Construction RAF Cark was constructed on a site which had been considered for a possible
airship factory in 1916. Preparation work had been undertaken, however the project was cancelled the following year.
Operational life RAF Fighter Command Opening in 1941, the station was designed primarily to operate as a fighter station under the control of
No.9 Group,
RAF Fighter Command, in order to afford protection to the industrialised areas of northwest
England. The airfield featured a dispersal site on the east side which consisted of six pens each able to accommodate two aircraft. On the northwest side of the airfield a
Bellman Hangar was built on the technical site and in time this was supplemented by the addition of fourteen blister type hangars.
RAF Flying Training Command On 17 March 1942, RAF Cark was taken over by
RAF Flying Training Command. On the same day, a new unit, the Staff Pilot Training Unit, was created under the command of
No. 25 Group with aircraft such as
Hawker Hurricanes,
Miles Martinets and latterly
Supermarine Spitfires.
Avro Ansons were also employed at the Station in addition to which a
de Havilland Tiger Moth was operated as a communication aircraft between the RAF Cark and
RAF Millom. RAF Cark was also used for Anti Aircraft gunnery training. Initially parented by
RAF Millom, RAF Cark became a self reliant station during 1942. The remit of the Staff Pilot Training Unit was to train pilots in both day and night flying following which the pilots would be posted to Air Observer Schools. The Staff Pilot Training Unit left in November 1942, but returned the following March. In 1944 gliders of the requisitioned Lakes Gliding Club were moved from
RAF Walney and formed No. 188 Gliding School,
Air Training Corps. During its operational life RAF Cark played host to detachments from several squadrons on anti aircraft co-operational duties. ==Units==