Kircassock House once stood in Magheralin, Co. Down. The large country mansion housed the Headquarters of 8th United States Army Air Force Composite Command. It became A.A.F. Station 231, codenamed 'Nyack'. Composite Command had administrative responsibility for all U.S.A.A.F. activity in Northern Ireland including training bomber crews.
Before moving to Kircassock, they had been at R.A.F. Long Kesh from 12th September 1942. On 14th November 1942, operations moved to the Magheralin site, where they remained until 13th February 1944.
The grounds of Kircassock House held between 70-80 buildings for the U.S.A.A.F. These included barrack huts, mess halls, sick quarters, offices, a fire station, and sewerage works. The grand house itself became the Officers’ Club.
NARA Photograph 342-FH-3A26275-79771AC. Brigadier General Edmund W. Hill, Commanding General of U.S. Forces in Northern Ireland, presents the Distinguished Flying Cross to Technical Sergeant Michael Kruge from Ansonia, Connecticut during a ceremony at Nyack, Kircassock House, Magherlin, Co. Down on 4th August 1943.
The club had some high-profile visitors over the years. Rumours suggest that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower stayed at Kircassock. Visitors from other walks of life included comedian Bob Hope and actors Dorothy Lamour and William Bendix. They had come to Northern Ireland to entertain the American military personnel.
NARA Photograph 342-FH-3A26306-79054AC. American soldiers, sailors, and invited guests enjoy a dance during a party at 8th U.S.A.A.F. Station 231 at Kircassock House, Magheralin, Co. Down on 25th April 1943.
American Forces at Kircassock House
The following American forces were based in Kircassock House, Magheralin, Co. Down between 1943 and 1944.
NARA Photograph 342-FH-3A26304A-80231AC. Staff Sergeant William Armstrong, a U.S. Army Mail Clerk from Cumnor, Virginia, sorts mail into pouches in the Distribution Centre at U.S. Army Post Office No. 639 at Kircassock House, Magheralin, Co. Down on 10th August 1943.
Belgian soldiers may also have had a base at Kircassock after the U.S.A.A.F. departed for England in 1944. While the U.S.A.A.F. was at Nyack, build up in preparations was slow due to the invasion of North Africa. Composite Command had little to do for many months in 1943 and dealt with minor administrative matters. They focussed on military discipline, morale, and building a good relationship with the locals.
After the war, Ormeau Bakery purchased the site, demolishing the grand house and surrounding buildings. A residential block and a large water tower are all that remains of the sprawling U.S.A.A.F. base. The site is now privately owned and used for farming.
The gate lodge on Dromore Road still bears graffiti of names, hometowns, and regiments of some of those who served at Kircassock over the years. Another gate lodge stands on the Lismaine Road. The road running between the two gate lodges offers access to the site.