Scatsta - Construction
The following excerpts, photographs and illustrations are taken
from the book, 'A history of Scatsta Airfield, Shetland
(revisited)' by Terry Mayes and from his collection.
You can buy the book for £3 from the Shetland Times Shop
in Lerwick or online
- all proceeds from the sale of the book go to Cancer Research
Scotland. Grateful thanks to Terry Mayes. You can click
on some of the pictures for a larger version.
RAF Scatsta, located in the north of mainland Shetland, was the
most northerly RAF airfield in the British Isles. The most northerly
RAF establishment in the UK was at Skaw on the island of Unst
where a radar station had been set up.
Scatsta was constructed to meet an urgent operational requirement
to provide a base for fighter cover facilities for nearby RAF
Sullom Voe, a major Catalina and Sunderland flying boat base and
its accommodation camp at Graven. It also provided a satellite
airfield to Shetland's only other wartime RAF airfield at Sumburgh,
located on the southern tip of Shetland.
 |
Photograph of the single runway, taken by the Luftwaffe
in 1940.
Photo courtesy of the Royal Commission
on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. |
The construction of the airfield was undertaken by Zetland County
Council (ZCC), the forerunner of the present Shetland Islands
Council (SIC) for the Air Ministry Works Directorate. Scatsta
was originally planned to have three runways but due to labour
shortage only two were constructed. Complete in two phases, the
first was the construction of a single NE-SW (07/25) runway 3,600
feet long x 150 feet wide which began early 1940 and was completed
in April that year.
 |
Scatsta aerodrome. Zetland County Council drawing dated
1940 shows five bases for hangars (three T1 hangars and
two T2 hangars) only three bases were laid and one T1 hangar
constructed.
|
The second phase began in July 1941 and completed in April 1942
consisted of the second longer runway NW/SE (13/31) 4,530 feet
long x 150 feet wide and connecting perimeter tracks. Concrete
bases for five hangars were planned but only three bases were
built together with one T1 Hangar.
In a report to ZCC by their County Roads Surveyor in 1946, it
was stated that the construction of Scatsta Airfield had been
extremely difficult due to the vast amounts of peat which had
to be excavated and difficulty of disposal, and the drainage required.
The report concluded by saying that Scatsta was the largest agency
service tackled by the Council.
To give some idea of the quantities involved, there were 396,000
cubic yards of peat which had to be excavated and removed and
some of which was used to partly fill in the nearby Houb of Scatsta.
Some 66,000 cubic yards of gravel together with 211,000 square
yards of regulating and 211,000 square yards of Tarmac laid. Finally,
22,000 yards of drainage was laid to ensure adequate drainage
of the airfield site.
The average number of men working on the construction was 200,
some of whom came from Ireland. At their disposal were 26 dumper
trucks, 38 trucks, 9 drag line excavators, levellers and much
other plant. 120 men were accommodated in a large purpose built
camp. Two nearby quarries at Voxter and Mavis Grind were opened
up to supply in excess of 102,000 tons of rock for hard core.
The total cost of constructing Scatsta was £211,000, diversion
of the main Brae-Graven road £3,900 and local airfield defences
£19,000, which all added up to a tidy sum in those days.
 |
|
Shetland men working at Mavis Grind quarry: Willie Tait,
Voxter; Lollie Tait, Hametoon; Willie Anderson, Hivdi; Tammy
Tait, Burgins; Robbie Anderson, Slyde; Bertie Ratter.
Photo courtesy John Tait
|
|
