RAF Hell's Mouth

RAF Hell's Mouth
Near Abersoch, Gwynedd in Wales
RAF Hell's Mouth
Shown within Gwynedd
Coordinates 52°48′25″N 004°32′14″W / 52.80694°N 4.53722°W / 52.80694; -4.53722Coordinates: 52°48′25″N 004°32′14″W / 52.80694°N 4.53722°W / 52.80694; -4.53722
Type Emergency Landing Ground
Air gunnery and bombing range
Site information
Owner Air Ministry
Operator Royal Air Force
Site history
Built 1940 (1940)
In use 1940-1946 (1946)
Airfield information
Elevation 18 metres (59 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Grass

RAF Hell's Mouth is a former Royal Air Force Emergency Landing Ground at Hell's Mouth, (Porth Neigwl) on the Llŷn Peninsula near Abersoch, Gwynedd, Wales.

History

RAF Hell's Mouth was commissioned in February 1937 as a Relief Landing Ground, later an Emergency Landing Ground for RAF Penrhos. It was also an air gunnery and bombing range, with targets on the land, floated 1 mile offshore and towed drogues in the air. A small range railway was in use to provide moving targets.

Typical aircraft using the airfield were Bristol Blenheim and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley. In August 1944 a Vickers Wellington was successfully landed by a Polish pilot following an engine failure. Despite the mismatch in size, the aircraft also was able to subsequently take off.

No. 9 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit RAF was posted here at some point.[1]

Current use

The site was decommissioned in 1945 and returned to agriculture.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Hell's Mouth". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 20 November 2014.

Bibliography

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