Burn

53°44'53"N 001°05'02"W

Runway: 01/19 - 1820meters/5970feet - concrete
Runway: 07/25 - 1420meters/4650feet - concrete
Runway: 15/33 - 1320meters/4320feet - concrete

Burn airfield (RAF Burn, also referred to as Selby airfield) was an airfield 260 kilometers north of London.
The airfield was built as a Class A airfield in the winter of 1941-1942 with three runways: 01/19 (1990yds), 07-25 (1550 yds) and 15-33 (1400yds). The 01-19 runway was running parallel to the old London-North Eastern Railway main line (London-Edinburgh), only 300 meters to the east. The airfield had three hangars: two on the logistics site west of the airfield (between runways 01 and 07) and a third (between runways 07 and 15) and 36 dispersed aircraft parkings. Dispersed around the airfield, living facilities for 2075 personnel were available.
According to local stories pilots would hope to coincide the timely appearance of an express train from the north with them revving their engines for take-off on runway 19. While the train would overtake at the start of their run, it would be thoroughly outpaced once the aircraft went airborne at the other end of the runway. Such takeoffs were usually accompanied by loud blasts on the steam whistle and the waving of arms from the cab and carriage windows.

As a 4 Group airfield, 431Sqn (RCAF) was formed at Burn in the fall of 1942, flying Wellington bombers. The squadron commenced operations in March 1943 and flew 330 sorties until July 1943, when they moved to Tholthorpe to convert to Halifaxes. The airfield then remained empty until 31 December, when 659 Sqn was based here for one (!) day. 659 Sqn left on 1 January 1944, to be replaced by 658 Sqn (RAF), flying the Taylorcraft Auster III, moving to the airfield from RAF Clifton. In January 1944, 578 Sqn (RAF) was formed here from 'C' Flight of No. 51 Squadron at RAF Snaith. That same month an accident in the bomb storage area resulted in detonations that caused loss of life.
During the 155 raids 578 Sqn mounted from Burn, it had 40 aircraft missing in action. Over the 14 months as an active unit, 578 Sqn earned one Victoria Cross, 143 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 82 Distinguished Flying Medals, in addition to the unit being known for its consistent bombing accuracy. Combined, this resulted in the granting of a squadron crest by His Majesty King George VI in February 1945 with the motto `Accuracy'. Also, the squadron's ground crews outstanding service on Bristol Hercules XVI engines resulted in an award by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The award, a shield, is now on display at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington near York. Two of their Halifaxes passed the century mark on operations, flying 104 and 105 operations respectively, but both aircraft survived the war only to be scrapped. In total, 219 airmen flew from RAF Burn and never returned from their mission.


A 578 Sqdn Halifax lifts off from the end of runway 33 (AirfieldInformationExchange).



(578squadron.org.uk).


(via AirfieldInformationExchange)


The abandoned control tower in 1965 (578squadron.org.uk, via AirfieldInformationExchange).


The former control tower at RAF Burn in a VERY derelict state in July 1977 (NorwichPaul at AirfieldInformationExchange).

RAF Burn was closed in July 1945. The airfield was handed over shortly afterwards, in 1946, to the Royal Army Service Corps. In the immediate post-war years the RASC used the station to store surplus military vehicles on its runways. The storage site and the associated reconditioning effort gave much needed employment to about 600 civilians. In 1959 the whole property was acquired by the Central Electricity Generating Board. They intended to use the airfield as a dumping ground for pulverised fuel ash waste, created by the new coal fired Power Station developments in the area. The proposition was defeated at a subsequent public enquiry, since when, some of the land, the airfield buildings and the flying area were reclaimed for farming.
The control tower for instance was torn down in 1977. Nevertheless, by 2010 Burn remained one of the few airfields vacated by the RAF in 1945 on which all runways and most of the hardstandings still survived. This was in no small part achieved by the efforts of the Burn Gliding Club, which began using the airfield in 1983. The Gliding club was in danger of being evicted in 2009 by the Yorkshire council, who intended to sell the airfield, worth approximately 2 million Pounds, for development. In July 2012 the Gilding Club managed to secure a three year reprieve. They now intend to secure the future of the airfield themself, already having offered to buy it outright several years ago. The Burn Gilding Club continues to use the three runways, which were renumbered to compensate for magnetic variation.


Former RAF Burn in 2001 (Google Earth)


Former RAF Burn in 2007. Notice a commercial enterprise had set up just east of the Burn Glider Club, almost cutting them off from the runways (Google Earth)


Runway 01/19, looking north. Wednesday 13 July 2011 (AirfieldInformationExchange).