RAF Ouston Research

INTRODUCTION TO RAF OUSTON

There can be no better introduction than this image of RAF Ouston's main camp, a photograph taken by David Allen in 1985 and published here with his kind permission.

Construction of the airfield started in late 1940, and it was designed to be a permanent Fighter Command station for the defence of Tyneside. Three hard runways were laid, all joined by a perimeter taxiway. The camp buildings and their layout followed the well established style of the RAF 'Expansion Period' architecture of the late 1930's, albeit with some simplification due to wartime economies. During wartime the airfield had many additional 'temporary' dispersal buildings and simple hangarage, all since removed. The main runway was extended and improved for jet fighter operations in the early 1950's, but otherwise Ouston remained as built, even after 1974 when the RAF  transferred the site to the Army, as Albemarle Barracks.  At the time of writing in 2018, the site remains in Army hands, with new buildings having been added, and extensive tree planting on the former airfield, but most wartime runways (now disused) and buildings still remain.

This annotated version of David Allen's photo identifies the main camp buildings. The photo was taken in 1985, looking north, some 10 years after the RAF had transferred the site to the Army, but few physical changes had (then) taken place. These changes are mainly to be seen on the grassed areas to the front and left of the J-type hangar.  Not visible in the photo are the Officer's Mess, and the domestic married quarters, these areas being further over to the left.

The following map extract is from the author's own 1971 copy of Ordnance Survey Sheet No.78, with the runways and taxiways shaded  in pencil by the author at that date. In addition the author has recently 'photoshopped' in a lighter grey the original extent of the wartime airfield. The 1951 extension of the main runway for jet operations can be seen to the north-east, together with the extended taxiway and operational readiness platform (ORP), a widened area on the end of the runway.  At the same time a second ORP was built at the south-east end of the runway.  The 1951 runway extension to the north-east cut through and removed a section of the country lane from Ouston Farm to Stob Hill Farm.  The longest of the three wartime runways was 1400 yards (4,200 feet, or 1280 m), and the extended 1951 runway provided over 2000 yards (6,000 feet, or 1830 m).

Other features of note in the local area include Stamfordham village to the north where the churchyard contains war graves of RAF Ouston aircrew.  To the south, the close proximity of Hadrian's Roman Wall is evident, together with milecastles and Vallum ditches, over which was built General Wade's military road of 1746, now the B6318.  The modern reservoirs to the south-west pre-date the airfield and have served the very useful purpose of providing a visual reference to help locate the airfield from the air, day or night.  The author can clearly recall using the nearest reservoir as the visual clue to turn his Air Cadet glider for the downwind leg, usually turning right to fly down the north-western side of the main runway before turning back in to wind over Stob Hill Farm, prior to landing on the grass area to the east side of the main runway, stopping roughly where the '-on' in 'Ouston is shown on the map. Only twice did the flights turn left to fly downwind over the camp buildings. An example of a typical glider flight path is illustrated on the page Air Cadet Flying at Ouston