RAF Andreas
RAF Andreas
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Andreas, Isle of Man | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1941-1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 112 ft / 34 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°22′15″N 004°25′25″W / 54.37083°N 4.42361°WCoordinates: 54°22′15″N 004°25′25″W / 54.37083°N 4.42361°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
 RAF Andreas
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Operational dates.
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Royal Air Force Station Andreas or more simply RAF Andreas is a former Royal Air Force station in the Isle of Man which was operational between 1941 and 1946. It was built in fields between Andreas and Bride. As was common practice, the station was named after the parish in which it was situated.
When the Luftwaffe, in October 1940, began to attack British cities under the cover of darkness, the North West of England with its industrial centres and ports came within easy reach of German aircraft operating from occupied France. The first fighter squadron had arrived at nearby RAF Jurby in November 1940, and came under the control of the newly formed No. 9 Group RAF, Fighter Command. Group Control was positioned at RAF Barton Hall, near Preston, and its sectors covered Lancashire, Cheshire and Shropshire. Andreas was to be a separate sector with responsibility for the Irish Sea and its surrounds. The new wing of Ramsey Grammar School was commissioned as Control Centre for the sector and was hastily prepared before the arrival of the new fighters at Jurby. The Control Centre was linked to the three radar stations at Dalby, Scarlett and Bride.
The siting of a fighter airfield in the location of Andreas had been chosen because of its central location with regard to Liverpool, Belfast and Glasgow, as it was in an excellent position to provide protection to the vital shipping arriving at these ports. Finally, with the relevant compensation payments agreed, work on the construction of RAF Andreas began in earnest by the end of June 1940. A total of 500 acres (200 ha) of farmland was earmarked, 200 acres (81 ha) coming from both Ballaghaue Farm and Braust Farm, and a small portion of land was acquired which stretched into the adjacent parish of Bride.
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