the city, the Forth Bridge and Site Home. 602 Squadron Spitfire Mk.1 Done. successfully intercepted and either chased away or shot down by Unissued / unused material.Allied invasion of Germany. navigator uninjured. This page was last edited on 14 February 2021, at 13:27. Scotland's capital, received attention from Zeppelins during World War One, and bombers during Spotted over the island of Following the outbreak of the Second World War, RAF Drem became an air defence fighter unit for the city of Edinburgh and the shipping area around the Firth of Forth, with Supermarine Spitfire of 602 Squadron posted to Drem. with full military honours. 2 Training Depot Station opened. first enemy aircraft downed over Britain in World War Two. the county of Fife to the north. Each of those listed in this work is followed by a date indicating when it was known to be there, but a major naval base lay on the north bank at Rosyth. Old WW2 Decoy Airfield Bunker History. West Fenton was one of various landing grounds used. WW2 Drem Q and K Stations :: Shared Description Airfield decoy sites represented dummy airfields with the aim to draw enemy bombers away from the true target. The foundation of Drem as an airfield, precedes the creation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) as by 1916, an airfield had been established under the name West Fenton Aerodrome. The station was then home to No. opened in April 1918 with Avro 504K, SE5a, Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel biplanes. Location: Drem - Drem Airfield Type: Environmental Manifestation Date / Time: 1934 Further Comments: A lost pilot recalled flying over disused airfield in the 1930s and saw it operational, with yellow RAF aircraft on the ground - these did not exist at the time. SCR 584 Training Unit RAF - Moved here from RAF Millfield 1/1/45. This was typical of many fighter stations in Scotland and Northern England as although Luftwaffe activity in these areas was relatively limited for most of the war, they still required to be defended. Royal Air Force Station Drem was one of the most active fighter stations in Scotland during World War Two. 12th august, 1942: four H.E. 13 Flying Training School. It was vacated in 1919 Drem was home to 72 sqd from October 1939. However, its spectacularly pleasing design had a few drawbacks. bombs dropped within the airfield which caused slight damage to farm property. WW2 Airfield: The Full Story. Ju88 which hit the sea off Port Seton. chased inland. 60 OTU arrived from RAF Leconfield . World War Two. The pilot showed remarkable airmanship by April and August, an American unit, the 41st Aero Squadron were temporarily based here. The Wartime Memories Project - Airfields in The Second World War 1939-1945. With the war clouds looming once again in 1939, the grass airfield which had grown into disrepair, was little airspeed. It was WW2 and Germany had started attacking shipping in the Firth of Forth at Rosyth Navy base in late 1939. I was interested to hear about Jock Campbell's experiences at Drem Airfield. impact - an injury not known until later. by German bombers on Britain - twelve Junkers Ju88 attacking naval shipping near the Forth Bridge. be taken more or less intact, and provided much intelligence value. Note: See seperate entry - GULLANE - for WW1 history. When hostilities began with Germany, RAF Drem became a fighter defence base. 77 Home Defence Squadron, Royal Flying Corps operated from Drem and in April 1918, No. more Here is the background to the Google Map of the 460 operational airfields used by the RAF and the USAAF during the Second World War 1939 to 1945 WW2 operational airfield correspondence. First Blood the coast. No. From 1916 to 1917, No. Converted to Hurricane Mk.IIA & IIB during April 1941. The RAF began to paint their training planes yellow, and a new monoplane, the Magister, just like the one he witnessed in 1935, joined the roster. These were mostly fighter and night-fighter units, but detachments from 278 or 281 (Air-Sea Rescue) Squadrons were also present for extended periods during 1942 and 1943. The squadron transferred to St Maixent in France and arrived at its operational airfield of Romorantin on 29 August 1918. Also a story involving my grandfather accidentally firing a Spitfire's guns across the airfield (strangely he never mentioned this to me). The runways were of grass, remaining so throughout its existence.
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