RAF Hornby Hall

Military demobilization following the end of World War II. As a temporary wartime airfield, specifically a Relief Landing Ground (RLG), it was no longer required by the Royal Air Force once hostilities ceased and training programs were drastically scaled down. The site was deemed surplus to requirements and was closed.

The site has been completely decommissioned and has fully reverted to its pre-war use as agricultural land. The land is privately owned and used for farming and grazing. There are no remaining runways, hangars, or control towers from its wartime period. Faint outlines of the former perimeter tracks and runways can sometimes be discerned from aerial photography under specific crop and light conditions, but on the ground, there is little to no evidence of its past as an active airfield.

RAF Hornby Hall was a World War II era airfield that opened around 1941. Its primary role was to serve as a Relief Landing Ground for No. 2 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit, which was based at the larger RAF Millom. The main purpose of an RLG was to provide a secondary location for flight training, particularly for take-offs and landings, to ease congestion at the main base and allow for more intensive training schedules. Operations at Hornby Hall would have predominantly involved training aircraft, most notably the Avro Anson, which was used to train observers (a role combining navigator and bomb aimer). Its significance lies in its contribution to the vast Allied aircrew training program in the UK, which was essential for the war effort. Like many RLGs, it was constructed with basic facilities and was never intended for front-line operational bomber or fighter use.

There are no known plans, proposals, or prospects for reopening RAF Hornby Hall as an airport. The original infrastructure has been entirely removed for over 75 years, the land is in private ownership, and there is no economic or strategic demand for an airfield at this location. Reopening is considered highly improbable.