Qualla: RAF Charterhall

RAF Charterhall: Introduction

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

They called it Slaughterhall. In 1942 alone, this Borders training airfield logged something in the region of 2,000 accidents, of which just under 200 were fatal. The crews were young men brought in from across the Commonwealth, sent to learn night fighting on twin-engined Bristol Blenheims and Beaufighters fitted with primitive interception radar. The weather over Berwickshire was unforgiving, the aircraft demanding, the schedule relentless. On 8 January 1943, an Australian Battle of Britain ace named Richard Hillary stalled his Blenheim on approach to Charterhall and was killed along with his observer Sergeant Wilfred Fison. Hillary had already survived being shot down in 1940, recovered from terrible burns to his face and hand, and written the celebrated wartime memoir The Last Enemy. He was retraining as a night fighter pilot when his airframe iced and his injuries made the controls too hard to manage. A memorial near the field, unveiled by the Duke of Kent in 2001, lists his name and Fison's and many others.

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RAF Charterhall: First World War Beginnings

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Charterhall began life much earlier, as a First World War landing ground called Eccles Tofts. From at least the beginning of 1917, the site served No. 77 Squadron, whose main base lay further north at Edinburgh. The squadron flew a mixed bag of reconnaissance and training aircraf...

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RAF Charterhall: Slaughterhall

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The airfield reopened on 30 April 1942 as a satellite station, housing No. 54 Operational Training Unit. The unit's job was to teach airmen, many of them already qualified pilots fresh from the Commonwealth training schemes, how to operate twin-engined night fighters. The aircraf...

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RAF Charterhall: Flight Context

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Located at 55.707°N, 2.376°W in Berwickshire, between the villages of Greenlaw and Duns. Best viewed at 1,500-3,000 ft AGL with the three-runway triangular pattern still clearly visible against the surrounding farmland. The site is occasionally used as a private airstrip but has no refuelling or maintenance facilities. The Richard Hillary memorial sits near the perimeter. Nearest major airports: Edinburgh (EGPH) approximately 38 nm to the north-west and Newcastle (EGNT) approximately 50 nm to the south-east. Kelso lies 7 nm to the south-west.

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RAF Charterhall: Formula Two on the Old Runways

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Charterhall's second life began in 1952, when motor racing took over the empty runways and perimeter tracks. The smooth, wide concrete surfaces were ideal for car circuits in an era before purpose-built tracks were common. Formula Two, Formula Libre, and Formula Junior all raced ...

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