Airport type Military 05/23 7,516 | Location Middleton St. George 7,516 2,291 Owner Air Ministry | |
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Operator Royal Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air Force | ||
Cwhm lancaster vera at durham tees valley airport ex raf middleton st george 29 8 14
RAF Middleton St. George was a Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command station during World War II. It was located in County Durham, five miles east of Darlington, England.
Contents
- Cwhm lancaster vera at durham tees valley airport ex raf middleton st george 29 8 14
- Second World War
- Post war
- Units and aircraft
- References
Second World War
The airfield began its life as Royal Air Force Goosepool, and in 1941 became RAF Middleton St. George. The aerodrome opened as a Bomber Command station in 1941. In 1943 it was allocated to No. 6 Group, Royal Canadian Air Force. A sub-station was located at RAF Croft, Yorkshire. Squadrons based here include: 76 Squadron, which flew Handley Page Halifaxes, 78 Squadron, which flew Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys, 419 Squadron RCAF, which flew Vickers Wellingtons, Halifaxes, and Avro Lancasters, 420 Squadron RCAF, which flew Wellingtons, and 428 Squadron RCAF, which flew Wellingtons, Halifaxes, and Lancasters.
Post war
After the war, the aerodrome served various squadrons and units including No. 13 Operational Training Unit (OTU), No. 2 Air Navigation School, No. 4 Flying Training School, and squadrons that used Gloster Meteors, Hawker Hunters, Gloster Javelins and English Electric Lightnings.
The RAF left the station in 1964, but the aerodrome was reopened in 1966 as a civil airport. The airfield was named Teesside International Airport in the 1960s, and was renamed Durham Tees Valley Airport in 2004. In the late 1980s the entire Married Quarter estate was sold to a Roger Byron-Collins company and was renamed The Virginia Estate.
From 1968 to 1979, some of the former station buildings housed Middleton St George College of Education, a teacher training college.