Kirknewton opened in November 1941, although it seems to have been used as a grass landing ground as early as October 1940. No. 289 Squadron formed here on November 20 from 13 Group AAC Flight. This unit was responsible for army co-operation with AA batteries and stationed detachments at various airfields in Southern Scotland and Northern England. An assortment of Blenheims, Lysanders, Hudsons, Hurricanes and Oxfords was operated, the squadron moving to Turnhouse on May 20 1942.
The Refresher Flying Training School arrived from Moreton Valence in Gloucestershire late in May 1942, flying Master IIs, Oxfords and Tutors. This obscure and short-lived unit was established to provide a refresher course in elementary single- and twin-engined aircraft for pilots who had not been engaged in flying duties for a considerable time. It also gave conversion courses from single- to twin-engined aircraft. The standard required on completion of an RFTS course was that the pupil should be ready for further training at an OTU or FIS. Plans soon changed, however, and the RFTS disbanded at Kirknewton on October 31 1942.
After some time on Care and Maintenance, the airfield became a satellite of Findo Gask and on March 8 1943, 309 Squadron moved in with Lysanders and Mustangs. Findo became unserviceable and the station HQ was transferred to Kirknewton on May 1 1943. The Squadron left for Snailwell early in June and on June 21, Kirknewton returned to Care and Maintenance under 21 Group Flying Training Command.
The Air Ministry Airfields Board visited in August 1943 to investigate the possibility of lengthening the runways, but found it could not be done. On February 10 1944, the station was handed over to 44 Group Maintenance Command for use by 243 MU for bomb storage. This MU stayed on after the war, Finally disbanding in January 1956.
In December 1944, the airfield is listed as having no hangarage, but today, one can see a Bellman, and two Blisters. One of the original dispersed sited (across the B7031) was at one time occupied by the First Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. This too has since been dismantled and the land returned to farm land.
Kirknewton does not look a promising site for an airfield, with its three short runways surrounded by rolling hills, with a large spoil heap to the west and two steepish albeit small hills 1km and 2km respectively to the east.
In the 1950s, the USAF's 7535th Air Base Squadron used the airfield for storage but it reverted to British use during 1967. No. 661 Gliding School commenced operations in 1967.
More recently, British Leyland used the airfield for road-testing trucks which were at the time built at their Bathgate plant.
My personal involvement with Kirknewton:
In the late 1970s I came to hear of a sniper location system that the British army were employing in Northern Ireland. By co-incidence, in 1979, I found myself working for the company which designed and manufactured this very system. I was working for the Quality Dept. and it was our job to perform Live-Firing tests on selected systems. For this purpose, we owned our own Armalite rifle which was kept for us at the Scottish Infantry Training Depo at Glencourse. The location of the 30m range at Glencourse was not ideal for lugging equipment onto, so we frequently used the 30 range at Kirknewton. This range was sited just north of the west end of runway 06. I remember on one occasion when we had collected the weapon from Glencourse, we arrived at the main gate (to pick up an SLR and a selection of 5.56 and 7.62 ammo) opposite the airfield in our company Ford Cortina Estate, two of us in the front, and one in the back with the weapon across his knees. Had it been a saloon car, the Armalite would have been stowed in the boot. However, this was an Estate car full of sniper location hardware. So Ed had it across his knees. It was January and extremely cold, and Ed being a skier was wearing his ski balaclava. OOPS! Not the sort of thing to be wearing in 1979 when driving up to the main gate of the First Battalion, Gordon Highlanders. The 'squaddie' on the gate came forward and just about had a heart attack when he looked into the back and 'clocked' Ed in his black balaclava, with the Armalite across his knees.
Then by the mid to late 1980s I was back at Kirknewton again. This time with an aircraft protection radar which I had helped design. This was a remote device, resembling a 1m high chess pawn which could be placed on the tarmac at intervals around an aircraft. The idea being that should a terrorist attempt to interfere with an aircraft sited in an isolated location, he or she would find it impossible to get near it (the aircraft). We used Kirknewton because it was the nearest wide open space, devoid of trees where we could drive about in cars and vans as we honed the radar design. It worked very well too.
One thing I came to realise about Kirknewton is that it can be the most miserable spot on Earth when the wind gets up . . . . even in summer!!
