The airfield had the 3 RAF runway ‘A’ layout rather than it having the standard RNAS 4 runways. The runways are: 16/34 1,120 yds long 03/27 1,120 yds long Main runway 10/28 1,600 yds long All 3 runways were 50 yds wide and constructed of concrete & surfaced with tarmac. Runway 28 was later extended & the North East & South taxi tracks extended to suit the new threshold of runway 28.

The main runway was fitted out with a dummy deck landing area painted on it the same size as the carriers of the time to train pilots and landing signal officers (LSO). Hangars 1944: 4 squadron 60 x 70 x 20ft 4 squadron 60 x 70 x 17ft 1 Blister 1 ARS 185 x 105ft on North Side of airfield at repair yard Hangars 1945: 4 Teeside ‘S’ 60 x 70 x 20ft 6 Mains 60 x 70 x 17ft 1 Blister for ATC gliders Workshops at repair yard (Storage planned for 300 aircraft) 2 large A1 (Aircraft Production) Hangars – Drawing number 454/43 were built on the North East edge of the airfield for Fairey Aviation for the repair & modification and flight testing of Barracudas fire flies & fulmars. In 1944 an aircraft maintenance yard was built on the side of Barley Castle Lane access from the airfield to the maintenance yard was via a taxiway crossing Barlay Castle Lane.

A police post was built and manned by Royal Navy Police to allow movement across the road. HMS Blackcap was the home to 41 Naval Air Squadrons including the home station of 1831 and 1842 squadrons RNVR. Post war the airfield was used by RNVR Squadrons and by the Naval Airyard.

Today the M56 cuts across the airfield from East To West and the runways & taxi tracks remain on the South side of the M56 motorway & 2 type ‘B’ dispersal pens are still present. Other buildings on the South & North side of the motorway can still be seen also. Shell research ltd used the airfield as a test rack but are no longer using the site.

Micro light flying uses part of the North East taxi way as of 2013. Airfield facilities consisted of Control tower inside the perimeter track on the west side of the landing area. and meteorological office in the control tower limited service by RN personnel. Runways three tarmac 16/34 1,120 yds long x 50 yds wide 03/27 1,120 yds long x 50 yds wide 10/28 1,600 yds long x 50 yds wide Perimeter tracks 45 feet wide perimeter track 40 feet wide track connects the north perimeter with the R.N. yard. two 20 feet wide tracks lead to the fairey aviation hangars on the N/E side of the airfield.

Approach Recommended sector, mean QDM. 3050. Wind indicators windsocks inside the perimeter track on the north-west side of the landing area. and outside the perimeter track on the south-east side Homing- radio D/F H/F and VH/F beacons YG. and 251 MS. Communication equipment M/F and H/F 3 transmitters, and 4 receivers.

VH/F 4 transmitters and 4 receivers. Call signs R/T Stretton W/T mge identity letters -JA -ST from 1955. Dispersals six pens and nine A/C standings dispersed around the perimeter track. in addition to two aprons. dispersals for 200 A/C on hardstandings and Sommerfield tracking outside and inside of the perimeter.

Fuel and oil Aviation-24,000 gallons in two tanks of 12,000 gallons each 100 octane 12,000 gallons of 87 octane in one tank. 12000 gallons of 73 octane in one tank mechanical transport 3,000 gallons in one tank of 1,030 gallons and one tank of 2,000 gallons and an additional 40-gallon drums as requires Oil D.E.R.N. – 650 gallons M.V.O. – 650 gallons Firing ranges machine gun and cannon A/C test butt. 25 yards outdoors .303 weapons range. . 22 indoor range. Medical crash room and sickbay 500 yds north-west, sick quarters at grappenhall ,two half miles R.N. Accommodation officers and ratings living quarters in dispersed sites about 600 yds north-west of the airfield.

W.R.N.S. quarters in dispersed sites 3 miles R.N. and in station Capacity officers- 106 chief petty officers and ratings- 1,162 W.R.N.S.officers – 11 W.R.N.S. chief petty officers and ratings,-136 Male Accommodation Stretton had five different male Accommodation sites. Each of the five sites had the names of aircraft carriers that had been lost on active service in the early days of world war II Each of the five accommodation sites is called: HMS Ark Royal HMS Courageous HMS Eagle HMS Hermes HMS Glorious Ark Royal Accommodation Site HMS Ark Royle site was located on the East side of Arley Road and was the largest of all the Accommodation sites and contained the main welfare services. Approximately 100 petty officers had their living quarters mess and ablutions blocks on this site.

The site also housed a Petty officer’s mess that contained a bar, snooker tables, a library, and a piano. On the bottom left of The photo across Arley road, the HMS Hermes Accommodation site can be seen. The site of HMS Ark Royle is today HMP Thorn Prison.

Two country Mansions were Requisitioned for the Women’s Royal Naval Service in the Parish of Grappenhall in Warrington about 3 miles away from Stretton. Thefirstcountry Mansion house selected for the Women’s Royal Naval Service was at Grappenhall Hall. Grappenhall Hall was located on the South Side of church lane in Grappenhall Village.

There was Accommodation there for about 30 WRENS that were transported to Stretton daily. The Mansion house was first owned by the Greenall family in 1876. in 1958 the house became a special school for children financed and run by Warrington Council The school has now moved to a different location in Warrington, and the future of the Mansion house is still ongoing in 2022.

The second country Mansion house selected for the Women’s Royal Naval Service was at Grappenhall Heyes located on the East side of Lumbrook Lane Grappenhall. The house could Accommodate about 50 WRENS including some officers, Naval Transport, Buses, and Bicycles were used to travel to Stretton and back. The WRENS Described the Mansion as Magnificent and said that The Mansion was a big place and no one else or family members was living in the house.

They also stated that the rooms were large with 8 bunk beds in each room. During the winter it was very cold with no heating or fires, the girls were left to their own devices sometimes they went into Warrington to spend some money. The Mansion was Built-in 1830 by Thomas Parr, later J Charlton Parr inherited the Estate in 1870.

The Parr family did not live in the house after 1941 and was vacated by the Navy in 1949. The Parr family sold the estate in 1951 to the road haulage executive, and in 1975 the estate was purchased by Warrington Borough Council. During this period of time, The Mansion house started to get in a bad state of a repair being infested by woodlice, beetles, and mice and in 1975 the Mansion house was demolished.

Grappenhall Heyes Doris Mellen outside the rear of Grappenhall Heyes during world war 2. Doris is in the middle front row kneeling down with her WRNS friends 1944/45.

Fairey Swordfish NF389 torpedo aircraft stands parked with Westland Wyvern VZ773 torpedo strike fighter on the apron of Royal Naval Air Station Stretton prior to an airshow. The Wyvern possibly belongs to the 813 Squadron Fleet Air Arm. Control tower photo/ fairy swordfish NF389 overflies the control tower at RNA Stretton prior to the start of an airshow in summer 1953 The Control Tower/Watch Office built at Stretton is designed to the air ministry’s directorate of works and buildings, as a watch office for all commands designed to air ministry drawing number 12779/41.

The two-story building is constructed with temporary brick with a sand and cement rendered finish, and the roof is waterproofed with ash felt. The front elevation of the building is 34ft 6 ins and the side elevations 36 ft 9 ins. Outside viewing is provided by large multi-paned steel casement windows to the front and to flank walls of the control room and watch office.

The first-floor exit door leads out to the concrete balcony and onto a steel staircase gaining access to the roof. The balcony and roof are fitted with tubular steel railings supported by iron columns. The ground floor has access to the first floor by an internal flight of concrete stairs.

The Station Headquarters at Stretton was Built during WW2 and Constructed to the Temporary Design Type, having a Span of 28 Feet, and 10 Bays Being 100 feet Long. Many Buildings of This type of Temporary Design was constructed in different sizes at Stretton depending on what they were to be used for Windows were generally metal Crittall units which came in many different pane configurations. These buildings were designed to last for the duration of the war and have a life span of 10 years and were built out of single brick walls without a cavity.The walls are supported by brick piers spaced at 10-feet centers. with internal spans of 18 or 28 feet.

The walls also supported a light steel frame carrying corrugated asbestos sheeting or board with felt roofing. Outside the brickwork was rendered with cement whilst inside the walls were painted a variety of colors. The buildings had concrete floors.

All the following photos were taken just before Christmas in 2013. RNAS HMS Blackcap South Taxi-Way Looking East From The Middle of The Airfield

Battle Headquarters Built to Air Ministry drawing number 11008/41 The battle headquarters was used to coordinate the defences of the airfield against enemy ground attack. It was built mostly underground. There was a main entrance that lead to a main passageway.

It then consisted of 5 rooms, which were: 1 The PBX telephone/switchboard room. 2 Messengers and ‘runners’ room (In the event of the telephone lines being disabled or inoperable, ‘runners’ were sent out to deliver messages to the relevant areas of the airfield). 3 Defence officers room. 4 A semi sunken observation room (note the emergency exit with a steel ladder). 5 A water closet (elsan toilet cubicle).

The compass swinging platform was sited away from buildings, electrical & telephone cables so as to avoid any magnetic interference. The compass swinging platform was to adjust the aircraft compass by swinging the aircraft on a rotating platform. An aircraft fitter sitting in the cockpit would adjust the compass to North heading ( 0 degrees) East (90 degrees) South (180 degrees) & West (270 degrees headings).

The aircraft fitter would check the magnetic compass by adjusting the compass compensator screws with a non magnetic screwdriver. It had a well in the centre and a circular wooden platform covering it. A set of wheels ran in the well and this enabled the platform to act as a turntable.

The aircraft sat on top of the turntable and was turned to the compass points. Compass Turning Platform from a Distance

Southside Fighter Pens at Stretton. There were numerous fighter pens around the airfield at Stretton. These fighter pens were there to protect the flight & ground crews in case of enemy air raids during WW2.

There are 2 that still exist today (as of November 2013 when photos were taken) and these are still accessible today. The layout consisted of 3 arms outlined with brick dwarf walls with retaining earthwork traverses to surround both aircraft. At the rear of the pen is a stanton type air raid shelter for flight & ground crews with access from either bay.

A Terrible Accident on The Night of The 31st of May 1943. On the night of the 31st of May 1943 a party of WRNS were returning from a local dance to the Royal Naval Air Station Stretton/HMS Blackcap as passengers in the back of a truck. The truck driver lost control at Wright’s Green/Lumbrook Lane and crashed into a ditch and overturned. 12 were injured and 6 passengers were killed … 3 WRNS and 3 Naval Air Mechanics. 5 Were buried in their home town’s and 28 year old Annie Elizabeth Mccormick was buried in the graveyard of St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn – the church was 300 yards from the main airfield gate.

The first 3 photos vice admiral sir d Boyd opening the 187th squadron ATC gliding school during 1945 Antrobus radar station was sited a short distance away from Stretton airfield HMS blackcap The radar station was built at Antrobus in 1941 with the electrics and instruments being installed by G.E. Taylor & Co. Ltd. of London.

Its wartime use and immediately after is unknown, it was regarded as top secret by those aware of its existence. In late 1952 it was modified for use by Blackcap’s Air Traffic Control to ensure the safety of flights into and out of Stretton. The equipment in use was ‘Type AMES (Air Ministry Experimental Set) 15 and Type 277T’ Other active airfields in the vicinity of Stretton included Speke (Liverpool Airport), Ringway and Burtonwood (U.S.

Military Air Transport HQ). At that time a Manchester Control Zone was in operation with Ministry of Civil Aviation Zone controllers located at Ringway. Northern Air Traffic Control Centre at Broughton near Preston maintained an Area Control.

On 13th February 1953 trials commenced at Antrobus under Lieutenant J.R. Gee with a view to controlling all naval traffic. A few weeks later after some 1500 sorties, it was also providing a service to military aircraft through the zone.

The use of the facility was then offered to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It duly commenced its own trials early in 1954 with a team from Manchester led by Mr I.M. Lucas.

At 0745 on Tuesday 1st June 1954 the unit became operational, controlling civil and military aircraft at peak periods. It was the first Joint Air Traffic Control Radar Unit and became known as Northern radar.

RAF Stretton – Additional Views

More photographs of RAF Stretton (HMS Blackcap), showing the airfield, hangars, and surrounding areas that served as a vital Royal Navy air station during and after World War II.