Airfield detail page

RAAF Base Williamtown

Location

North of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

Operators

Royal Australian Air Force.

United States Army Air Corps

Dates

1940

Opened 15 February 1941

Units known to have been based here

Australian Army

3 Mobile Unit AIF Aerodrome Defence Guard

11th Garrison Battalion

RAAF

2 Fighter Sector (Based at New Lamton)

2 Operational Conversion Unit

2 Operational Training Unit

2 Recruit Depot

3 Control and Reporting Unit

3 Squadron

4 Operational Training Unit

4 Squadron (Detachment)

5 Airfield Construction Squadron

5 Operational Training Unit

5 Squadron (Detachment)

6 Squadron (Detachment)

20 Radar Station

22 Squadron (Detachment)

24 Squadron (Detachment)

26 Squadron

66 Ground liaison Section

75 Squadron

76 Squadron

77 Squadron

78 Squadron

78 Wing

102 Fighter Control Unit

102 Fighter Sector Head Quarters

114 MFCU

131 Radar Station (at Ash Island)

155 Radar Station (at Ash Island)

208 Radar Station (at Mine Camp, near Swansea)

378 Base Squadron

450 Squadron

452 Squadron

454 Squadron

455 Squadron

458 Squadron

478 Squadron

481 Squadron

481 Wing

Central Gunnery School

Crew Conversion Unit

School of Land/Air Warfare

Software Development Unit

USAAF

9th Pursuit Squadron

35th Pursuit Group (Detachment)

39th Pursuit Squadron (Detachment). Examples: BW176

49th Pursuit Group

Commanders

15Feb1941 - Squadron Leader J.R. Paget

12Nov1942 - Wing Commander E.G. Fyfe

28Jun1944 - Group Captain W.E. Townsend

26Jun1946 - Wing Commander A.D. Henderson

29Mar1947 - Wing Commander R.C. Cresswell

03Mar1948 - Squadron Leader J.R. Kinninmont

01Nov1948 - Air Commodore A.M. Charlesworth

27Jun1949 - Group Captain W.H. Garing

07Aug1950 - Wing Commander J.H. Perrin

07Nov1950 - Group Captain W.H. Garing

22Jun1951 - Air Commodore E.G. Knox-Knight

02Dec1953 - Group Captain R.H. Davis

15Sep1954 - Group Captain R.D. Davis

12Mar1955 - Air Commodore A.G. Adnams

05Mar1957 - Group Captain B.A. Eaton

20Feb1959 - Group Captain N. Ford

13Jun1960 - Group Captain W.E. Townsend

21Jan1963 - Group Captain R.N. Dalkin

05Feb1964 - Air Commodore R.T. Susans

14Nov1966 - Air Commodore G.A. Cooper

27Feb1970 - Air Commodor I.S. Parker

11Jan1971 - Air Commodore A.E. Mather

01May1973 - Air Commodor J.H. Flemming

09Dec1974 - Air Commodore R.E. Frost

13Jan1976 - Air Commodore F.W. Barnes

13Jan1977 - Air Commodore J.R. Boast

09Jan1979 - Air Commodore W.H. Simmonds

21Sep1981 - Air Commodore W.D.J. Monaghan

16Feb1984 - Air Commodore R.J. Bomball

12Dec1986 - Air Commodore D.A. Robertson

Aircraft types known to have been here

Aermacchi MB.326

Airspeed Oxford

Avro Anson

Avro Lancastrian

Bell Airacobra

Bell Iroquois

Boeing Flying Fortress

Brewster Buffalo

Bristol Beaufighter. Examples: A8-71, A8-93

Bristol Beaufort

Bristol Bloodhound (Surface to air missile)

Chance Vought Corsair

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Winjeel

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Wirraway

Consolidated Catalina

Consolidated Liberator

Curtiss Kittyhawk

Dassault Mirage

deHavilland Moth. Examples: A7-87

deHavilland Mosquito. Examples: A52-29, A52-70, A52-86,

A52-88

deHavilland Tiger Moth

deHavilland Vampire. Examples: A79-754, A79-804, A79-807,

A79-819, A79-822, A79-830

Douglas Boston

Fairey Battle

Fairey firefly

Gloster Meteor

Lockheed 12

Lockheed Hudson

Lockheed Lightning

Martin Marauder

McDonnell Douglas Hornet

North American Mustang

North American Sabre. Examples: A94-905, A94-916, A94-919

Pilatus PC-9

Sikorsky Dragonfly. Examples: A80-374

Supermarine Seagull

Vultee Vengeance. Examples: A27-1, A27-2, A27-3, A27-5,

A27-6, A27-7, A27-15

Roll

If you were based here or you know of anyone who was, we would be pleased to receive the details to add to the roll. 

We would also be grateful for any further information to include in this site.