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RAF Ringway
RAF Ringway was a satellite airfield at Ringway in Cheshire, it became home to No. 1 Parachute Training School, RAF which was responsible for initial training all the parachutists who would take part in the Normandy Landings. It was also home to No. 14 Ferry Pilot Pool of the Air Transport Auxiliary who delivered the thousands of aircraft, built and modified on site Today the site is in civilian use as Manchester Airport. None of the wartime building survive but there is a memorial garden outside Olympic House, near Terminal 1.
23rd Oct 1939 Guns
23rd August 1940 Agent dropped into Holland
20th Dec 1940 Aircraft
10th February 1941 Operation Colossus
19th Dec 1941 Accident
19th Jan 1942 Attachment
29th January 1942 SOE mission failed to return
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Those known to have served at RAF Ringway 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.
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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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Want to know more about RAF Ringway? There are:8 items tagged RAF Ringway 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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Skinner 10 Commando My late father was in 10 Commando and was attached to SIS. It has been reported to me via one of his old army comrades that he was at Ringway Airfield in late 1943 doing parachute training and that my father was not staying with the other units, but at a large country house near the airfield. It could have been either, Milton Ernest Hall or North Cliffe Hall. If you have any knowledge of the area at that time, or know anyone who does, I would be most grateful if you would let me know. I am writing the story of my father and his war and it would be most helpful to solve the mystery of his stay and training at Ringway.
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Pte. Richard R Maryan 2nd Btn. A Coy. 1 Pltn. Parachute Regiment My brother Richard Maryan, and Sgt. Neville Ashley were the best of friends they both were taken to Stalag 12a, but got split up from there. Richard was called up in 1939, he served with the Welch Regiment, when Winston Churchill called for volunteers to form an airborne army, he was interested, and signed up. He was sent to Ringway, where they trained jumping from a tower, and then from an Aircraft, after training, he was put in No. 1 Platoon "A" Company, 2nd. Parachute Battalion. His best friend through most of the action was Sgt. Neville Ashley, who saved Richards life in Sicily, although Richard was wounded he could have been killed but for Neville, who firing a Bren Gun stopped a German advance.An extract from my Brothers Diary who served with the 1st. Airborne division, in the 2nd. world war
"The landing on Catania Plain was a terrifying experience, our R.A.F Pilot never deviated, he flew through sustained Anti-Aircraft fire, on the coast and up to Catania the Aircraft was shaking and vibrating all the way from Ack Ack fire that came very close, we dropped down to 600 feet which would give us a suitable height for our 'Chutes to open and get us to the ground quickly, we were met with rapid firing guns that fired tracer bullets."
The Diary goes through from Sicily, to Arnhem, where he was captured serving with the 2nd. Battalion, and then on to his life in stalag 12a. prison camp, and events leading up to it.
When my brother Richard was taken Prisoner at Arnhem, he was taken by Cattle Truck to Stalag 12a, When the R.A.F raided one night all the perimeter lights were turned off, Richard and a friend escaped. Some French people took them in and hid them under the stage in a Village Hall, they gave them overalls to hide their Uniforms, when the American Army arrived, they Airlifted them back to Grantham England.
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Sgt. Neville Leonard Ashley 2nd Btn. A Coy. 2 Pltn. Parachute Regiment Neville Ashley had served with the TA, 7th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment before the war. He saw action with the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France during the retreat to Dunkirk. He was evacuated from beache at La Panne on the Dutch ship, Horst and taken to Margate. He was discharged from the army, but later re-enlisted and joined No.2 Platoon, A Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion. He was taken Prisoner of War near Arnhem in September 1944 and held in Stalag 12a and Stalag 18c.
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Cpl. Albert Joseph Holtom 2nd Btn. Parachute Regiment  Albert Holtom was attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment at its inception. Initially in HQ Coy as a Cook, he earned his wings and maroon beret when he attended the Parachute Course No 15 at Ringway, before seeing active service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, where he was awarded the Africa Star with First Army Clasp, and the Italy Star.
On returning from North Africa, he transferred to A Coy, serving under Lt Robin Vlasto of No. 1 Platoon. Accounts differ as to whether he fought at Arnhem, but he was awarded the France and Germany Star, and couldn't have earned it anywhere else. Unfortunately, this was not dispatched along with his other medals when they were claimed, posthumously, by his son in 2019. If he did fight at Arnhem, he was one of the 17 survivors from A Coy to be rescued during operation Berlin on 25th-26th of September 1944.
This was the story he took to his final resting place, peacefully, in 2003.
He was good friends with Cpl Robert Priesley and Cpl Tom Hastings, both of A Coy, and both taken PoW at Arnhem.
I would love to hear from family members of either of them.
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