Church Fenton
*CHURCH FENTON: Military aerodrome (In 2015 to become a civil airfield - Leeds East Airport)
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified.
Military users: WW2 RAF Fighter Command 12 Group
*Battle of Britain RAF Sector Station
(10th July 1940) 73 Sqdn Hawker Hurricanes
616 Sqdn Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires
(1st August 1940) 73 had been joined by 249 Sqdn also flying Hurricanes.
616 Sqdn had been posted to LECONFIELD
(1st September 1940) It seems only 73 Sqdn remained based here
WW2:
87 (United Provinces) Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
242 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
249 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes - later Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires?)
306 & 316* (Polish) Sqdns (Hurricanes)
308 (Polish) Sqdn (Spitfires)
68 Sqdn (Bristol Beaufighters, later DH Mosquitos)
488 (RNZAF) Sqdn (Bristol Beaufighters)
25, 264, 307 (Polish), 456 (RAAF) & 604 Sqdns (DH Mosquitos)
Post 1945: RAF Fighter Command
19 Sqdn (1947 to 1950) DH Hornets
(1950 to 1956) Gloster Meteors
(1956) Hawker Hunters before they moved to RAF LECONFIELD
1971: 2FTS (Chipmunks)
1975: Yorkshire UAS/9 AEF (Chipmunks)
1980s: 7 FTS (Jet Provosts later Tucanos)
2004: Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron Grob 115 Tutors (Transferred to RAF LINTON-on-OUSE when CHURCH FENTON closed in late 2013)
Operated by: 2000: MoD by Royal Air Force
Location: E of A162, in/near Church Fenton, 4 nm SE of Tadcaster
Period of operation: 1937 to 2013. Later to become civil in 2015
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: WW2: 06/24 1280x46 hard 16/34 1463x46 hard
1990: 06/24 1760x46 hard 16/34 1666x46 hard
2000: 06/24 1877x46 hard 16/34 1666x46 hard
NOTES: The airfield was quite unusual in WW2 for having just two runways. Also quite unusual if not unique is that when 488 (RNZAF) were formed here during WW2 they had previously been heavily engaged in the Far East war with Japan. Their history is well worth reading.
Note: This picture is of a photograph in the Science Museum, London. (Well worth a visit). I have no idea where this picture was taken, but only assume it could be here simply because the 71 (Eagle) Squadron was formed here, with Hawker Hurricanes, in mid to late 1940. They did not become operational until early 1941.
SEVERAL 'FIRSTS'
Claims are made for this RAF Station having several ‘firsts’ in WW2. The first to have an RAF ‘Eagle’ squadron, (71 Sqdn), manned by American volunteers, the first to have an all-Canadian squadron, (242 Sqdn), and the first to have an all-Polish squadron, (306 Sqdn).
The RAF ‘Eagle’ squadrons are of particular interest because before the USA entered WW2, to quote from Alex Kershaw’s superb book The Few: “At the outbreak of war in 1939, a presidential proclamation had made it illegal for any American citizen to join a warring power’s military and also to ‘hire someone to go beyond the territorial limits of the United States – to Canada for example – to enlist in a foreign country’s military.’ The penalties were severe - they could be fined ten thousand dollars, jailed for several years, and stripped of their citizenship and passports.” This clearly shows the degree of support the USA was showing to the UK before the attack on Pearl Harbour. But, they were very happy to ship arms and supplies to the UK in return for money. (Lend-Lease).
OUR ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’
Much favoured by British politicians over several decades the so called ‘Special Relationship’ the UK has with the USA has always been, mostly, “You give us all you’ve got - and we’ll screw you in return.” Historically probably hardly surprising because the USA started out as an enemy of the UK, fighting a war for their independence. And it would seem, the Americans have never really modified that opinion, unless it happens to suit them. This history is very complicated to say the least but it certainly makes sense, from an American point of view, to see them viewing the Nazi conquest of the UK and western Europe, as being very inconvenient, especially once the Russians started marching west.
Put very simply, although the Nazi regime was mostly defeated by the bombing campaigns of the RAF and USAAF, and putting aside the V-1 and V-2 ‘terror weapons’, the greatest threat to the ‘West’ was domination by the Soviets. And, the only way to stop this advance was by putting boots on the ground. Hence the D-Day invasion. The impasse occurred, (was this purely by chance?), in Berlin.
Western Europe was seen, quite correctly, as being a major market for the huge American corporations and after WW2 ended, they moved in. Names like Ford and General Motors (trading as Vauxhall and Opel); Kelloggs, Nabrisco and Kraft on the food front – and Esso, Texaco for fuel supplies. The US government, supported by huge commercial interests, must have realised that by supporting the British in WW2 they could also inflict massive consequent damage to the British Empire. Very convenient indeed because they thought, (and still think?), the USA is the natural next Empire in our world.
Companies such as Coca-Cola and Microsoft are now leading this conquest I suppose, but the US military haven’t exactly crowned their achievements in glory to say the least. They certainly screwed up BIG TIME over the Cold War when the Soviets said, “Sorry, we’re not playing this game anymore.” But, I suppose, the Americans are very reluctant to learn from history – perhaps because they have virtually none of their own worth mentioning? If they should now decide to reconsider their aspirations regarding world domination, and I think they should, (but what the hell do I know?), they will soon learn that NO empire, especially one built on military domination, ever lasts for long. In fact, having reached the full extent of their available military resources, according to history, every Empire quickly collapses.
Since I wrote those notes, the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa have occurred.
Now then, where did I put that iced can of Coke?
ANOTHER GENTLER ASPECT
In Stuart McKay’s excellent book Tiger Moth he notes, captioning a picture of C-FFDQ inverted during a slow roll over Vancouver: “In 1947 this aircraft (NL-775) was with Station Flight RAF Church Fenton, painted silver with a black top decking and No.19 Squadron blue and white chequerboard markings flanking the roundel.” (My note: On the fuselage). “The aircraft was operated by the squadron as their aerobatic hack.” It is still the case today, I am pleased to confirm, that many commercial pilots and military pilots in the UK, and other countries with a European or western culture, (there are rare exceptions elsewhere), retain a love of flying light aircraft, often aerobatic types. And thank heavens this is the case, because, nothing can compare with flying a light aircraft to improve basic flying skills.
A YET MORE PROOF
In November 2021 I was kindly contacted by Mr Andrew Robinson, who pointed out that I had ommitted 2FTS. In 1971 he attended a 30 hour basic course with 2FTS here. After deciding that basic training should start on Jet Provosts, the RAF found that most student pilots lacked eye-hand-foot coordination skills. (Wee, what a surprise!). The Chippy being ideal for rectifying this. The bonus was that the students could then gain a PPL.
A PERSONAL MEMORY
In June 2004 I was given my first job by VT Aerospace of collecting the Grob G115E Tutor, (G-BYWV) from CHURCH FENTON and taking it to the Grob factory/airfield at Tussenhausen-Mattsies in Bavaria, Germany. Over the years a few more followed and needless to say, all these jobs were most fulfilling from a professional point of view to accomplish. And indeed, many of these moves have for me, a lot of happy memories.
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