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Ayr II (Heathfield)

Major

Did you know?

One of the airfield’s initial duties after opening was to send personnel up the main A77 Ayr-Glasgow road to help capture Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess after he parachuted into Scotland near Eaglesham in May 1941. The story goes that assistance was required after the head of the local Home Guard unit emerged a touch unsteadily out of the village’s Eglinton Arms.

Also known as:	Ayr Aerodrome / Heathfield Aerodrome / Heathfield Industrial Estate / Heathfield Retail Park / HMS Wagtail / RAF Ayr / RAF Heathfield / RAF Station, Ayr / RN Air Station, Ayr / RNAS Ayr / USAAF Station 570
County:	South Ayrshire
Current Status:	Farmland / Housing / Industry / Leisure activity
Date:	7 April 1941 - 1957
Current Use:	Disused
Used By:	RAF (main user) / RAF (Czech) / RAF (Dutch) / RAF (French) / FAA (main user) / RCAF / RNZAF / USAAF / USAAF / USAF
Landing Surface Types:	Paved
Aircraft Roles:	Air observation post / Air-sea rescue / Anti-aircraft co-operation / Army aviation / Bomber / Fighter (main role) / Fighter-reconnaissance / Naval aviation (main role) / Trainer

Ayr’s second airfield, on a separate site further out of the town from the original racecourse location and also locally/semi-officially known as Heathfield, opened in April 1941 as a base for RAF day and night fighter squadrons. Its appearance provided greater defensive cover for Glasgow and central Scotland and many squadrons proceeded to either visit or form there until well into 1944, though few units stayed for any great length of time. One of the exceptions was an early arrival, No 141 Squadron, which operated Boulton Paul Defiants and then Bristol Beaufighters on night patrols, the turret fighters seeing some early success against Luftwaffe bombers raiding Scotland and northern England. Later somewhat more permanent residents included Nos 186, 241, 312 and 406 Squadrons, more Beaufighters of the New Zealand-manned No 488 Squadron staying longest of all between September 1942 and August 1943.

There shortly afterwards occurred a subtle change of role for Ayr as two months later No 14 Armament Practice Camp formed out of No 1490 Flight to enable yet more fighter squadrons to briefly come and go to participate in realistic training in the run-up to D-Day. Another more pronounced difference saw the airfield switch to Fleet Air Arm control in September 1944 and become known as HMS Wagtail: activity remained as busy as ever, naval squadrons now primarily arriving while disembarking from their aircraft carriers.

The Royal Navy paid off this airfield in March 1946 but this was not the end for Ayr as the United States Air Force employed it for storage duties between 1951 and 1957, when the Americans decided upon solely using near-neighbour Prestwick. This celebrated airfield’s extremely close proximity gave rise to potential circuit overlap problems but, while these never materialised, a new secondary runway for the airport constructed during the 1950s ran into the northern half of its more southerly fellow airfield.

Since that decade, Ayr II has gradually disappeared from ready view, now the scene of a mixture of a retail park, housing, farmland and a golf course. Yet not everything has disappeared, notably a Bellman hangar on its east side alongside the main A77 road which is now in industrial use. Various fairly small sections of runways, perimeter track and foundations also still survive, especially near the retail park on the south side, while Liberator Drive acknowledges significant wartime use by examples of this famous four-engined American aircraft.

The following organisations are either based at, use and/or have at least potentially significant connections with the airfield (as at 01/09/2011):

Asda
Ayr Calor Gas Centre
Ayr Cemetery
Bensons for Beds
Carnegie Library
Carpetright
Carpets Direct
Costa Coffee
Crown Decorator Centre
Currys
Dreams
Fisher Direct Ltd
Halfords
Harveys
Homebase
Karol Janik Kitchens & Bathrooms
KFC
Maplin
McConechy's Tyre Service Ltd
Newton and Heathfield Community Council
North Ayr Community Council
Oakfurnitureland
PC World
Pizza Hut
Ponden Home
Prestwick North Community Council
Prestwick South Community Council
Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club
Stanley R Harris Ltd

Main unit(s) present:

No 1 Sqn
No 3 Sqn
No 8 EGS / S8 EGS
No 13 Gp AAC Flight
No 14 APC
No 18 Sqn
No 22 (RCAF) (Fighter) Wing
No 26 Sqn
No 56 Sqn
No 58 OTU
No 64 Sqn
No 72 Sqn
No 81 Sqn
No 130 Sqn
No 141 Sqn
No 143 (RCAF) Airfield
No 165 Sqn
No 169 Sqn
No 186 Sqn
No 219 Sqn
No 222 Sqn
No 232 Sqn
No 239 Sqn
No 241 Sqn
No 278 Sqn
No 281 Sqn
No 282 Sqn
No 289 Sqn
No 295 Sqn
No 296 Sqn
No 312 Sqn
No 313 Sqn
No 322 Sqn
No 329 Sqn
No 340 Sqn
No 345 Sqn
No 402 Sqn
No 406 Sqn
No 410 Sqn
415^th NFS
No 438 Sqn
No 439 Sqn
No 440 Sqn
No 485 Sqn
No 486 Sqn
No 488 Sqn
No 516 Sqn
No 602 Sqn
No 611 Sqn
No 651 Sqn
No 652 Sqn
No 730 Sqn
No 740 Sqn
No 768 Sqn
No 770 Sqn
No 772 Sqn
No 800 Sqn
No 802 Sqn
No 808 Sqn
No 812 Sqn
No 815 Sqn
No 819 Sqn
No 821 Sqn
No 824 Sqn
No 825 Sqn
No 835 Sqn
No 837 Sqn
No 846 Sqn
No 848 Sqn
No 853 Sqn
No 860 Sqn
No 882 Sqn
No 885 Sqn
No 886 Sqn
No 889 Sqn
No 896 Sqn
No 899 Sqn
No 1490 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight
No 1497 (TT) Flight
No 1770 Sqn
No 1771 Sqn
No 1840 Sqn
No 1841 Sqn
No 1843 Sqn
No 1845 Sqn
No 1846 Sqn
No 1850 Sqn
No 3226 Servicing Commando
Station Flight, Ayr (FAA)
Station Flight, Ayr (RAF)

Thank you to all who attended ABCT’s unveiling at Ayr II (Heathfield) on Saturday 10th May 2014.

The event was very much appreciated by those who came along and was attended by veterans, politicians and members of the local community. A special thanks must go to the Lord Provost of South Ayrshire, Councillor Helen Moonie, for unveiling the memorial along with ABCT’s Director General, Kenneth Bannerman. The Depute Provost of South Ayrshire, Mary Kilpatrick, who is one of Ayrshire’s Veterans Champions, was in attendance along with Councillor Ian Cavana and and the Chair of Prestwick South Community Council, Archie Monkhouse. At a national level the support of John Scott MSP was greatly appreciated. We are extremely indebted to all the members of the Royal British Legion who took part in, and supported, the ceremony, as well as those from the Royal Air Forces Association. This includes local members of the Royal British Legion Bikers Branch. A special thanks must go to Legion piper, Jimmy Murphy. The Legion Chaplain, the Reverend Douglas Moore dedicated the stone and we are very grateful for his involvement. Lastly, ABCT would like to thank Alastair Dickie of Ediston Real Estate, who own and manage Healthfield Retail Park (part of the land on which the former airfield stood). Without Alastair’s help the event would not have been possible.

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