|
       
| |
A brief summary of Ronaldsway's wartime history:-
 | Up until 1939 Ronaldsway had become established as
the main civil aerodrome for the Isle of Man, and was a natural choice
for the Air Ministry to Requisition in 1940 as RAF Ronaldsway. Being
sufficiently distant from the war front to make it reasonably safe for
training purposes, it was used for ground to air gunnery training. In
1943, the aerodrome was taken over by the Admiralty, and operated by
the Fleet Air Arm for its own training requirements, with additional
buildings being constructed to accommodate up to 2,000 training
personnel. It was during this expansion that many of today’s
landmarks (e.g. the runway layout and the Control Tower), were
constructed. The Museum's location is a perfect choice for MAPS,
because the building is not only based on the present day airfield,
but was constructed as part of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) station in
1944. |
|
| In line with naval tradition, the Fleet Air Arm
renamed the base as "HMS Urley" (Manx Gaelic for Eagle) and
used the airfield for the training of Torpedo Bomber crews. The main
aircraft used for this purpose was the Fairey Barracuda that is best
remembered for the raids on the Tirpitz. In training, the aircraft was
a mixed success with several examples crashing off the eastern coast
of the Island with the loss of many flight crew. |
|
| Throughout the war, Ronaldsway continued to be used
for civil aviation, operating alongside the military aircraft, with
the Civil Flying Control being based in the original Ronaldsway Farm
buildings, on the other side of the airfield, at Derbyhaven. The
military side of the airfield was centred on the new control tower and
ancillary buildings. However, in 1946 the airfield fully reverted to
its civilian role, when the FAA relinquished control back to the
Ministry of Civil Aviation. Since that time, Isle of Man (Ronaldsway)
Airport has continued in this role, with additions and refurbishments
being carried out right up to the present day, albeit centred around
some remaining FAA buildings. |
|
|
