RAF Bowmore
Royal Air Force station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK
Royal Air Force Bowmore or more simply RAF Bowmore is a former seaplane station located in Bowmore, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
The following units were here at some point:
No. 119 Squadron RAF reformed here on 13 March 1941 and operated Short S.26M and Short S.23M, Consolidated PBY Catalina IB until 4 August 1941
No. 246 Squadron RAF reformed here on 5 August 1942 using Short Sunderland III's until 30 April 1943 when the squadron was disbanded
No. 422 Squadron RCAF between 8 May 1943 and 3 November 1943 operating Sunderland III's
‘G’ Flight was disbanded here on 13 March 1941 and became No. 119 Squadron. The Flight operated S.23 and S.26's.
References
Citations
Bibliography
Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “RAF Bowmore” is royal Air Force station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Bowmore, Royal and Force, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “royal Air Force station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q102107929. Authority coordinates are 55.757, -6.288. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1988.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “RAF Bowmore”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow RAF Bowmore primary sources, RAF Bowmore archive and Bowmore research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “RAF Bowmore”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “RAF Bowmore” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.