Raf Greencastle

RAF Greencastle is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south of the fishing village of Kilkeel and took in a large part of Cranfield Bay. It was opened as an RAF bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU) in April 1942 but it was almost immediately transferred to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and renamed AAF Stn 237. HistoryConstructionCommencement of Aerodrome Construction 12 January 1942. Consulting engineers; Messrs Landon-Every And Ferkin Ltd. Main contractor; Messrs A. M. Carmichael (Scotland). Some of the best agricultural land in the area was vested. Compensation, considered by some to be totally inadequate, was offered, but not always accepted. In some cases households were asked to vacate their homes almost overnight. Some people refused to move out and the station was literally built around them in the townlands of - Derryoge, Dunavil, Ballynahatten, Cranfield, and Grange. Air Ministry Compulsory Acquisition orders gave the occupiers three days to get out, without obligation on the Air Ministry to find them alternate accommodation. This short notice period only applied to houses that were sited where the runways were going to be built. Other home owners had more time to remove roofs and anything else that was salvageable. Most of the farmers had their lands cultivated and ploughed all ready for the planting of early potatoes. Sheds were full of boxes of sprouted Arran Pilots ready to be planted. (The early potato crop was important in this area of small (5-15 acres) family farms). Around 450 buildings were erected of various shapes and sizes and at a safe distance from the Ammunition & Bomb Stores and Runways (as per detailed schedule). A number of the foundations on the communal, living and other sites throughout the aerodrome which were excavated and concreted were never built upon. Others were partly erected. Also several construction site buildings were never used or lived in during the war years. Approximately 5 miles of water mains was laid to the aerodrome of 6"dia, class D pipe from the Silent Valley reservoir. Ownership of this was ceded to the local authority when the station was closed.

RAF Greencastle is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south of the fishing village of Kilkeel and took in a large part of Cranfield Bay. It was opened as an RAF bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU) in April 1942 but it was almost immediately transferred to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and renamed AAF Stn 237. HistoryConstructionCommencement of Aerodrome Construction 12 January 1942. Consulting engineers; Messrs Landon-Every And Ferkin Ltd. Main contractor; Messrs A. M. Carmichael (Scotland). Some of the best agricultural land in the area was vested. Compensation, considered by some to be totally inadequate, was offered, but not always accepted. In some cases households were asked to vacate their homes almost overnight. Some people refused to move out and the station was literally built around them in the townlands of - Derryoge, Dunavil, Ballynahatten, Cranfield, and Grange. Air Ministry Compulsory Acquisition orders gave the occupiers three days to get out, without obligation on the Air Ministry to find them alternate accommodation. This short notice period only applied to houses that were sited where the runways were going to be built. Other home owners had more time to remove roofs and anything else that was salvageable. Most of the farmers had their lands cultivated and ploughed all ready for the planting of early potatoes. Sheds were full of boxes of sprouted Arran Pilots ready to be planted. (The early potato crop was important in this area of small (5-15 acres) family farms). Around 450 buildings were erected of various shapes and sizes and at a safe distance from the Ammunition & Bomb Stores and Runways (as per detailed schedule). A number of the foundations on the communal, living and other sites throughout the aerodrome which were excavated and concreted were never built upon. Others were partly erected. Also several construction site buildings were never used or lived in during the war years. Approximately 5 miles of water mains was laid to the aerodrome of 6"dia, class D pipe from the Silent Valley reservoir. Ownership of this was ceded to the local authority when the station was closed.