RAF Ballyhalbert

Royal Air Force Station Ballyhalbert or more simply RAF Ballyhalbert is a fomer Royal Air Force station at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula, County Down.

RAF Kirkistown was a satellite to the larger Ballyhalbert.

Construction began in 1940.

Royal Air Force use
It opened provisionally in May 1941, prior to completion of the works, as a RAF Fighter Command base where the primary weapon was the Supermarine Spitfire, and officially on 28 June of that same year. The base provided local protection from Luftwaffe raids on Belfast and the rest of the province. Other aircraft operated from the base were the Hawker Hurricane, Bristol Beaufighter, North American P-51 Mustang and Boulton Paul Defiant night fighter. During its lifetime, Ballyhalbert was home to RAF, Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), British Army, Royal Navy and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) personnel. Servicemen from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Poland also saw duty at Ballyhalbert.

Fleet Air Arm use
As HMS Corncake the airfield was used by the Fleet Air Arm for squadrons working up for carrier duty. On 13 November 1945 the airfield was closed and placed on Care and Maintenance. By 1947, with no further use made of the site it was abandoned. The airfield was sold to developers in March 1960, and is in use for several popular caravan parks.

Squadrons

 * No. 25 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 26 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 63 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 125 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 130 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 153 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 245 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 256 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 303 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 315 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 501 Squadron RAF.
 * No. 504 Squadron RAF.
 * 718 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 725 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 768 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 784 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 787 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 800 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 808 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 812 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 827 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 880 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 882 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 885 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 887 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 894 Naval Air Squadron.
 * 899 Naval Air Squadron.

Other units

 * 3rd Naval Fighter Wing.
 * No. 13 Group AAC Flight.
 * No. 81 Group Communications Flight.
 * No. 82 Group Target Towing Flight.
 * No. 1402 (Meteorological) Flight RAF
 * No. 1480 (AAC) Flight.
 * No. 1493 (TT) Flight.
 * No. 1494 (TT) Flight.
 * No. 1840 Squadron.
 * No. 1846 Squadron.