RAF Breighton

RAF Breighton stood near the village of Breighton in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Built in the early years of the war and brought into use during January 1942, it served as a heavy bomber station within No. 1 Group of RAF Bomber Command.

Its first operational unit was No. 460 Squadron RAAF, an Australian formation that flew from Breighton between early 1942 and May 1943. The squadron progressed through Vickers Wellingtons and Handley Page Halifaxes before re-equipping with the Avro Lancaster, which it took on operations over occupied Europe and Germany. No. 460 was succeeded in June 1943 by No. 78 Squadron RAF, a Halifax unit that remained until the close of the war in 1945. The airfield also hosted heavy conversion and training elements, including a heavy conversion unit and blind-approach training flights.

Flying ceased after the war, but Breighton returned to front-line service in the missile era. As part of Project Emily it became a launch site for the PGM-17 Thor ballistic missile under No. 240 Squadron from 1959, and later supported Bloodhound air-defence missiles with No. 112 Squadron before final closure in 1964.

Today the site survives as a private aerodrome with a grass strip, home to the Real Aeroplane Company and a flying club, with part of the surrounding land given over to other uses.