Shackleton Barracks

Shackleton Barracks now a British Army base, was formerly RAF Ballykelly, a Royal Air Force station near Ballykelly, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It opened in 1941 and is due to close in April 2008.

World War II

RAF Ballykelly opened in June 1941 as a base for RAF Coastal Command. In 1943 the main runway was extended and acquired an unusual characteristic in that it crosses an active railway line. Rules were put in place giving trains the right of way over landing aircraft. The base was used to carry out anti-submarine patrols and escort convoys over the Atlantic Ocean. At various times B-24 Liberator aircraft flew from Ballykelly in the fight against the U-boats, ranging from the Bay of Biscay to northern Norway. By the end of the war, Ballykelly-based squadrons had been responsible for sinking twelve U-boats, sharing with other aircraft and surface ships in the destruction of several others, and damaging many more.cite web | title=Shackleton Barracks Ballykelly to Close | work=Sandes (26 June 2006) | url=http://www.sandes.org.uk/news_detail.asp?id=13 | accessdate=2008-06-21]

During World War II an RAF bomber on a training run clipped a telephone line behind a church in Ballykelly and crashed, claiming the lives of the crew. [cite web | title=Ballykelly | work=Culture Northern Ireland | url=http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/YourArea.aspx?location=453 | accessdate=2008-06-21]

Post World war II

The base was closed at the end of World War II, but re-opened in 1947 as the home of the RAF Joint Anti-Submarine School, a training flight flying Avro Shackleton aircraft. It closed briefly in 1951 to allow preparatory work to be done for the arrival of the Shackleton aircraft in 1952.

In 1955, RAF Ballykelly was home to three squadrons of Shackletons, 206 Squadron (MK I's), 204 Squadron (MKII's) and 240 Squadron (MK I's). There was also a flight Squadron with 2 Lockheed Hudsons, 2 Douglas DC-3s and one Auster. In 1957 and again in 1958, 240 Squadron was among those involved in Operation Grapple, nuclear weapon testing on Christmas Island in the Pacific.

By 1961, Ballykelly was home to three Squadrons flying Shackletons MR2's: 203 Squadron, 204 Squadron and 210 Squadron. 203 Squadron later re-equipped with Mk3 Phase3 aircraft and the other squadrons with Mk2 phase 3s. (some of these Mk2s were later converted to the AEW function, becoming the last Shackletons in RAF service). These three Squadrons were part of the ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) force. They also covered SAR (Search and Rescue) standby duties together with their counterparts at RAF Kinloss and RAF St. Mawgan.

Some Fleet Air Arm units, including 819 Squadron moved onto the station in 1962 and they referred to it as HMS Sealion. The runways were extended again in 1963 to allow for potential dispersal of the V-bomber force. In 1968, a 204 Squadron Shackleton flying from Ballykelly suffered the last loss of a Shackleton when Sqn Ldr Clive Haggett and his crew, a total of 12 men, were killed when their aircraft flew into the Mull of Kintyre early one rainy morning.

Closure and current usage

The last of the Shackleton aircraft left RAF Ballykelly on 31 March 1971, the base closed and the site was handed over to the Army on 2 June 1972, who renamed it Shackleton Barracks.

The town of Ballykelly suffered badly in 1982 with the Droppin Well bombing which resulted in the loss of eighteen lives including both local civilians and soldiers from Shackelton Barracks.

The base was the HQ of 8 Infantry Brigade until it was disbanded in summer 2006. It is still (until summer 2008), home to an infantry battalion - 2 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. Both the Army Air Corps and RAF use the airfield, but no aircraft are stationed there any more. The runways and taxiways remain well maintained and operational.

On March 29, 2006 an Airbus A320 aircraft operated by Eirjet on behalf on Ryanair landed at Ballykelly after the pilot mistook the runways for those at nearby City of Derry Airport. The 39 passengers who boarded the flight at Liverpool airport continued their journey to Derry by bus. [cite web | title=Plane lands at airbase by mistake | work=BBC News NI (29 March 2006) | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4857962.stm | accessdate=2008-06-21]

Official military closure

The Army is due to leave Shackleton Barracks in early spring 2008, when convert|776|acre|km2 of land and 420 buildings will be on offer, according to the Ministry of Defence. The Northern Ireland Executive will be offered first refusal on the site and if they show no interest the barracks will go on open sale. [cite news | author=Clare Weir | title= convert|800|acre|km2 up for grabs as Army quits barracks | work=The Belfast Telegraph | page=8 | date=2007-08-21] It is expected to close in April 2008, when the infantry battalion, 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, is scheduled to move. It was also home to 8th Infantry Brigade HQ, but it was disbanded and handed over responsibility to HQ 39th Infantry Brigade, Lisburn on 1 September 2006.

References

External links

* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&t=k&ll=55.062641,-7.017431&spn=0.071076,0.160675 Location Map]
* [http://users.bigpond.net.au/Shackleton/balkela.html Ballykelly's Shackleton Era 1952-1971]