Barrow/Walney Island Airport (formerly RAF Walney Island) is located on Walney Island, northwest of the centre of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The airport is owned by BAE Systems, who operate private communication flights to locations across the United Kingdom and expanded the airport with new infrastructure and terminal buildings in 2018. The Lakes Gliding Club also operates out of the airport.
History
Work on the construction of RAF Walney by Laing Construction began in 1940, though the site had been used as an airship station since the First World War. Designated as an Air Gunnery School, three runways were constructed, laid out in a triangular arrangement, for use by the based Royal Air Force flying units. Upon completion of Walney's airfield No. 25 Group RAF became the first group to take up post, followed a number of weeks later by a small group who were to form No. 3 Air Gunnery School.
Subsequently, the airfield was designated as No. 10 Air Gunnery School which came into being in October 1941, initially comprising 100 personnel, and was one of several situated around the coastline of the Irish Sea, which provided an ideal location for such training.
No. 10 Air Gunnery School
With the specialised aircrew required for the heavy bombers of Bomber Command, air gunners became a separate category. Each bomber required two or three gunners in its crew, so thousands were needed for the growing strategic offensive and to replace losses.
RAF Walney played an important role in the training programme, and thus began the busiest period in the life of the station. The school opened with 10 Westland Lysanders based on the station, providing towing aircraft for the target drones. There were also two Boulton Paul Defiants to provide airborne practice. By December 1941 there were 17 Defiants on the station, and there was accommodation for 100 officers, 140 sergeants and 1,200 airmen.
Whilst at Walney, the volunteer trainee air gunners underwent an intensive course before passing on to the operational training units of Bomber Command. Two types of courses were run from the Station: an 18-month course for wireless operators/air gunners, and a 6-month course for air gunners.
The courses involved sighting; aircraft recognition; pyrotechnics; clay-pigeon and 25 yard range shoots; care and maintenance of .303 and .5 Browning machine guns and 20mm cannon; turret hydraulics, manipulation and operation, and the use of cine-camera guns. The training huts were equipped with the various types of turrets then in use, including Boulton Paul Types A and F, and Frazer Nash 121.
By 1943 the Boulton Paul Defiants were becoming obsolete, mainly because only one student and one instructor could fly at a time. So the Defiants were replaced by Avro Ansons, much more suited to the task, and by the end of 1943 over 5,000 trainees had passed through RAF Walney.
Training continued through 1944 and into 1945, by which time the Avro Ansons began to be replaced by the Vickers Wellington, which was equipped with two turrets and camera guns, thereby offering more efficient training. In addition Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires were introduced to provide more realistic targets. During the latter part of 1945 the RAF Mountain Rescue Unit arrived at Walney from RAF Cark.
In 1946 No. 10 Air Gunnery School relocated to RAF Mona, and by the end of the year all flying based at RAF Walney had ceased. The Air Training Corps No. 188 Gliding School RAF from RAF Cark arrived at Walney and continued to use the airfield until 1955, when RAF Walney closed.
Post-war
The airfield was sold on in 1959 to Vickers, the company that owned Barrow shipyard. Commercial flights operated from the airport in the late 20th century but ceased in 1992.
Airship construction
During the early 20th century a site 1 mile south west of the airport was used for one of the UK's most important airship production facilities. For a brief period, the industry was as important for the local economy as Barrow's booming ship building industry. Between 1910 and 1920, such airships as No. 9r, R80, and the SS class blimp were constructed by Vickers, Sons and Maxim for the British Royal Navy at Walney, having relocated from alongside Cavendish Dock in Barrow.