# RAF Drem

Royal Air Force Drem, or more simply RAF Drem, is a former Royal Air Force station, just north of the village of Drem in East Lothian, Scotland. The motto of the station was Exiit Hinc Lumen which means "Light has departed from this place".

## History

The foundation of Drem as an airfield, precedes the creation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) as by 1916, an airfield had been established under the name West Fenton Aerodrome. From 1916 to 1917, No. 77 Home Defence Squadron, Royal Flying Corps operated from Drem and in April 1918, No. 2 Training Depot Station opened.
Between April and 14 August 1918, the American 41st Aero Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Warren C. Woodward was temporarily located at Drem together with an aero repair flight company. The Americans called the airfield "Gullane" in its official history. The squadron transferred to St Maixent in France and arrived at its operational airfield of Romorantin on 29 August 1918.
By November 1918, West Fenton had been renamed Gullane Aerodrome and with the post-war demobilisation the airfield was vacated in 1919. From 1933 to 1939, the airfield saw only occasional use by visiting squadrons.
It was at this time, while stationed there in 1934, that Victor Goddard had his paranormal vision of the airfield as it might appear in the then future 1939.
In 1939, the grass airstrip was resurfaced, and the unit was renamed RAF Drem. The station was then home to No. 13 Flying Training School.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, RAF Drem became an air defence fighter unit for the city of Edinburgh and the shipping area around the Firth of Forth, with Supermarine Spitfire of 602 Squadron posted to Drem.
On 16 October 1939, the Luftwaffe made its first attack on Great Britain. Junkers Ju 88s of 1/KG 30 led by Hauptmann Helmuth Pohle attacked British warships in the Firth of Forth. Spitfires from 603 Squadron (City of Edinburgh Squadron) joined 602 Squadron aircraft in a defensive counter-air sortie. Following the destruction of a Luftwaffe bomber aircraft by a 603 Squadron Spitfire, 602 Squadron pilot Flight Lieutenant George Pinkerton gained the second kill of the Second World War.
In 1940, an airfield lighting system for night landings, the Drem Lighting System, was developed at RAF Drem.
Royal Australian Air Force 453 Squadron was re-established at Drem on 18 June 1942, equipped with Supermarine Spitfire aircraft, and joined the RAF's Fighter Command.

### Royal Navy

In 1942, a request for lodger facilities for the Royal Navy at RAF Drem was granted and Royal Naval Air Section Drem became home to 784 Night Fighter Training Squadron. On 21 April 1945 the airbase was transferred from No. 13 Group, on loan to the Admiralty, known as Royal Naval Air Station Drem (RNAS Drem) and was commissioned as HMS Nighthawk. Its primary role was Naval Night Fighter School and Night Fighter Direction Centre. 770 Fleet Requirements Unit had moved from RNAS Dunino in July 1944 and in May 1945 732 Night Fighter Training School formed at RNAS Drem. A number of Fleet Air Arm squadrons used the airbase when disembarking from aircraft carrier operations between 1943 and 1945. March 1946 saw the airfield transfer back into RAF control, and the unit was returned to the Air Ministry although it was closed and then decommissioned not long after that.

## Units and aircraft

| Unit | From | To | Aircraft | Version | Notes |
| No. 77 Squadron RFC | 1916 | 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 | | Squadron headquartered in Edinburgh. West Fenton was one of various landing grounds used. |
| 41st Aero Squadron, US Army | April 1918 | August 1918 | SPAD S.VII Sopwith Camel | | |
| RAF No. 2 Training Depot Station | 15 April 1918 | 1919 | Sopwith Pup Sopwith Camel Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 | | |
| No. 151 Squadron RAF | 21 February 1919 | 10 September 1919 | | | Cadre, no aircraft allocated |
| No. 152 Squadron RAF | 21 February 1919 | 30 June 1919 | | | Cadre, no aircraft allocated |
| No. 13 Flying Training School RAF | 17 March 1939 | 3 September 1939 | Airspeed Oxford Hawker Audax Hawker Hart | | |
| No. 13 Service Flying Training School RAF | 3 September 1939 | 27 October 1939 | Airspeed Oxford Hawker Audax Hawker Hart | | |
| No. 602 Squadron RAF | 13 October 1939 | 14 April 1940 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 609 Squadron RAF | 17 October 1939 | 5 December 1939 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 72 Squadron RAF | 1 December 1939 | 12 January 1940 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 111 Squadron RAF | 7 December 1939 | 27 February 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 609 Squadron RAF | 10 January 1940 | 20 May 1940 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 29 Squadron RAF | 4 April 1940 | 10 May 1940 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.IF | |
| No. 603 Squadron RAF | 14 April 1940 | 5 May 1940 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 245 Squadron RAF | 12 May 1940 | 5 June 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 605 Squadron RAF | 28 May 1940 | 7 September 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 145 Squadron RAF | 14 August 1940 | 31 August 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 263 Squadron RAF | 2 September 1940 | 28 November 1940 | Hawker Hurricane Westland Whirlwind | Mk.I Mk.I | Converting from Hurricane to Whirlwind |
| No. 111 Squadron RAF | 8 September 1940 | 12 October 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 141 Squadron RAF | 15 October 1940 | 22 October 1940 | Boulton Paul Defiant | Mk.I | |
| No. 232 Squadron RAF | 24 October 1940 | 11 November 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 607 Squadron RAF | 8 November 1940 | 12 December 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 258 Squadron RAF | 4 December 1940 | 17 December 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 43 Squadron RAF | 12 December 1940 | 22 February 1941 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 603 Squadron RAF | 13 December 1940 | 27 February 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 43 Squadron RAF | 1 March 1941 | 4 October 1941 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I, IIA & IIB | Converted to Hurricane Mk.IIA & IIB during April 1941. |
| No. 607 Squadron RAF | 2 March 1941 | 16 April 1941 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 600 Squadron RAF | 14 March 1941 | 27 April 1941 | Bristol Blenheim Bristol Beaufighter | Mk.IF Mk.IF | |
| No. 260 Squadron RAF | 16 April 1941 | 19 May 1941 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I | |
| No. 64 Squadron RAF | 17 May 1941 | 7 August 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IIA | |
| No. 123 Squadron RAF | 6 August 1941 | 22 September 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| No. 64 Squadron RAF | 4 October 1941 | 16 November 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IIA | |
| No. 611 Squadron RAF | 12 November 1941 | 3 June 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IIA, IIB & VB | |
| No. 340 (Free French) Squadron RAF | 20 December 1941 | 1 January 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IIA | |
| No. 410 Squadron RCAF | 6 August 1941 | 15 June 1942 | Boulton Paul Defiant Bristol Beaufighter | Mk.I Mk.IIF | Converted to Beaufighter April–May 1942 |
| No. 242 Squadron RAF | 1 June 1942 | 11 August 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 453 Squadron RAAF | 9 June 1942 | 25 September 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 137 Squadron RAF | 2 August 1942 | 11 August 1942 | Westland Whirlwind | Mk.I | |
| No. 222 Squadron RAF | 10 August 1942 15 August 1942 | 21 August 1942 22 October 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 65 Squadron RAF | 26 September 1942 11 October 1942 | 2 October 1942 3 January 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| 784 Naval Air Squadron | 18 October 1942 | 1 February 1946 | Avro Anson Fairey Fulmar Fairey Firefly Grumman Hellcat North American Harvard | | Naval night-fighter school |
| No. 197 Squadron RAF | 25 November 1942 | 28 March 1943 | Hawker Typhoon | Mk.IA & IB | |
| No. 124 Squadron RAF | 29 December 1942 | 21 January 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VI | |
| No. 65 Squadron RAF | 10 January 1943 | 29 March 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 186 Squadron RAF | 27 April 1943 | 3 August 1943 | | | Squadron reforming, no aircraft allocated |
| No. 340 (Free French) Squadron RAF | 30 April 1943 | 9 November 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 1692 (Radio Development) Flight RAF | 5 July 1943 | 10 December 1943 | Boulton Paul Defiant Bristol Beaufighter | | Radar-jamming trials |
| No. 130 Squadron RAF | 30 March 1943 | 30 April 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 488 Squadron RNZAF | 3 August 1943 | 3 September 1943 | Bristol Beaufighter de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.VIF Mk.XII | Converting from Beaufighter to Mosquito. Previously a detachment at Drem since September 1942 (Beaufighter IIF & VIF) |
| No. 96 Squadron RAF | 4 September 1943 | 8 November 1943 | Bristol Beaufighter de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.VIF Mk.XIII | Converted to Mosquito during October–November 1943 |
| No. 281 Squadron RAF | 9 October 1943 | 22 November 1943 | Supermarine Walrus Avro Anson | Mk.I Mk.I | Air-sea rescue unit |
| No. 307 (Polish) Squadron RAF | 9 November 1943 | 2 March 1944 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.II | |
| No. 485 Squadron RNZAF | 21 November 1943 | 28 February 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.VB | |
| No. 486 Squadron RNZAF | 28 February 1944 | 6 March 1944 | Hawker Typhoon Hawker Tempest | Mk.IB Mk.V | Converting from Typhoon to Tempest |
| No. 29 Squadron RAF | 1 March 1944 | 1 May 1944 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.XII & XIII | Converting from Mk.XII to Mk.XIII |
| No. 91 Squadron RAF | 17 March 1944 | 23 April 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.XIV | |
| No. 309 (Polish) Squadron RAF | 23 April 1944 | 14 November 1944 | Hawker Hurricane North American Mustang | Mk.IIC Mk. I & III | Converted to Mustang September–October 1944 |
| 770 Naval Air Squadron | 16 July 1944 | 1 October 1945 | (various) | | Fleet Requirements Unit |
| No. 340 (Free French) Squadron RAF | 17 December 1944 | 30 January 1945 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IXB | |
| 722 Naval Air Squadron | 15 May 1945 | November 1945 | | | Naval night-fighter school (merged into 784 Squadron November 1945) |
| No. 81 Squadron RAF | | | | | |
(Sources:)
The following units were here at some point:
* No. 2882 Squadron RAF Regiment
* No. 2885 Squadron RAF Regiment
* Radio Development Flight RAF (December 1942 - July 1943) became No. 1692 Flight
* SCR.584 Training Unit RAF (January - May 1945)
Most of the units based at Drem during the Second World War were fighter or night-fighter squadrons, which were often based at Drem for relatively short periods. This was typical of many fighter stations in Scotland and Northern England as although Luftwaffe activity in these areas was relatively limited for most of the war, they still required to be defended. Squadrons would therefore be rotated north to cover "quiet" sectors whilst also resting, absorbing replacement aircrews and/or converting to new aircraft. As the war progressed the Luftwaffe threat to Britain diminished further and surplus fighter stations could be transferred to other uses, such as (in the case of Drem) training of Fleet Air Arm crews.
In addition to the units and dates listed above, Drem also hosted detachments from various other RAF squadrons from time to time. These were mostly fighter and night-fighter units, but detachments from 278 or 281 (Air-Sea Rescue) Squadrons were also present for extended periods during 1942 and 1943.

## Current use

At present, the RAF Drem Museum is housed in what was RAF Drem's mess accommodation.
Various business premises occupy the rest of the accommodation section of the airfield.
Equestrian activities occupy areas of the greater airfield.
A radio controlled model flying club have a strip on the southern edge of the field just off the peritrack.