2344 (Longbenton) Squadron

2344 (Longbenton) Squadron’s history began against an unusual backdrop. When the Squadron was formed in 1956, it shared its location with an RAF establishment that had served Tyneside since the outbreak of the Second World War.

The station would close the following year, but cadet activity continued. Over the succeeding decades, the Squadron became a longstanding feature of Longbenton, providing opportunities for young people while maintaining an enduring association with the former RAF site.

Air Cadets at Longbenton before 1956

The Air Training Corps was established nationally in 1941. Research into Longbenton suggests that cadets were active in the area during the war and that some form of local ATC accommodation existed before the establishment of the present numbered Squadron. The exact organisation of those early units is not yet fully documented.

Recollections collected during the Squadron’s historical research describe a detached flight associated with 404 (Morpeth) Squadron, later becoming 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron. Earlier published material offered a different account of the unit’s predecessor. Until the relevant contemporary ATC records have been located, the precise sequence should be regarded as an open question rather than settled history.

What is clear is that the cadet connection with the Longbenton site stretches back to the period when the RAF still occupied it. That connection helps explain why the former station’s buildings and history remained important to the newly established Squadron.

The formation of 2344 Squadron

2344 (Longbenton) Squadron was formed in 1956. At that time, RAF Longbenton was still open, although its wartime barrage balloon role had ended and its post-war functions had changed. The RAF station’s recorded closure came on 1 September 1957.[1][2]

Accounts of the Squadron’s early years describe cadets using former service buildings, including huts and hangars, for training and other activities. The continued presence of RAF and former RAF personnel in the area also provided a connection with the station’s earlier life. These recollections are valuable, although individual dates and building uses still need to be checked against records from the time.

Unlike an entirely new cadet headquarters built on an unrelated site, Longbenton’s early Squadron inherited a setting already shaped by nearly two decades of military activity.

A home on the former RAF station

As the former station site changed, the Air Training Corps established a more permanent home. The Squadron’s existing historical account dates the completion and opening of a purpose-built headquarters to 1963, describing it as a trial design known as the Salter hut.[1]

Some earlier accounts refer to other hut accommodation during the late 1950s. The precise sequence of buildings and moves remains a subject for further research; it would be premature to treat every remembered date or building name as definitive.

The surrounding area altered substantially in the decades that followed. Former RAF buildings survived for many years, while residential development and new public-sector premises changed the character of the site. The Squadron’s earlier history records the demolition of one of the surviving hangars in 1994, followed by further redevelopment around Marquis Close and Manorfields.[1]

Changes continued into the 2010s, including the redevelopment of the former driving test centre area and construction of Benton Farm Mews. The cadet headquarters remained a recognisable link with an earlier phase of Longbenton’s history.

Cadet life across the generations

The history of a squadron is not only the history of its premises. Successive generations of cadets have taken part in aviation-related training, camps, sport, music, adventure activities and community events. Adult volunteers, families and former cadets have all contributed to the organisation’s continuity.

The surviving public record offers occasional glimpses of this activity. In 2018, for example, three Longbenton cadets completed the Nijmegen Four Days Marches in the Netherlands after months of training and preparation. The achievement was reported by RAF Air Cadets North Region.[3]

Other activities have been less widely recorded but no less important to those who took part: weekly parade nights, ceremonial duties, annual camps, skills training, fundraising and local remembrance services. Photographs, programmes and recollections from former members will help tell that fuller story as the archive develops.

Freedom of the Borough of North Tyneside

A significant milestone came in December 2014, when 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of North Tyneside. The award is recorded as having been made on 16 December 2014.[4]

Freedom of the Borough is one of the highest civic honours a local authority can bestow. For the Squadron, the award recognised its place in North Tyneside and its contribution to local young people and the community.

The Squadron’s longstanding involvement in local commemorations and public events forms part of that relationship. Ceremonial occasions provide opportunities for cadets to represent their unit and the RAF Air Cadets in front of the community.

Seventy years of 2344 Squadron: 2026

The year 2026 marked the Squadron’s 70th anniversary. The milestone provided an opportunity to reflect on the many cadets and adult volunteers who had been part of the unit since 1956, as well as the relationship between the Squadron and the community it serves.

Reaffirmation of the Freedom of the Borough

On Saturday 9 May 2026, the Squadron commemorated its anniversary with a parade and service at St Bartholomew’s Church, Forest Hall, reaffirming its Freedom of the Borough of North Tyneside.

The occasion brought together cadets, staff, families and supporters. Civic guests included a Deputy Lieutenant, the Chair of North Tyneside Council, the High Sheriff, councillors and Members of Parliament. The event recognised the unit’s history and its continued connection with the borough.

This was a reaffirmation of an existing honour, rather than a new award. The original Freedom was conferred in 2014; the 2026 ceremony marked its continuing significance during the Squadron’s anniversary year.

The anniversary celebrations also included a formal Summer Ball on 11 September 2026, bringing together members of the Squadron community to mark the occasion.[5]

The Squadron today

2344 (Longbenton) Squadron continues to parade at its headquarters in Benton as part of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Its activities include aviation, leadership, fieldcraft, STEM, music, sport, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and community engagement.[6]

The station’s former military purpose and the Squadron’s current work are different, but their histories are closely connected through the site, its people and the local community.

This article is intended to grow as further photographs, former members’ accounts and original Squadron documents are identified. The aim is to preserve what can be established, acknowledge the gaps and give future cadets a reliable account of the unit they have joined.