The Poole Harbour Guide 2012 - Poole Harbour Commissioners

© PFBC
important people in the world travelled via Poole.
In 1942 RAF Hamworthy (briefly known as RAF
Poole) was commissioned as a base for military Flying
Boats. It became the base of 461 Squadron Royal
Australian Air Force, operating Sunderlands under the
operational control of RAF Costal Command. Some
three hundred staff, including crews, engineers and
support personnel were based at Hamworthy, with
facilities at Lake Estate, Parkstone Road and Harbour
Heights. The ANZAC Squadron, as 461 were known
did sterling work in The South Western Approaches and
Bay of Biscay fighting U-boats. They were replaced in
1943 by 210 Squadron who carried on their
antisubmarine work flying Catalina Flying Boats. In 1944
RAF Hamworthy was required for the build up forces
prior to D-Day. The station was taken over by The
City of Salisbury being dismantled on the
Foreshore at Lower Hamworthy
Special Feature
Royal Navy and renamed HMS Turtle. In the early
1950s the former RAF Hamworthy site was used for the
storage of Flying Boats prior to many of them being
sold, scrapped and disposed of when operations, both
military and civil ceased.
From July 1940 – 1945 the site of The Royal Motor
Yacht Club (and other nearby locations) were
requisitioned by The Fleet Air Arm as a base, becoming
the Royal Naval Air Station Sandbanks (HMS Daedalus
II). The base was used for aircrew training and essential
air rescue work, using Walrus Seaplanes, fondly referred
to as the “shagbat”. Alas, the station, along with RAF
Hamworthy suffered casualties in the war, as did BOAC,
but no passengers travelling from Poole were injured, a
very proud and remarkable record.
The Navy took good care of the RMYC, but even to
this day the boat shed, which was used for storage and
maintenance, has a sign on the wall saying “A hot engine
is always on contact”, a reminder of those days!
The end of the Flying Boat era came shortly after the
end of the war. In 1948 BOAC civil operations were
returned to Southampton, ceasing in 1950. All that
remains are memories, which the PFBC keep alive. The
charity has a considerable archive, some of which
appears on their website:
www.pooleflyingboats.com
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