Dornoch Airfield – (With extracts from Dornoch History Link)

The grass airstrip on Dornoch links was well used during the 1930's. This photograph shows a De Havilland Aircraft Company DH84 Dragon, registration G-ACIT, with a group of people presumably about to board, at the airstrip.

An aerial view of the Airfield showing its 2 runways in the 1940s.

In early 1941, at a cost of £38,000, Dornoch airstrip was prepared for use by the Royal Air Force, and was opened on 10 August 1941 by Flying Officer Smith and 12 men as 40 Satellite Landing Ground (SLG). The RAF 45 Maintenance Unit (MU) was to use Dornoch for storing Spitfires, Havocs, Whitleys and Wellingtons. The airfield was only in use for a short period, being placed in a state of 'Care and Maintenance' on 30 September 1942 largely as a result of the inability to camouflage aircraft on the open links, therefore rendering them vulnerable to enemy attack.

Following a period of re-organisation by 41 Group Maintenance Command, Dornoch was taken over by 46 Maintenance Unit, Lossiemouth, with an advance party arriving on 24 September 1943 and the main body on 11 October 1943. 46 MU used Dornoch mainly for storing Beaufighters, 90 being held in May 1944 and 108 in July. In March 1944 a Robin hanger was moved from Field 13 at Lossiemouth and erected at Dornoch. The airfield reached its maximum capacity in April 1945 but aircraft were now being prepared for service rather than storage. An RAF photograph taken in 1944, shows around 114 aircraft at Dornoch.

Although there is no mention in the 46 MU Operations Record Book, Lancasters were stored for a time at Dornoch. A photograph, taken from the Cathedral tower, clearly shows Lancasters on the airfield and an ex-fitter, Archie Campbell of Loch Rannoch, recalled working on them and getting a dressing down for using the Witch's stone as an anchor when towing a Lancaster out of soft ground.

The wartime service of Dornoch airfield ceased on 27 September 1945 when the last aircraft took off and the airfield formally closed on 30 September 1945.

In 1967 the airfield was re-established with Loganair Services operating to Wick and Inverness until 1972 when the service ceased due to being uneconomic.

Currently the airfield is frequently used by light aircraft, microlights and our Dornoch community model flying club (DMFC).