Seven new accommodation blocks, creating 426 modern en-suite bedrooms, are being built at RAF Lossiemouth which will all be named after historic Scottish RAF airfields. The first suite of rooms to be officially opened on 6th June will be for Junior Ranks and has been named Inverness House.
The opening of Inverness House at RAF Lossiemouth comes 90 years to the month after the formation of RAF Inverness in June 1933. RAF Inverness started life as Inverness Municipal Airport before transferring to the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, when 14 Group’s Communications Flight was formed. The station participated in exercises and flying operational coastal patrols, as well as being used as a staging post by the Royal Navy’s communication squadrons. RAF Inverness became RAF Dalcross in 1943 and continued to remain in use throughout the war. Home to a wide range of aircraft over the years including Magister, Oxford, Westland Lysander, Bristol Blenheim, Hornet Moth, Boulton Paul Defiant and Hurricane IIB, the site of RAF Dalcross now forms part of the modern Inverness Airport.
The remaining accommodation blocks - providing additional Junior Ranks, Senior Non-Commissioned Officers and Officers bedrooms - are named Dalcross, Dyce, Milltown, Peterhead, Dallachy and Brackla. Dyce airfield was commandeered by the RAF during the Second World War. Former RAF Milltown is located not far from RAF Lossiemouth and was used as a decoy airfield. RAF Peterhead was opened in 1941 as a major fighter base due to its location near the North Sea. RAF Dallachy also in Moray, was home to 18 Group RAF Coastal Command during the Second World War. Finally, RAF Brackla near Nairn was founded in 1941 and became an Aircrew Allocation Centre.
Two additional blocks to support further growth at RAF Lossiemouth with the arrival of the E-7 Wedgetail platform and No 8 Squadron stand up are also scheduled. These have been named Tain and Alness.
Speaking on the opening of the first SLA Block, Gp Capt Pete Beckett, Programme Director of the Lossiemouth Development Programme, said:
“The RAF presence in the north of Scotland has endured over many decades and it is important not to lose sight of the contribution we have collectively made from the various bases during this time. It is all too easy to forget the critical role our predecessors played now that the majority of the bases have closed, so naming the new accommodation blocks after our historic airfields is a great way to help keep these memories alive.”
Gp Capt Pete Beckett
Programme Director, Lossiemouth Development Programme.
The first residents will move in shortly after the opening allowing for wider Station personnel to visit the new accommodation. In addition to the seven accommodations blocks, a brand-new recreational space called The Hub has also been built. Providing a dedicated socialising space for all ranks, it will be open 24 hours a day with facilities such as vending machines, indoor and outdoor seating areas. The Hub provides all who serve at RAF Lossiemouth with a modern facility to relax and socialise.
