RAF Fylingdales to receive town's highest honour

RAF Fylingdales is set to receive the highest honour that can be bestowed by Whitby Town Council in recognition of its role in Britain's defence and its links to the town.

Councillors will meet later to consider granting the base on the North York Moors the Honorary Freedom of the Town of Whitby.

Although such honours are often awarded to individuals, they can also be conferred on military establishments in recognition of their collective service.

The council said the award would recognise the station's "distinguished service" and close association with Whitby over more than six decades.

If approved, the honour would formally recognise a relationship that has seen "generations of service personnel, civilian staff and their families" live and work in Whitby and the surrounding area, a town council report said.

A council spokesperson said the Freedom of the Town was traditionally granted to military units and establishments in recognition of their service and enduring relationship with a community.

"Although individual personnel will change over time, the honour remains with the military unit or establishment to which it has been granted," they said.

The same honour was recently granted to the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), which held a Freedom Parade through Whitby this summer.

RAF Fylingdales has operated since 1963 and provides a continuous ballistic missile early warning service for the UK and its allies.

It is also part of UK Space Command and is described by the RAF as the country's primary military space sensor.

For almost 30 years, the station was known for its three giant radar domes, often referred to as the "golf balls", before they were replaced in 1992 by the pyramid-shaped Solid-State Phased Array Radar that remains in use today.

The radar provides 360-degree coverage and is capable of detecting and tracking objects thousands of miles into space.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said the connection between RAF Fylingdales and Whitby extended "well beyond" the station's location on the moors and had become part of the town's everyday life over more than 60 years.

If approved arrangements will be made with RAF Fylingdales for a formal civic event in 2027 to mark the award.

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