RAF Thornaby
| RAF Thornaby | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire in England | |||||||||||
RAF Thornaby on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1941 | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Coastal Command (1939-) * No. 17 Group RAF RAF Fighter Command * No. 12 Group RAF | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°32′00″N 01°18′00″W / 54.53333°N 1.30000°W | ||||||||||
| Grid reference | NZ455163 | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1929 | ||||||||||
| In use | 1929 - 1 October 1958 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II Cold War | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 18 metres (59 ft) AMSL | ||||||||||
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Royal Air Force Thornaby, or more simply RAF Thornaby, is a former Royal Air Force Station located in the town and borough of Thornaby-on-Tees, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command all operated from the base over its history, but its stint under Coastal Command is what the base was notable for, particularly in the air-sea rescue environment and the development of the Thornaby Bag. This was an emergency bag dropped to downed aircrew at sea and contained food, cigarettes and drink.