RAF Takali
| Type | 146 Air Base | |
| Historical Name of Location | Ta' Qali, Malta | |
| Coordinates | 35.895000000, 14.420833000 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseThe dry lake bed in the village of Ta' Qali, Malta was developed for civilian aviation in the 1930s. In Nov 1940, it became a British Royal Air Force airfield, known by its Anglicized name Taqali, later Takali. It hosted No. 261 Squadron RAF in Nov 1940. In May 1941, No. 249 Squadron RAF replaced No. 261 Squadron RAF. This airfield was subjected to heavy Axis bombing throughout the war. In Apr 1945, it was renamed HMS Goldfinch after it was transferred to the British Fleet Air Arm. In 1953, it returned to the Royal Air Force and was used for training purposes. The land was turned over to the government of Malta in 1963. The base was closed in Apr 1968. At the time of this writing, the grounds of the former RAF base host a national park, an aviation museum, and other recreational areas.
ww2dbaseSources:
Ronald V., "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields in Europe"
Malta Aviation Museum
Wikipedia
Last Major Update: Dec 2014
RAF Takali Interactive Map
Photographs
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RAF Takali Timeline
| 30 Oct 1940 | Wing Commander J. R. O'Sullivan was ordered to form a fighter squadron at the civilian airfield at Ta' Qali, Malta. |
| 8 Nov 1940 | RAF Station Takali was officially operational on Malta. |
| 20 Nov 1940 | No. 261 Squadron RAF was transferred to RAF Station Takali. |
| 16 May 1941 | Wing Commander J. Warfield was named the commanding officer of RAF Station Takali on Malta. |
| 1 Apr 1945 | RAF Takali on Malta was transferred from the Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm and was renamed HMS Goldfinch. |
| 9 Jun 1953 | HMS Goldfinch on Malta was transferred from the Fleet Air Arm to the Royal Air Force. |
| 9 Dec 2011 | A Tiger Moth aircraft landed on the concrete runways of the former RAF Station Takali on Malta. It was the first landing at this location in over 40 years; it was in preparation for the opening of the Malta Aviation Museum. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
31 Mar 2018 06:20:06 AM
My farther worked at Takalie airfield as a traffic controller in the control tower for the fleet air arm HMS Goldfinch I am currently looking into
This period of his time in Malta and wonder where to look for photos of the airfield at this time- controlTower - accommodation mess rooms ect
15 Oct 2024 06:59:46 AM
Spent 18 months at RAF Takalie before it closed in 1963 and the 6 months at RAF Luca. We in the Fire & Crash Rescue Section at Takalie were their basically as the a crash strip for RAF Luca and it civilian aviation use. We had a great rugby team called Takalie Hawks almost unbeaten for 2 seasons. One of the RAF V Bombers used as ann air refueler went around the airfield for an hour or so, using up fuel whilst trying to retract its refusing hose. We thought our time had come! Luckily the aircrew managed to manhandle the hose in and an emergancy crash landing was averted. My old statilon and billet are now a craft village with our Nissan hut billiets converted to craft shops and the MT Depot is a museum. I’d love to hear from any old comrades Maltese or British who served there 1962/63. Am intending visiting Malta again for Christmas 2024.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
| WW2-Era Place Name | Ta' Qali, Malta |
| Lat/Long | 35.8950, 14.4208 |
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Winston Churchill, on the RAF
29 Nov 2017 04:59:55 PM
272 Beaufighter Sqd posted to Takali in November 1942