The first runway to be constructed at Anthorn was completed in 1918. In his book on the Cumbrian Airfields, Martyn Chorlton suggests it was intended for training pilots in the use of torpedoes against submarines but there is no evidence that it was ever used for this purpose and it quickly fell into disuse.
In 1938, work began on a new RAF
airfield at Silloth and the runway at Anthorn was renovated to act as
an emergency landing strip for the new station.
Then, in late 1943, the Admiralty moved
in. They took over the old airstrip and requisitioned a large area of
land between Cardurnock and Anthorn. John Laing & Son also moved
in and began construction of three tarmac runways and a wide range of
ancillary buildings. The Royal Naval Air Station, Anthorn was born.
It opened on 7th September,
1944. It
was the base of No. 1 Aircraft Receipt and Despatch Unit (ARDU)
which had the job of receiving aircraft fresh from manufacturers,
modifying them to service standards and despatching them to
operational squadrons. The personnel consisted of 74 officers, seven
of whom were WRNS, and 950 'other ranks' which included a further 150
WRNS.
The
station was now officially known as 'HMS Nuthatch'.
This
work continued through the last two years of the war. In peacetime
the role of the ARDU changed. Rather than flying the planes on to
operational airfields the pilots were now often flying them to other
destinations to be scrapped.
 |
| The beautiful chapel on the airfield |
As
well as the permanent personnel on the station, it acted as a
temporary host to other squadrons. 772 Second Line Squadron was based
there from May 1946 until February 1947 and First Line Squadron 813
operated from Anthorn between May and October in 1948.
The
first edition of the 'Anthorn Post' was published in the spring of
1949. It was a magazine written for and by the men and women
stationed there. Its pages provide a fascinating glimpse of life on
the air station. The striking cover of the first issue was designed
by AA3 Abrams for which he received a prize of ten shillings (50p).
 |
| Capt. Bowring |
In
this issue, the commanding officer, Captain F.G.S. Bowring, outlines
the work then being carried out on the airfield where about 940
people were currently employed; this represented a fall from the peak
of 1,200 at the end of the war. Around 300 aircraft were stored
there, in varying states of readiness for service, these included
Barracudas, Firebrands, Seafires and Seafuries. The main work carried
out involved ferrying the planes to other airfields and test flights
of the aircraft before dispatch for active service.
Captain
Bowring also remarked on the success of the base's first open day
which had taken place in July 1948 and had attracted between 3,000
and 4,000 visitors. He also confirmed that approval had been granted
for the construction of a new Married Quarters Housing Estate and it
was expected work on this would begin in the summer.
Life
on the airbase wasn't all work. The 'Anthorn Post' reports on the
many spare-time activities available. At Easter 1949, the Amateur
Dramatics group were rehearsing an extract from Noel Coward's “Hay
Fever” which they planned to enter in Royal Naval Drama Festival
later in the year.
Every
Saturday night there was two hours of Scottish Country Dancing and
the magazine includes brief reports from the Gliding Club, the
Anglers and the Shooting Club. There had been a handicrafts
exhibition with sections for both embroidery and perspex
constructions.
However,
by far the most popular leisure activity was sport. The Cricket team
was having a mixed season. They had beaten 12MU (Kirkbride),
Garlands, Wigton and the Carlisle Teachers team, but had lost both
their matches against Hadrian's Camp, and were also beaten by British
Railways. The players were complaining about a shortage of kit,
especially bats which were apparently in very short supply.
Unfortunately,
only two copies of the 'Anthorn Post' have come to light so far and
few details are available on the last years of the airfield's life.
The Married Quarters, promised by Captain Bowring were built and
these houses still form a substantial part of the village homes. The
last aircraft, a Gannet, took off from there in November 1957 and
the site closed completely a few months later.
For
a few years, local farmers used the land as extra grazing then, in
1962, NATO moved in and construction of a large communications centre
began. It was officially handed over to the MOD in November 1964. Its
array of masts became the most prominent landmark on this stretch of
the Solway.
Today,
the Very Low Frequency transmitter there is used for communications
with submarines. A separate operation by the National Physical
Laboratory operates two atomic clocks which generate the familiar
Greenwich Time Signal.
CLICK ON THE PICTURES
FOR A LARGER VIEW
Sources:
Martyn Chorlton: Cumbria Airfields in
the Second World War (Countryside Books, 2006)
Ken Delve: The Military Airfields of
Britain, Northern England (Crowood, 2006)
The Anthorn Post, Easter and Summer
1949 (Carlisle Library, Local Studies Section)
Wikipedia.org/Anthorn Radio Station.
