York Historic Environment Record

NMR Information:

Clifton airfield, now disused. It was a civilian aerodrome built in 1936. It formed an RAF airfield 1939-45, where Halifax bombers were overhauled and repaired. (1)

Clifton was also known as York and Rawcliffe. In 1942 the airfield was attacked by the Luftwaffe, desyroying one hangar. Source 2 gives details of the Halifax repair and overhauling work and of the prewar civilian airfield. During the War the airfield was under the control of Army Cooperation Command for a short period and then mainly Bomber Command. (2)

York Airfield, SE 590 550. The wartime airfield consisted of three concrete runways with Blister, T1 and B Robin design aircraft hangars. Souce 3 notes that in December 1944 the aifield was under the control of 12 Group Fighter Command (this is not mentioned in souce 2). By 1985 the site was built over for housing. (3)

1 Vertical aerial photograph reference number NMR HLA 552 PRU 5 138 03-JUN-1942
3 Airfield review 4,5 9, 1988
4 Military airfields in the British Isles 1939-1945 224 Steve Willis and Barry Holliss

Visited by student Joseph Keeley (York University) in February 2023. Images attached to this record were taken by him.