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RAF Riccall
RAF Riccall, situated 10 miles south of York, opened in September 1942 as a satellite to RAF Marston Moor. The base closed in 1946 and today is used for agriculture.
Squadrons stationed at Riccall
- 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit
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Those known to have served at RAF Riccall during the Second World War 1939-1945. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
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Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Want to know more about RAF Riccall? There are:2 items tagged RAF Riccall available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Sgt. Reginald Mantripp Reginald Mantripp served at RAF Riccall as ground crew between April and November 1943.
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Sgt. Eric Durrant 158 Squadron Air Gunner Sergeant Eric Durrant joined the 1658 HCU on 12th of April 1943 as the tail gunner for a Halifax bomber. Prior to this he was with a different squadron and was shot down, being the only survivor of that crew to make it back home. The day after arriving at the 1658 HCU they flew a mission and were shot down again. Sergeant Durrant was captured while trying to escape the continent and sent to a POW camp where he remained until sometime after D-day. I wish I could say more but he told his stories some 30 years ago and passed away about 24 years ago having moved to Canada immediately after the war.
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Flt.Sgt. Leslie Harris 76 Squadron (d.29th June 1943) Although already in a Reserved Occupation, my father volunteered for the Royal Air Force and was posted to South Africa to undergo training as an Observer. He gained his Observer Brevet in 1942, returning to England that same year.
With a 10 O.T.U. detachment flying Whitley Mark 5s out of St Eval, he helped to track and bomb U-Boats. Apparently, one took offence at this treatment, after being caught on the surface, and promptly fired a shell, blowing a hole in the starboard wing of their machine. Later, still with 10 OTU, returning from a sweep, their aircraft suffered an engine fire. The pilot instructed the crew to take to their parachutes, thus saving their lives. Bravely staying at the controls the pilot lost his life in the crash. Suffering a fractured ankle and gaining his Caterpillar Badge from the Irving Parachute Company, my father spent some time in hospital before being transferred to 1658 HCU at Riccall in Yorkshire, converting to the Halifax bomber.
From there he was posted to No. 76 Squadron then at Holme-upon-Spalding Moor. On the evening of the 28th June together with his crew, in Halifax Mark 5 MP-R DK137 took off for Cologne. The aircraft failed to return, having been shot down by a night fighter with the loss of the entire crew.
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F/Lt. Donald William Thompson DFC. B Flight 51 Squadron My father Donald Thompson was called up May 1941 and after initial flight training was sent to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and then onto Basic flying training school at Terrell Field, Texas.
By April 1943 he was a qualified pilot and posted to 51 Squadron.
Here he carried out 27 missions in his Halifax MK2. One of the scariest moments was on the night of 12th/13th of May 1943 flying Halifax DT637 he was returning from a raid on Duisburg when, with poor visibility, the crew were diverted to Riccall airfield.
With a port engine leaking glycolgone and out of action, and running out of fuel, they landed and over shot the runway into a ditch. The Halifax was badly damaged, but the good news was that all of the crew survived.
He was later awarded a DFC for services to 51 squadron and promoted to F/O and later in August 1945 to Flight Lieutenant.
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