Kinloss Airfield

NJ06SE 29.00 centred 0690 6300

NJ06SE 29.01 NJ 0743 6256 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.02 NJ 05717 62324 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.03 c. NJ 0726 6184 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.04 NJ c.0575 6298 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.05 NJ 06638 62547, NJ 06883 62559 and NJ 06638 62418 Aircraft Hangars

NJ06SE 29.06 NJ 07031 62477 Aircraft Hangar

NJ06SE 29.07 NJ 06378 62290 and NJ 0702 6255 Aircraft Hangar

NJ06SE 29.08 NJ 06050 62447 and NJ 06024 62598 Aircraft Hangars

NJ06SE 29.09 NJ 05931 63366 and NJ 06067 63458 Aircraft Hangars

NJ06SE 29.10 NJ 07017 64002, NJ 06958 63900 and NJ 07150 63911 Aircraft Hangars

NJ06SE 29.11 NJ 07547 63192, NJ 07684 63057 and NJ 07747 63196 Aircraft Hangars

NJ06SE 29.12 Centred NJ 0730 6348 Bomb Store (Old)

NJ06SE 29.13 Centred NJ 0635 6427 Bomb Store (New)

NJ06SE 29.14 NJ 066813 62580 Control Tower (Old)

NJ06SE 29.15 c.NJ 0630 6218 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.16 c.NJ 0687 6198 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.17 c.NJ 0710 6377 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.18 NJ 07787 62753 Control Tower (New)

NJ06SE 29.19 c.NJ 0659 6394 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.20 c.NJ 0735 6264 Pillbox

NJ06SE 29.21 c.NJ 0758 6283 Observation Post

NJ06SE 29.22 Centred NJ 06820 61715 Housing Estate

NJ06SE 29.23 Centred NJ 07825 64375 Dispersal Bays

NJ06SE 29.24 Centred NJ 07131 61936 Domestic site

NJ06SE 29.25 Centred NJ 07104 64261 Radio Station

NJ06SE 29.26 NJ 07159 62341 Engine House

NJ06SE 29.27 Centred NJ 06890 61496 Housing Estate

NJ06SE 29.28 NJ 07210 63737 Firing Range

NJ06SE 29.29 NJ 07294 63649 and NJ 07376 63640 Buildings

NJ06SE 29.30 Centred NJ 07708 61637 Housing Estate

NJ06SE 29.31 Centred NJ 06829 62360 Buildings; Huts; Water Tower; Offices

NJ06SE 29.32 NJ 07768 62668 Aircraft

For (associated) Q (decoy) site in Roseisle Forest (centred NJ 1152 6582), see NJ16NW 110.

For cropmarks (centred NJ 0596 6372) extending into the W side of the airfield, see around NJ06SE 56.

For cropmarks within the area of the airfield, see NJ06SE 57-66.

Kinloss was a late Expansion Period airfield built in 1938/39 and showing a mixture of permanent buildings (three 'C' Type hangars for example) and the temporary structures of all subsequent aerodromes. The airfield is still in use.

D J Smith 1983.

Air photograph: AAS/97/12/CT.

NMRS, MS/712/29.

Kinloss Airfield is situated on the E side of Findhorn Bay and N of Kinloss Abbey (NJ06SE 2.00). The airfield presently occupies an area of about 556.32 hectares, but when originally constructed was about 345 hectares. When originally built the layout of the buildings was similar to Lossiemouth NJ26NE 50.00, an arc of three C type aircraft hangars and J and L type hangars spread around the dispersal areas. In addition, both airfields had grass runways altered to concrete around 1941-1942 as visible on RAF WW II vertical air photographs (FNO 189, October 1942) which show the runways partially completed. The later war period also saw the expansion of Kinloss, increased taxiways, dispersal areas and change in position of the bomb store.

Postwar the airfield has been adapted for jet aircraft with further extensions to the main runways enlargement and extension to the dispersal areas plus an array of aerials on the N perimeter. Apart from the removal of two Bellman type aircraft hangars, all the aircraft sheds and hangars would appear to survive, however, the control tower has been altered with the addition of a Visual Control Room (VCR) above the second storey. All the C type aircraft hangars have been re-clad and modified as have many of the other wartime hangars of the J and L types. On the NE dispersal area, a L type hnagar has been replaced by a modern metal framed aircraft shed with a neoprene style covering.

Between 4-7th May a rapid photographic survey with ground noting was undertaken by RCAHMS. The airfield is now mainly used by Nimrod early warning aircraft due to be withdrawn in April 2010. In advance of the new aircraft planned for the airfield, several of the aircraft hangars from the World War II period have been and will be demolished. Other changes have been the sale of some of the domestic accommodation, notably the officers' housing at Kinloss Park and the larger estate around Easter Road to the SSW. Only a few World War II period buildings apart from the aircraft hangars now survive on site.

Visited by RCAHMS (DE, AL), 4-6 May 2010.

R.A.F. Kinloss [NAT] (name centred NJ 072 631)

OS (GIS) MasterMap, September 2011.