Thursday 16 February 2012

Aerodromes in Ireland in WW1 and just after

I've had a bit of a delve into records relating to aerodromes/airfields in Ireland during WW1 and after on the Great War Forum, Boards.ie etc and this is a jotting to pull together various threads.

The following website has a basic list of airfields in Ireland and lists some that are of interest :

http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/UK_Airfield_Catalogue/Airfields_Ireland.htm

The TDS note for some of the old RAF stations stands for Training Depot Station.

19 TDS Curragh
22 TDS Gormanston
23 TDS Baldonnel
24 TDS Collinstown
25 TDS Tallaght

RAF Tallaght was used as a demob centre after the war. 2nd Lt William Kretmar (Kretzshmar) died at RAF Tallaght in 1919 with 141 Squadron. Members of the WRAF were stationed at Tallaght.

RAF Baldonnel closed down in 1922. Flying Officer Perry was killed there in February 1922 taking off to fly to England. Have yet to identify the airman who died with him.

RAF Oranmore. A hangar was used for the Pavilion Ballroom in 1924.

Major Chads was killed when an aircraft in which he was a passenger crashed. The pilot was from the RAF unit at Castlebar.

Arthur Vere Bettington appears to have had command at RAF Baldonnel at some point.

2 Squadron (Fermoy and Oranmore 1920-22)

4 Squadron (Aldergrove and Baldonnel)

100 Squadron ( Baldonnel )

106 Squadron (Fermoy 1919)

Alcock and Brown flight June 1919

IRA Ambush of RAF Personnel

Former RAF man James Gleave. A number of ex-RAF personnel appear to have joined the Auxiliary Division, Royal Irish Constabulary, several killed at an ambush at Macroom.

2nd Lt T F Morris, 25 TDS at RAF Tallaght

2nd Lt Douglas Watts, 23 TDS at RAF Baldonnel

2nd Lt's Norris and Camm, 22 TDS died in at RAF Gormanstown. CWGC for Norris and Camm. There is a photo of Percy Camm on the Burnley website.

Lt Norman Mellor, 25 TDS at RAF Tallaght, died on the RMS Leinster

AM3 Murphy

William Sholto Douglas, RFC

Air Commodore Bonham-Carter

Air Commodore Pryor


Malahide Castle was a RNAS airship sub-station and some of the anchor points are still visible. Part of the roll was anti-submarine work with units based in Wales.

An ebay listing suggested that Captain David Campbell MC was involved in the later development of Baldonnel for the Irish Free State. Have purchased a copy of Campbell's book "Forward the Rifles. The War Diary of an Irish Soldier 1914-1918"

RFC Airmen buried in the Curragh, 1916 - James Amos and Benjamin Fitton. RAF airman buried in the Curragh in 1919 - George Carter

An American born RFC/RAF man listed as being in Dublin at the time of the Easter Rising :

WARMAN, 2nd Lieutenant Clive Wilson



1 comment:

  1. Thanks Johnny for researching the RFC / RAF in Ireland. I found this very interesting as i was looking at photographs of Tallaght Aerodrome. i have served in the RAF myself and hence the interest.

    ReplyDelete