Northolt

Images taken during 609 Squadrons stay at Northolt. Arriving on 18th May 1940 from Drem, fifteen pilots and aircraft reported themselves to be ready for action by 3pm the following day, earning a signal of congratulations from the AOC of 11 Group, Air Vice Marshal Park. On 27th May their Spitfires were modified with fixed armour plating to the rear of the pilot, and two days later, on the 29th May, they were ordered to patrol the Dunkirk beaches to cover the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France and Belgium. During this patrol, 609 received their first loss with the death of Desmond 'Dizzy' Ayre, who lost his way and crashed into the grounds of an explosives factory near Harwich in Suffolk. More bad luck was to follow on the 30th, when Dudley 'Presser' Persse-Joynt was lost, although the cause of his death has never been established. In the week of operations over the beaches, 609 Squadron claimed eight enemy aircraft destroyed at a cost cost of five pilots killed, and one injured. On 9th June, three sections escorted convoys to the French ports of Cherbourg and Le Havre in an attempt to rescue the 51st Division. Following this, on 11th and 13th of June, three sections escorted Winston Churchill to France in an attempt to persuade the French Government to continue the fight, but French forces surrendered a few days later on the 17th. A few weeks later, on 4th July, 609 Squadron was posted to Middle Wallop.

Founded as a Royal Flying Corps Airfield, RAF Northolt is the longest continually operational Royal Air Force station, and the last RAF airfield to have seen service in 11 Group during the Battle of Britain. Construction work began in January 1915, and by 3rd March 1915, 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron and its BE2c's had arrived from Farnborough. Soon afterwards, Northolt was designated as one of  seven Home Defence night landing grounds with sufficient lighting installed on the aerodrome. Additionally, one aircraft was kept at immediate readiness for defence. The first recorded operational sorties came on the night of 4th June with two aircraft patrolling while a Zeppelin raid attacked Kent. By November, Northolt had become an  important player in the Home Defence organisation, with the formation of 11 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron (Home Defence Training) to train pilots in night flying, and also keeping two aircraft available for action. On 31 January 1916, the CO, Major Leslie Penn-Gaskell became Northolts first casualty when he crashed into a tree whilst taking off in the dark to intercept a Zeppelin raid on the Midlands, dying four days later. On 1 May 1915, 18 Squadron was formed at Northolt, initially from elements of 4 RAS, Moved to Norwich in August, before being posted to France in November as a Fighter Reconnaissance squadron.

By early 1916 large wooden hangars had been built along the north side of the airfield, and 8 acres of the airfield was laid with clinker to alleviate drainage problems which were making life difficult for all and sundry. This temporary measure lasted until 1925, when the airfield had better drainage systems built. In August, 11 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron was renamed as the Night Flying Training Squadron of the Home Defence Wing, and in November 43 Squadron arrived to receive new aircraft before leaving for France on 17th January 1917. At this time, the Night Flying Training Squadron was reorganised as 98 Depot Squadron left for  Rochford, being replaced by 2 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron. 2 and 4 were joined the following month by 35 RAS, being renamed Training Squadrons. On 13 June 1917, Captain W Cole-Hamilton of 35 Squadron attacked three German bombers who were engaged in the most serious bombing attack on England during the War. This appears to have been the only occasion that aircraft from Northolt engaged the enemy. 74 Squadron was the next to form here, in July 1917, moving to London Colney before being posted to France in March 1918. In July 1918, RAF Northolt became 30 Training Depot Station.

 
By May 1919 the base had become the Northolt Flight, giving refresher courses in flying, and was renamed the Inland Area Communications Flight 4 years later. In June 1919, it was also licensed as a joint RAF and Civil aerodrome, with the Central Aircraft Company operating a flying school and charter flying business. By 1923, 12 Squadron had been formed from the Inland Communications Flight, with 41 Squadron being reformed. Both Squadrons were based at RAF Northolt as part of No 1 Group, and the Station underwent a great deal of renovation, becoming an RAF station almost exclusively once again in 1926 with the closure of the Central Aircraft Company - the exception being test flights being made from here by the Fairey aircraft manufacturing company. The airfield was further extended to the south at around this time. 12 Squadron left for Andover on 24 March 1924, with 41 Squadron remaining as sole resident until leaving for Aden on 20th September 1935. With the birth of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 600 (City of London) and 601 (County of London) Squadrons were formed at the station on 14 October 1925, moving to RAF Hendon in early 1927. Between January 1927 and July 1933, 24 Squadron took up residence as the RAF's sole air transport unit. Other units based here during this time included the Air Pilotage School, Air Fighting Development Establishment,  the Superintendent of the RAF Reserve, University of London Air Squadron and the Northolt Station Flight. 24 Squadron's left in June 1934, being replaced by 111 Squadron from RAF Hornchurch who joined its fellow fighter Squadron, 41, before its departure.

On 1 May 1936, 11 Group was formed, incorporating RAF Northolt, and in December of that year 23 Squadron arrived, staying until May 1938. They were joined on 8th March 1937 with the birth here of 213 Squadron, before moving on to RAF Church Fenton on 1 July 1937. In January 1938, 111 Squadron became the first RAF squadron to receive Hawker Hurricanes. In April 1939, they were joined by 601 Squadron, who returned to Northolt for 5 months re-equip with Bristol Blenheims, before moving to RAF Biggin Hill. These two Squadrons were Northolts resident units at the outbreak of war. By this time, two 2400ft hard runways and a perimeter track had been built across what had originally been grass, and with the increased number of buildings erected during the Thirties, Northolt was ready for its role in the coming war.

Early in 1940, 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron became the first squadron to arrive since the war began, but by the time that the Battle of Britain started they had been joined by 1, 257 and 609 (West Riding) Squadrons. 257 soon left, being replaced by 1 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. A new Squadron 303, was also formed escaped from Polish Airmen. They were scrambled for the first time on 24th, and claimed their first victory on the 30th with the shooting down of a Dornier Do 17 by Flight-Lieutenant Paszkiewicz. The day after, they were declared operational by the Air Ministry, and by the end of the battle, they had become the highest scoring squadron in the RAF. On 26 September 1940, King George VI visited Northolt, watching the squadrons in action from the Sector Operations Room, as they were scrambled to intercept a raid on Southampton. By 3 November 1940, 229, 616 and 302 Squadrons had arrived at the base, which had been relatively unscathed suring the battle, with less than 20 bombs actually hitting the airfield, with litle damage, and only one fatality. 303 Squadron returned January 1941 to change from their Hawker Hurricanes to Supermarine Spitfires, although it was Spring before much was to happen. On 1 April 1941, 306 (Torun) and later No 308 (Krakow) Squadrons also arrived, forming, with 303, No 1 Polish Fighter Wing, all of whom were now equipped with Spitfires. Three days later they were inspected by the Polish President, Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz. However, 306Squadron soon swapped there Spitfires for Hurrican MKII’s and retrained as night fighters.

In February 1943 work began to extend one of the runways in preperation for the creation of RAF Transport Command on 25 March 1943 - Northolt becoming its main London Terminal and London's wartime airport, though still in use as a fighter station. On 12th August 1943, its Spitfire Wing became the first to operate as a unit over Germany. It was now also regularly used by photographic reconnaissance squadrons such as 16 and 140 Squadrons. In February 1944, Northolt ceased to be a Sector Fighter Station, and in May the Station Flight became the Air Defence of Great Britain Communications Squadron RAF Northolt now being London's main airport until replaced by Heathrow. The resident unit was now the Air Defence of Great Britain Communications Squadron - now re-named as the Fighter Command Communications Squadron.

From February 1945 271 Squadron began a scheduled passenger service to Belgium, and a year later, services were running to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam through the British Overseas Airways Corporation, RAF Northolt becoming a civil airport loaned to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. By March, eleven civilian airlines were operating out of the airfield, and a new  company, British European Airways, also formed, being launched on 1 August, and taking over BOAC's European Division, and for seven years post-war, Northolt was the busiest airport in Europe. With the opening of Heathrow, things began to quieten down, and the Fairey Aviation Company returned to its earlier home to build aircraft for the Royal Navy.

By Mid 1954, the Royal Air Force were once again in control, and Northolt returned to 11 Group on 1st July 1955, although it returned to Transport Command a year later. On 12th July, with extensive rebuilding and renovation work being carried out over the following year. No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit were added to the stations list of residents, and by 1st October 1959, No 5 RAF Police District had also arrived. In 1968 the Unit was renamed HQ RAF Provost and Security Services and was joined in 1974 by the RAF P&SS Support Squadron, leaving the base in March 1977. In April 1957, a Valetta medium range transport aircraft was attached to the Station from No 30 Squadron, and on 1st December 1957, the Metropolitan Communications Squadron moved to RAF Northolt from RAF Hendon. In January 1969 the Southern Communications Squadron also moved in from RAF Bovingdon. A month later the Metropolitan Communications Squadron and the Southern Communications Squadron reformed as No 32 and No 207 Squadrons respectively.

Since November 1973, Northolt has also been the Headquarters of the London and Southeast Region of the Air Training Corps, as well as, No 14 (Founder) Squadron , ATC who had been present since the 1940’s. In 1984, the Commander-in-Chief Fleet Royal Marine Band took up residence until 23rd March 1994, being replaced later in 1994 by the Band of the RAF Regiment until its move to RAF Uxbridge in March 1997. In December 1987, AIDU was joined by the Automated Cartographic Section from the MOD Establishment at Eastcote. and arriving in 1988 was the RAF’s opposite number, the Naval Aeronautical Information Centre.

[ Home ] [ Up ]

Copyright © 2002 609 (West Riding) Archives
Last modified: April 11, 2003