RAF Peterhead

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title: "RAF Peterhead" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["royal-air-force-stations-in-scotland", "royal-air-force-stations-of-world-war-ii-in-the-united-kingdom", "buildings-and-structures-in-peterhead", "transport-in-peterhead", "military-airbases-established-in-1941", "1941-establishments-in-scotland", "military-airbases-closed-in-1945"] description: "Former airfield in Scotland" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Peterhead" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Former airfield in Scotland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox military installation"]

Field	Value
name	RAF Peterhead
ensign	Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
ensign_size	90px
partof
location	Longside, Aberdeenshire
nearest_town
country	Scotland
image	Target Dossier for Peterhead, Aberdeen, Scotland - DPLA - 4c3b8b615c1833731840e063a63cda58 (page 1).jpg
caption	RAF Peterhead on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1943
image2
type	Sector Station
coordinates
pushpin_map	Scotland Aberdeenshire#UK
pushpin_map_caption	Shown within Aberdeenshire
pushpin_label	RAF Peterhead
ownership	Air Ministry
operator	Royal Air Force
controlledby	RAF Fighter Command
open_to_public
site_other_label
site_other
site_area
code	PH
built
used	July 1941 – August 1945
height
length
fate
battles	European theatre of World War II
past_commanders
garrison
occupants
footnotes
elevation	46 m
r1-number	10/28
r1-length	1200 m
r1-surface	Tarmac
r2-number	04/22
r2-length	1300 m
r2-surface	Tarmac
r3-number	16/34
r3-length	1100 m
r3-surface	Tarmac
h1-length
airfield_other_label
airfield_other
::

| name = RAF Peterhead | ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg | ensign_size = 90px | native_name = | partof = | location = Longside, Aberdeenshire | nearest_town = | country = Scotland | image = Target Dossier for Peterhead, Aberdeen, Scotland - DPLA - 4c3b8b615c1833731840e063a63cda58 (page 1).jpg | alt = | caption = RAF Peterhead on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1943 | image2 = | alt2 = | caption2 = | type = Sector Station | coordinates = | pushpin_map = Scotland Aberdeenshire#UK | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Aberdeenshire | pushpin_label = RAF Peterhead | pushpin_label_position = | ownership = Air Ministry | operator = Royal Air Force | controlledby = RAF Fighter Command | open_to_public = | site_other_label = | site_other = | site_area = | code = PH | built = | used = July 1941 – August 1945 | builder = | materials = | height = | length = | fate = | condition = | battles = European theatre of World War II | events = | past_commanders = | garrison = | occupants = | designations = | website = | footnotes = | IATA = | ICAO = | GPS = | WMO = | elevation = 46 m | r1-number = 10/28 | r1-length = 1200 m | r1-surface = Tarmac | r2-number = 04/22 | r2-length = 1300 m | r2-surface = Tarmac | r3-number = 16/34 | r3-length = 1100 m | r3-surface = Tarmac | h1-number = | h1-length = | h1-surface = | airfield_other_label = | airfield_other = Royal Air Force Peterhead or more simply RAF Peterhead is a former Royal Air Force sector station located 2.4 mi east of Longside, Aberdeenshire and 3.4 mi west of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

History

The airfield was built in 1941 and disbanded in 1945. During this period there were up to 2,000 RAF personnel based there, including around 250 WAAFs. A large number of RAF squadrons from a variety of nations used RAF Peterhead's five accommodation camps.

In November 1941 the station was hit by two bombs from a Junkers Ju 88 bomber, killing one person and injuring three others. Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire and North American Mustang aircraft flew from Longside airfield to provide protection for eastern convoys.

During the 1990s, the airfield site was inspected and aerial photographs were taken as part of an assessment for a proposed pipeline running between St Fergus and Peterhead Power Station. These reports and photographs showed that pillboxes and many buildings still survived, although most of the land had by then returned to agricultural use. The control tower had been demolished. In November 2004, further investigation was undertaken. The report compared photographs from 1946, which showed the airfield and all its ancillary buildings, with photographs taken in June 1969. By then the hangars had been removed but many other buildings and pillboxes still survived.

Squadrons

• No. 19 Squadron RAF
• No. 26 (South African) Squadron RAF
• No. 63 Squadron RAF
• No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF
• No. 68 Squadron RAF
• No. 118 Squadron RAF
• No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF
• No. 125 (Newfoundland) Squadron RAF
• No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron RAF
• No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron RAF
• No. 164 (Argentine–British) Squadron RAF
• No. 165 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF
• No. 167 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF
• No. 234 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF
• No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron RAF
• No. 278 Squadron RAF
• No. 282 Squadron RAF
• No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron
• No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
• No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
• No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron
• No. 350 Squadron RAF
• No. 402 Squadron RCAF
• No. 409 Squadron RCAF
• No. 411 Squadron RCAF
• No. 414 Squadron RCAF
• No. 416 Squadron RCAF
• No. 430 Squadron RCAF
• No. 453 Squadron RAAF
• No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron AAF
• No. 598 Squadron RAF
• No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron AAF
• No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron AAF
• No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron AAF

Other units

• Satellite of No. 2 Flying Instructors School RAF (1943)
• No. 14 Fighter Command Servicing Unit
• No. 15 Armament Practice Camp RAF between 18 October 1943 and 21 February 1945
• No. 1479 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF (May 1942 - December 1943)
• No. 1491 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF (October 1943)
• No. 2792 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2803 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2848 Squadron RAF Regiment

Current use

The north-eastern section of the airfield has been taken over by Bond Helicopters and Bristows as a refuelling point for helicopters servicing North Sea oil platforms, roughly a 45-minute flight.

In 2003, after funds were successfully raised by the local branch of the Longside British Legion, a cairn monument was erected in memory of those who had served at RAF Peterhead, Longside airfield. At the time of the unveiling ceremony of the monument on 14 September 2003, there was a flypast from a Douglas Dakota of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

More recently a stretch of the runway is used for flying radio controlled model aircraft.

References

Citations

Bibliography

References

1. "RAF Peterhead". Secret Scotland.
2. "Peterhead Airfield". [[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]] (RCAHMS).
3. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
4. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
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11. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
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21. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
22. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
23. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
24. {{Harvnb. Jefford. 2001
25. "Peterhead (Landplane)". [[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]].
26. "Energy archive". Aberdeen University.
27. Wilson, Terry. "Longside Cairn". The Royal Air Force Boy Entrants Association.

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