RAF Northolt
Encyclopedia
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force
station situated in South Ruislip
, 2 NM east by northeast of Uxbridge
in the London Borough of Hillingdon
, West London. Approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) north of London Heathrow Airport
, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights. Northolt has one runway in operation, spanning 1687 metre, with a grooved asphalt
surface.
Northolt pre-dates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1915. Originally established for the Royal Flying Corps
, it has the longest history of continuous use of any RAF airfield. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the station was the first to take delivery of the Hawker Hurricane
. The station played a key role during the Battle of Britain
, when fighters from several of its units, including No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
, engaged enemy aircraft as part of the defence of London. It became the first base to have squadrons operating Supermarine Spitfire
aircraft within German airspace.
During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways
. More recently the station has become the hub of British military flying operations in the London area. Northolt has been extensively redeveloped since 2006 to accommodate these changes, becoming home to the British Forces Post Office
, which moved to a newly constructed headquarters and sorting office on the site. RAF squadrons, including No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron
are based at RAF Northolt; its location close to the A40
road link with central London has also made it popular with business people and politicians. The station has also been used as a filming location for productions made at Pinewood Studios.
's first flight across the English Channel
in 1909, the British Army
considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack. By May 1910, Claude Grahame-White and other aviation pioneers were flying from the flat areas around Ruislip
, although they soon sought an aerodrome for London, which was eventually built at Hendon
. A proposal was made in 1912 for the area around where RAF Northolt now stands to be developed as "Harrow Aerodrome". The company established to develop the site was listed on the London Stock Exchange
but the idea did not progress any further.
The assassination
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
in 1914 and the ensuing outbreak of the First World War necessitated a new aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps. The Corps had received the Royal Warrant on 13 April 1912, whereupon Major Sefton Brancker
of the War Office
conducted aerial surveys in 1914 of Glebe Farm in Ickenham
, and Hundred Acres Farm and Down Barnes Farm in Ruislip, looking for the most effective operating base for new squadrons. He settled on a site near Northolt Junction railway station but it was not until January 1915 that the British government officially requisitioned the land. It is rumoured that the government official tasked with acquiring the land arrived at the site with his map upside down, leading to the government requisitioning and developing land on the wrong side of the railway line, including the old Hill Farm.
Construction of the new aerodrome, to be named "RFC Military School, Ruislip", began in January 1915. It opened on 3 May 1915, becoming known as Northolt and home to No. 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron which relocated from Farnborough
. The airfield became "Northolt" despite being situated in neighbouring South Ruislip. Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station, in this case South Ruislip station
, known at that time as Northolt Junction and later Northolt Halt. In the same year the airfield was extended westwards and aircraft began flying sorties in defence of London against Zeppelin
raids. No. 18 Squadron
was formed in the same month as Northolt and equipped with Bleriot Experimental biplanes, whose slow speed led to heavy losses in combat with the German Air Force.
In 1916, No. 43 Squadron was formed under the command of Major Sholto Douglas. Aircraft equipping the squadron included the Sopwith 1½ Strutter
, built by the Fairey Aviation
company, then situated in Hayes
. The Strutter made its first test flight from Northolt in 1916 with Harry Hawker
at the controls. Fairey conducted test flights at Northolt from 1917 until 1928 when the Air Ministry
gave the company notice to vacate the aerodrome. Flights later resumed from the Great West Aerodrome
owned by Fairey in Harmondsworth
, which was eventually developed as Heathrow Airport. No. 43 Squadron went on to fly sorties over France from 17 January 1917, taking part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
between 4 and 8 April 1917.
No. 600 Squadron
and No. 601 Squadron
of the fledgling Royal Auxiliary Air Force
were formed at Northolt in 1925 under the command of Squadron Leader
Lord Edward Grosvenor. Both squadrons were deployed to RAF Hendon in 1927, although 600 Squadron would return in 1939. The Prince of Wales
, later King Edward VIII and subsequently the Duke of Windsor
, made his first flight in a Bristol F.2 Fighter
from Northolt on 27 April 1929.
Northolt became an active base during the Second World War for Royal Air Force and Polish Air Force squadrons in their defence of the United Kingdom. It was the first RAF station to operate the Hawker Hurricane, with No. 111 Squadron
receiving the first four aircraft in December 1937, and reaching its full complement by February 1938. In the lead-up to war, the RAF implemented a policy of adding concrete runways to important airfields. As a result, by 1939 Northolt had a new 800 by concrete runway. Later in 1939 RAF Hendon became one of its satellite airfields. Polish pilots were taught English at RAF Uxbridge, where they also practiced formation flying using tricycles with radios, compasses and speed indicators.
On 15 September 1940
during the Battle of Britain
, No. 1 Squadron RCAF
, No. 229 Squadron
, No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
, No. 504 Squadron
, and part of No. 264 Squadron
were based at the station, all under the control of No. 11 Group RAF
, headquartered at RAF Uxbridge
. All flew Hawker Hurricanes except No. 264 Squadron's contingent, which operated the Boulton Paul Defiant
. During the Battle of Britain, the Polish Squadron downed the highest number of enemy aircraft with its Czech pilot Sergeant Josef Frantisek scoring the most "kills". The Luftwaffe
bombed the airfield in August 1940 as well as other sector airfields in the area, including Biggin Hill, Hornchurch
and North Weald, as part of a concentrated effort against the airfields and sector stations of No. 11 Group RAF. A total of 4,000 bombs were recorded as falling within two miles (3 km) of the airfield over a fifteen-month period, although only two were recorded as hitting the airfield itself. Under the leadership of the Station Commander, Group Captain
Stanley Vincent
, the airfield was camouflaged to resemble civil housing. Vincent had been concerned that camouflaging the airfield as open land would look too suspicious from the air; Northolt was surrounded by housing and so a large open area would draw attention. A fake stream was painted across the main runway while the hangars were decorated to look like houses and gardens. The result was so effective that pilots flying to Northolt from other airfields often struggled to find the airfield.
Thirty Allied
airmen including servicemen from Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom were killed flying from RAF Northolt during the Battle of Britain, of whom ten were Polish. The Polish War Memorial
dedicated to all Polish airmen who lost their lives during the Second World War stands near the southeastern corner of the airfield. Its name is also commemorated at the adjacent eponymous junction on Western Avenue.
Squadrons based at RAF Northolt during the battle shot down a total of 148 Luftwaffe aircraft and damaged 52. A further 25 were claimed by pilots and recorded as "probables". Group Captain Vincent became one of the few RAF airmen to shoot down an enemy aircraft in both World Wars. Vincent was a long-serving RAF man who had claimed an aerial victory over the Western Front
in the First World War. By the time of the Battle of Britain he was too old for operational flying. Nevertheless, he took to the skies during one raid and succeeded in bringing down a German aircraft.
After the Battle of Britain, the station remained a base for daytime fighter operations, with No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron
, No. 229 Squadron
and No. 615 Squadron
all arriving before 3 November 1940. No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron and No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
later joined No. 303 during 1941 to form the No. 1 Polish Fighter Wing. Polish Fighter Squadrons based at Northolt in 1942 took part in Operation Jubilee (the raid on Dieppe) on 19 August alongside Nos. 302 and 308 from nearby RAF Heston. Reconnaissance squadrons No. 16 Squadron
and No. 140 Squadron
operating Supermarine Spitfires and de Havilland Mosquito
s moved to Northolt in 1944. No. 69 Squadron
with their Vickers Wellington
s modified for photographic reconnaissance arrived later. All three reconnaissance squadrons were combined to form No. 34 (PR) Wing.
In 1943, the station became the first to fly sorties using Supermarine Spitfire
Mk IXs in German airspace in support of bomber operations. On 25 March, RAF Ferry Command
became RAF Transport Command
and thereafter used Northolt as a London base for the transfer of new aircraft from factories to airfields. Runway 26/08 was extended in February that year to accommodate the larger transport aircraft required by the Command. Northolt continued as a Sector Fighter Station until February 1944. As a result of this and the new larger runway, the smaller 02/20 runway closed in April 1944.
RAF Northolt became home to Prime Minister Winston Churchill
's personal aircraft, a modified Douglas C-54 Skymaster, in June 1944. The aircraft was used to fly him to meetings with other Allied leaders. Between 20 and 21 July 1944, a converted Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber named "Marco Polo" made the first non-stop intercontinental flight, flying from London to Washington, DC, then returning to Northolt from La Guardia Airport within 18 hours. In November of the same year, an Avro York
flew non-stop from Northolt to Cairo in 10 hours and 25 minutes. A new runway, 31/13, was surveyed the following month and built in March 1946.
, which used the nearby Bourne School as its headquarters. Other airlines including Aer Lingus
, Alitalia
, Scandinavian Airlines System
and Swissair
used the airfield for scheduled services across Europe.
In December 1946, after taking off during a heavy snowstorm, a Douglas DC-3
operated by British European Airways, flying from Northolt to Glasgow
, crashed onto the roof of a house in South Ruislip
. All the crew and passengers escaped unharmed by climbing through the loft of the house and leaving via the front door. No residents were injured, even though the owner of the house next door was standing at her front gate when the aircraft came down. The owners of the house had not moved in at the time of the crash as they were due to be married a few days later. The house was later named "Dakota Rest" after the Douglas DC-3's wartime operational name, and still stands today.
During 1952 a total of 50,000 air movements were recorded per annum, making the airfield the busiest in Europe. By then the only scheduled airlines were BEA and Aer Lingus. The RAF maintained a presence throughout its use by civil airlines, making it the longest continually used airfield in the history of the Royal Air Force. En route from Northolt to Dublin, on 10 January 1952, a civil Douglas C-47 Skytrain operated by Aer Lingus and named "St. Kevin" flew into an area of extreme turbulence caused by a mountain wave generated by Snowdon
. As a result, the plane crashed into a peat bog near Llyn Gwynant
in Snowdonia
, killing all 20 passengers and three crew in the company's first fatal accident.
Civil flights ceased when the central area at Heathrow opened in 1954 with Northolt reverting to sole military use in May that year. The much larger civil airport at Heathrow meant Northolt's operations became constrained by its proximity to the new facility. No. 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit (AIDU) moved to the station in 1956 from the neighbouring RAF West Ruislip
station. The unit had been established in 1953 to provide information on airfields, communications and navigational aids for the benefit of aircraft safety. AIDU was originally under the command of RAF Transport Command but this was moved to Home Command in March 1957.
On 1 June 1960, an Avro Anson
aircraft suffered engine failure soon after take-off from Northolt and crash-landed on top of the nearby Express Dairies
plant in South Ruislip. There were no fatalities. Later that year, on 25 October, a Pan Am
Boeing 707
, heading for Heathrow, mistakenly landed at Northolt with forty-one passengers on board. A Lufthansa
Boeing 707 also attempted to land at the station on 28 April 1964 but was dissuaded by a red signal flare fired by personnel from Air Traffic Control. In the days before navigational aids such as instrument landing systems
(ILS) and the global positioning system
(GPS) were available, the letters NO (for Northolt) and LH (for Heathrow) were painted on two gasometer
s situated on the approach to each airfield, one at Southall
for the approach to Heathrow's diagonal runway (coded 23L) and one at South Harrow for the approach to Northolt's runway (then coded 26), in an effort to prevent a recurrence of such errors. By the 1980s movements of privately-owned aircraft, mainly corporate jets, outnumbered military aircraft. Civil flights were limited to 28 per day, with a maximum of 7,000 a year. This limit remains to this day.
Northolt received its first gate guardian
, a Spitfire F.Mk
22, in September 1963. Purchased from the RAF in 1969 for use in the film Battle of Britain
, it was replaced by a Spitfire Mk XVI on 2 June 1970. This aircraft remained at the station until its removal on 8 September 1989 for restoration to full flying condition. The Kermit Weeks
' Fantasy of Flight
Museum in Polk City
, Florida, purchased the aircraft whereupon the station received a fibreglass replica of a Spitfire Mk IX as a replacement.
Servicing of No. 32 Squadron
passed from the RAF to the private company Fields Aviation Services in April 1985, then to Lovaux Aircraft Servicing in 1990. In 1991, the Station Flight was established, taking delivery of two Britten-Norman Islanders in December which entered service in January 1992. No. 32 Squadron celebrated its Diamond Jubilee
in 1991, at a time when personnel became involved in operations during the Gulf War
. No. 38 Group RAF
assumed control of RAF Northolt on 2 November 1992 following a wider restructuring of the RAF. On 16 December 1994, the new southside Operations Building opened, replacing the old Northolt Airport Terminal building. With the reorganisation of RAF Strike Command
on 1 April 2000, No. 38 Group was disbanded and Northolt came under the control of No. 2 Group RAF
.
In August 1996, a Spanish Learjet operated by Mar Aviation overshot runway 25 and collided with a van heading eastward on the A40
Western Avenue; the aircraft was carrying an actress bound for Pinewood Studios
in Buckinghamshire
. The two pilots, the actress and van driver all suffered minor injuries. The ensuing investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority's Air Accidents Investigation Branch
found that both the crew's lack of understanding English and military air traffic control procedures had contributed significantly to the crash. Subsequently, after some thirty years of protracted consideration, an ILS was eventually fitted to Northolt's redefined Runway 25. In addition, aggregate
-filled safety pits were installed at each end of the runway by 21 January 1998 to protect road users in the event of another business jet
or military transport failing to stop or ascend before the end of the runway. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee considered the conversion of RAF Northolt to a possible offshoot of Heathrow Airport in the 1990s. While the existing runways would cause aircraft to cross the flightpaths of those using Heathrow, new parallel runways were suggested. These suggestions were opposed by then MP
for Ruislip-Northwood
, John Wilkinson, and eventually progressed no further.
Much media attention focused on the airfield when the body of Diana, Princess of Wales
, arrived there from Villacoublay airfield, in Paris, France, after her death
in a car crash in the city on 31 August 1997. The Queen's Colour Squadron
, then based at neighbouring RAF Uxbridge, acted as the bearer party, while the flight was met by the Prime Minister
, the Lord Chamberlain
, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London
, Secretary of State for Defence
, the RAF Northolt Station Commander and the RAF Chaplain-in-Chief.
Attention was high again in 2001, when the seriously ill, fugitive Great Train Robber
, Ronnie Biggs
was flown from Brazil to the airfield to be arrested by waiting police officers. Biggs had escaped from custody in 1965 and was taken to Belmarsh Prison, upon his return, to complete the remainder of his sentence.
Since 1 June 1998, station commanders have served as aides-de-camp
to Her Majesty the Queen. The station received the Freedom of Entry to the London Borough of Hillingdon
on 11 May 2000. This allowed military personnel to march through the borough in full uniform, an honour granted by the council in light of 2000 being the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the 85th anniversary of the opening of RAF Northolt. The neighbouring RAF Uxbridge station had received the same honour in 1960.
The remains of a Hawker Hurricane flown by Flying Officer Ludwik Witold Paszkiewicz, the first pilot in No. 303 Squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft, were donated to the station in June 2008. During the Battle of Britain, Paszkiewicz became a flying ace and received the Distinguished Flying Cross
after shooting down six aircraft. He was killed in action over Borough Green
in Kent
on 27 September 1940. No. 303 Squadron recorded its 100th kill less than a month after commencing operations. Polish pilot Squadron Leader Franciszek Kornicki, who saw wartime service at RAF Northolt, was reunited with the Supermarine Spitfire he had flown at a special ceremony in September 2010.
An additional memorial to British, Polish, Australian and New Zealand aircrew killed during the Battle of Britain was unveiled in September 2010. In October that year, the hangar which had housed Churchill's personal aircraft, the former Squadron Watch office and the Operations Block were given Grade II listed building status. The Operations Block was a prototype of the "Dowding
System", which facilitated the chain of command's issuance of orders for the interception of enemy aircraft and a scheme used for the first time during the Battle of Britain. Prior to the listing, the block was renamed the Sir Keith Park
Building on 20 September in honour of the former No. 11 Group RAF commander who had also served as Station Commander at Northolt between 1931 and 1932. RAF Northolt itself is the only airfield in use during the Battle of Britain still operated by the RAF.
Group Captain Tom Barrett, appointed Station Commander in September 2009 and the final Station Commander of neighbouring RAF Uxbridge, died on 10 March 2011 following a road traffic accident on the A40. Wing Commander
Jules Stilwell paid tribute to Group Captain Barrett, saying, "Tom was an extraordinary person. We were privileged to have had him as our station commander and the Royal Air Force is a poorer place without him." Group Captain Tim O'Brien was appointed Group Captain Barrett's successor in May 2011.
launched Project MoDEL
(Ministry of Defence Estates London) in 2006 to consolidate many of its London-based operations at RAF Northolt. Under the project, RAF Bentley Priory
, RAF Uxbridge, RAF West Ruislip, RAF Eastcote
and the Inglis Barracks in Mill Hill
were all closed between 2006 and 2010 with any remaining units transferring to Northolt. The Air Historical Branch
, originally established in 1919 to provide a record of air activity during the First World War, was also relocated to RAF Northolt from RAF Bentley Priory in 2008 as part of this project. As a result, the station has been extensively redeveloped with new facilities to support these operations.
The statue, Letter from Home, of a First World War soldier reading a letter was moved from outside Inglis Barracks in Mill Hill to RAF Northolt in June 2007. It is a replica of the statue at Paddington Station
and was first unveiled in 1982. Following the relocation of the British Forces Post Office
and Defence Courier Service from Mill Hill, a new headquarters and main sorting facility were built for their use which opened in November 2007. New hangar facilities for the use of No. 32 Squadron were also constructed, along with new personnel accommodation.
Refurbishment of the original 1920s Officers' Mess took place in collaboration with English Heritage
and reopened in June 2009. Further work at the station saw the relocation of the Supermarine Spitfire (full scale replica) gate guardian to the passenger terminal, and the unveiling of a new Hawker Hurricane (full scale replica) gate guardian near the eastern station entrance in September 2010, commemorating the aircrew based at Northolt who had fought in the Battle of Britain.
Upon the closure of RAF Uxbridge, control of the Battle of Britain Bunker
passed to RAF Northolt to allow for continued public visits. In December 2010 it was agreed that the South Hillingdon branch of the St. John Ambulance
service would move from its existing base in RAF Uxbridge to new premises at Northolt.
, No. 600 Squadron (Royal Auxiliary Air Force), 621 EOD Squadron RLC (part of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment) and the Royal Logistic Corps
. 32 Squadron flies six BAe 125 CC.3 executive jets, two BAe 146
CC.2 four-engine VIP short range transport aircraft, and two Agusta Westland A109E Power
helicopters. RAF Northolt also houses the Station Flight, operating three Britten-Norman Islander
s in electronic intelligence gathering – described by the RAF as performing "photographic mapping and light communications roles".
The Support Wing of the station incorporates the Administrative Squadron, the Plans and Business Squadron, the Engineering Squadron and the Finance Department. Its Operations Squadron, the Air Movements Squadron and the Airfield Support Squadron make up the station's Operations Wing. Lodger Units at Northolt include No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF, No. 600 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, No. 1 AIDU (Aeronautical Information Documents Unit), the Service Prosecuting Authority, Naval Aeronautical Information Centre, 621 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Squadron, the British Forces Post Office (BFPO), the Air Historical Branch (AHB) and the Military Aviation Authority.
, the airfield has been used to represent outside locations in a number of feature films. The James Bond
films Goldfinger
, Thunderball
and Octopussy
were filmed at Northolt, and station personnel served as extras in the Octopussy hangar fly-through stunt scene. The mini-series The Winds of War
and The Bill
and the BBC shows Waking the Dead
, Doctor Who
and Red Dwarf
have all used Northolt to represent various fictional airfields. In early 2010 the station was used for the filming of the BBC's final series of Ashes to Ashes
.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station situated in South Ruislip
South Ruislip
South Ruislip is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon.The population, according to the 2001 UK census, was 10,823. By 2008, this had reached 11,116.-Education:...
, 2 NM east by northeast of Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
in the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
, West London. Approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) north of London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights. Northolt has one runway in operation, spanning 1687 metre, with a grooved asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface.
Northolt pre-dates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1915. Originally established for the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
, it has the longest history of continuous use of any RAF airfield. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the station was the first to take delivery of the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
. The station played a key role during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, when fighters from several of its units, including No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron was one of 16 Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It was the highest scoring RAF squadron of the Battle of Britain....
, engaged enemy aircraft as part of the defence of London. It became the first base to have squadrons operating Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
aircraft within German airspace.
During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
. More recently the station has become the hub of British military flying operations in the London area. Northolt has been extensively redeveloped since 2006 to accommodate these changes, becoming home to the British Forces Post Office
British Forces Post Office
The British Forces Post Office provides a postal service to HM Forces, separate from that provided by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. BFPO addresses are used for the delivery of mail in the UK and around the world...
, which moved to a newly constructed headquarters and sorting office on the site. RAF squadrons, including No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron
No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF
No. 32 Squadron of the Royal Air Force at present operates from RAF Northolt, west London, in the VIP and general air transport roles.-Formation:...
are based at RAF Northolt; its location close to the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
road link with central London has also made it popular with business people and politicians. The station has also been used as a filming location for productions made at Pinewood Studios.
Construction
Following Louis BlériotLouis Blériot
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...
's first flight across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in 1909, the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack. By May 1910, Claude Grahame-White and other aviation pioneers were flying from the flat areas around Ruislip
Ruislip
Ruislip is a suburban area, centred on an old village in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.It was formerly also a parish covering the neighbouring areas of Eastcote, Northwood, Ruislip Manor and South Ruislip in the area. The parish appears in the Domesday Book, and...
, although they soon sought an aerodrome for London, which was eventually built at Hendon
Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
. A proposal was made in 1912 for the area around where RAF Northolt now stands to be developed as "Harrow Aerodrome". The company established to develop the site was listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
but the idea did not progress any further.
The assassination
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six Bosnian Serb assassins coordinated by Danilo Ilić...
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
in 1914 and the ensuing outbreak of the First World War necessitated a new aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps. The Corps had received the Royal Warrant on 13 April 1912, whereupon Major Sefton Brancker
Sefton Brancker
Air Vice-Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker KCB AFC , commonly known as Sir Sefton Brancker, was a pioneer in British civil and military aviation.-Early life:...
of the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
conducted aerial surveys in 1914 of Glebe Farm in Ickenham
Ickenham
Ickenham is a suburban area centred on an old village in Greater London, part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.While no major historical events have taken place in Ickenham, settlements dating back to the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered during archaeological surveys, and the...
, and Hundred Acres Farm and Down Barnes Farm in Ruislip, looking for the most effective operating base for new squadrons. He settled on a site near Northolt Junction railway station but it was not until January 1915 that the British government officially requisitioned the land. It is rumoured that the government official tasked with acquiring the land arrived at the site with his map upside down, leading to the government requisitioning and developing land on the wrong side of the railway line, including the old Hill Farm.
Construction of the new aerodrome, to be named "RFC Military School, Ruislip", began in January 1915. It opened on 3 May 1915, becoming known as Northolt and home to No. 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron which relocated from Farnborough
Farnborough Airfield
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...
. The airfield became "Northolt" despite being situated in neighbouring South Ruislip. Most early RAF airfields were named after the nearest railway station, in this case South Ruislip station
South Ruislip station
South Ruislip is a station served by London Underground and Chiltern Railways in South Ruislip in west London. The station is owned, managed and staffed by London Underground. The station is in Travelcard Zone 5.-History:...
, known at that time as Northolt Junction and later Northolt Halt. In the same year the airfield was extended westwards and aircraft began flying sorties in defence of London against Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
raids. No. 18 Squadron
No. 18 Squadron RAF
No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the CH-47 Chinook HC.2 from RAF Odiham. No. 18 Squadron was the first and is currently the largest RAF operator of the Chinook.-First World War:...
was formed in the same month as Northolt and equipped with Bleriot Experimental biplanes, whose slow speed led to heavy losses in combat with the German Air Force.
In 1916, No. 43 Squadron was formed under the command of Major Sholto Douglas. Aircraft equipping the squadron included the Sopwith 1½ Strutter
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
, built by the Fairey Aviation
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester...
company, then situated in Hayes
Hayes, Hillingdon
Hayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross. Hayes was developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries as an industrial locality to which residential districts were later added in order to house factory workers...
. The Strutter made its first test flight from Northolt in 1916 with Harry Hawker
Harry Hawker
Harry George Hawker MBE, AFC, was an Australian aviation pioneer and co-founder of Hawker Aircraft, the firm that would later be responsible for a long series of successful military aircraft.-Early life:...
at the controls. Fairey conducted test flights at Northolt from 1917 until 1928 when the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
gave the company notice to vacate the aerodrome. Flights later resumed from the Great West Aerodrome
Great West Aerodrome
The Great West Aerodrome, also known as Harmondsworth Aerodrome, was a grass airfield, operational 1930–1944. It was situated adjacent to the hamlet of Heathrow, within the parish of Harmondsworth...
owned by Fairey in Harmondsworth
Harmondsworth
Harmondsworth is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, close to London Heathrow Airport. The village is situated south of West Drayton.The nearest places are: Hayes, Harlington, Heathrow Airport, Longford, London, Sipson, West Drayton and Yiewsley....
, which was eventually developed as Heathrow Airport. No. 43 Squadron went on to fly sorties over France from 17 January 1917, taking part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
between 4 and 8 April 1917.
No. 600 Squadron
No. 600 Squadron RAF
No. 600 Squadron RAuxAF is a squadron of the RAF Reserves. It was formed in 1925 and operated as a night fighter squadron during the Second World War with great distinction. After the war, 600 Squadron went on to operate jet fighters until 1957. Reactivated in 1999, 600 Squadron is the only RAF...
and No. 601 Squadron
No. 601 Squadron RAF
No. 601 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in London. The squadron battle honours most notably include the Battle of Britain and the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of this squadron.-History:...
of the fledgling Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Auxiliary Air Force , originally the Auxiliary Air Force , is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service...
were formed at Northolt in 1925 under the command of Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Lord Edward Grosvenor. Both squadrons were deployed to RAF Hendon in 1927, although 600 Squadron would return in 1939. The Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, later King Edward VIII and subsequently the Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor
The title Duke of Windsor was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1937 for Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII, following his abdication in December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the Norman Conquest, is...
, made his first flight in a Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
from Northolt on 27 April 1929.
Battle of Britain and the Second World War
No. 111 Squadron RAF
No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland until March 2011, when the squadron was disbanded, ending the Tornado F3's RAF service.-In World War I:...
receiving the first four aircraft in December 1937, and reaching its full complement by February 1938. In the lead-up to war, the RAF implemented a policy of adding concrete runways to important airfields. As a result, by 1939 Northolt had a new 800 by concrete runway. Later in 1939 RAF Hendon became one of its satellite airfields. Polish pilots were taught English at RAF Uxbridge, where they also practiced formation flying using tricycles with radios, compasses and speed indicators.
On 15 September 1940
Battle of Britain Day
The Battle of Britain Day is the name given to the large-scale aerial battle that took place on 15 September 1940, during the Battle of Britain ....
during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, No. 1 Squadron RCAF
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
, No. 229 Squadron
No. 229 Squadron RAF
No. 229 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is an officially accredited Battle of Britain Squadron. It became No. 603 Squadron RAF in January 1945.-Formation & World War I:...
, No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron was one of 16 Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It was the highest scoring RAF squadron of the Battle of Britain....
, No. 504 Squadron
No. 504 Squadron RAF
No. 504 Squadron was one of the Special Reserve Squadrons of the Auxiliary Air Force. It was integrated into the AAF proper in 1936. Based at RAF Cottesmore, Rutland, 504 Squadron used a variety of light bombers before being re-tasked to fighters with the Hawker Hurricane in 1939. It subsequently...
, and part of No. 264 Squadron
No. 264 Squadron RAF
No. 264 Squadron RAF also known as No 264 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force formed from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights, No. 439 and No. 440, on 27 September 1918 at Souda Bay, Crete to perform anti-submarine patrols. It operated the Short 184 floatplanes on patrols in the...
were based at the station, all under the control of No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was...
, headquartered at RAF Uxbridge
RAF Uxbridge
RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its grounds covered originally belonging to the Hillingdon House estate, which was purchased by the British Government in 1915, three years before the founding of the RAF...
. All flew Hawker Hurricanes except No. 264 Squadron's contingent, which operated the Boulton Paul Defiant
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc...
. During the Battle of Britain, the Polish Squadron downed the highest number of enemy aircraft with its Czech pilot Sergeant Josef Frantisek scoring the most "kills". The Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombed the airfield in August 1940 as well as other sector airfields in the area, including Biggin Hill, Hornchurch
RAF Hornchurch
RAF Hornchurch was an airfield in the south of Hornchurch in what is now the London Borough of Havering. Known as Sutton's Farm during the First World War, it occupied of the farm of the same name and was situated east north-east of Charing Cross...
and North Weald, as part of a concentrated effort against the airfields and sector stations of No. 11 Group RAF. A total of 4,000 bombs were recorded as falling within two miles (3 km) of the airfield over a fifteen-month period, although only two were recorded as hitting the airfield itself. Under the leadership of the Station Commander, Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Stanley Vincent
Stanley Vincent
Air Vice Marshal Sir Stanley Flamank Vincent CB, DFC, AFC, DL, RAF was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force...
, the airfield was camouflaged to resemble civil housing. Vincent had been concerned that camouflaging the airfield as open land would look too suspicious from the air; Northolt was surrounded by housing and so a large open area would draw attention. A fake stream was painted across the main runway while the hangars were decorated to look like houses and gardens. The result was so effective that pilots flying to Northolt from other airfields often struggled to find the airfield.
Thirty Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
airmen including servicemen from Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom were killed flying from RAF Northolt during the Battle of Britain, of whom ten were Polish. The Polish War Memorial
Polish War Memorial
The Polish War Memorial is a memorial erected to remember the contribution of airmen from Poland who helped the Allied cause during World War II....
dedicated to all Polish airmen who lost their lives during the Second World War stands near the southeastern corner of the airfield. Its name is also commemorated at the adjacent eponymous junction on Western Avenue.
Squadrons based at RAF Northolt during the battle shot down a total of 148 Luftwaffe aircraft and damaged 52. A further 25 were claimed by pilots and recorded as "probables". Group Captain Vincent became one of the few RAF airmen to shoot down an enemy aircraft in both World Wars. Vincent was a long-serving RAF man who had claimed an aerial victory over the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in the First World War. By the time of the Battle of Britain he was too old for operational flying. Nevertheless, he took to the skies during one raid and succeeded in bringing down a German aircraft.
After the Battle of Britain, the station remained a base for daytime fighter operations, with No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron RAF was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940...
, No. 229 Squadron
No. 229 Squadron RAF
No. 229 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is an officially accredited Battle of Britain Squadron. It became No. 603 Squadron RAF in January 1945.-Formation & World War I:...
and No. 615 Squadron
No. 615 Squadron RAF
No. 615 Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1937 and 1957.-Formation and early years:...
all arriving before 3 November 1940. No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron and No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940...
later joined No. 303 during 1941 to form the No. 1 Polish Fighter Wing. Polish Fighter Squadrons based at Northolt in 1942 took part in Operation Jubilee (the raid on Dieppe) on 19 August alongside Nos. 302 and 308 from nearby RAF Heston. Reconnaissance squadrons No. 16 Squadron
No. 16 Squadron RAF
No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War...
and No. 140 Squadron
No. 140 Squadron RAF
No. 140 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a Second World War photo-reconnaissance squadron that operated between 1941 and 1945.-History:Briefly formed during the First World War on 1 May 1918 at RAF Biggin Hill as a home defense squadron with Bristol F.2B Fighters, although by then German...
operating Supermarine Spitfires and de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
s moved to Northolt in 1944. No. 69 Squadron
No. 69 Squadron RAF
The name No. 69 Squadron has been used by the Royal Air Force for two quite different units.No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps was formed at Point Cook, Victoria, Australia on 19 September 1916. To avoid confusion with No. 3 Squadron, RAF, it was known to the British military as "No...
with their Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
s modified for photographic reconnaissance arrived later. All three reconnaissance squadrons were combined to form No. 34 (PR) Wing.
In 1943, the station became the first to fly sorties using Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Mk IXs in German airspace in support of bomber operations. On 25 March, RAF Ferry Command
RAF Ferry Command
The RAF Ferry Command had a short life, but it spawned, in part, an organisation that lasted well beyond the war years during which it was formed.-History:...
became RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
and thereafter used Northolt as a London base for the transfer of new aircraft from factories to airfields. Runway 26/08 was extended in February that year to accommodate the larger transport aircraft required by the Command. Northolt continued as a Sector Fighter Station until February 1944. As a result of this and the new larger runway, the smaller 02/20 runway closed in April 1944.
RAF Northolt became home to Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's personal aircraft, a modified Douglas C-54 Skymaster, in June 1944. The aircraft was used to fly him to meetings with other Allied leaders. Between 20 and 21 July 1944, a converted Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber named "Marco Polo" made the first non-stop intercontinental flight, flying from London to Washington, DC, then returning to Northolt from La Guardia Airport within 18 hours. In November of the same year, an Avro York
Avro York
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft that was derived from the Second World War Lancaster heavy bomber, and used in both military and airliner roles between 1943 and 1964.-Design and development:...
flew non-stop from Northolt to Cairo in 10 hours and 25 minutes. A new runway, 31/13, was surveyed the following month and built in March 1946.
Post-war civil and military use
Starting in 1946 the airfield was used by civil aviation during the construction of nearby Heathrow Airport. During this period, Northolt became a major base for British European AirwaysBritish European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
, which used the nearby Bourne School as its headquarters. Other airlines including Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
, Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
, Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
and Swissair
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
used the airfield for scheduled services across Europe.
In December 1946, after taking off during a heavy snowstorm, a Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
operated by British European Airways, flying from Northolt to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, crashed onto the roof of a house in South Ruislip
South Ruislip
South Ruislip is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon.The population, according to the 2001 UK census, was 10,823. By 2008, this had reached 11,116.-Education:...
. All the crew and passengers escaped unharmed by climbing through the loft of the house and leaving via the front door. No residents were injured, even though the owner of the house next door was standing at her front gate when the aircraft came down. The owners of the house had not moved in at the time of the crash as they were due to be married a few days later. The house was later named "Dakota Rest" after the Douglas DC-3's wartime operational name, and still stands today.
During 1952 a total of 50,000 air movements were recorded per annum, making the airfield the busiest in Europe. By then the only scheduled airlines were BEA and Aer Lingus. The RAF maintained a presence throughout its use by civil airlines, making it the longest continually used airfield in the history of the Royal Air Force. En route from Northolt to Dublin, on 10 January 1952, a civil Douglas C-47 Skytrain operated by Aer Lingus and named "St. Kevin" flew into an area of extreme turbulence caused by a mountain wave generated by Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
. As a result, the plane crashed into a peat bog near Llyn Gwynant
Llyn Gwynant
Llyn Gwynant is a lake in Snowdonia, Wales.Llyn Gwynant lies on the River Glaslyn, in the Nant Gwynant valley, and is about 2 km north east of Llyn Dinas; the village of Bethania lies between them....
in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, killing all 20 passengers and three crew in the company's first fatal accident.
Civil flights ceased when the central area at Heathrow opened in 1954 with Northolt reverting to sole military use in May that year. The much larger civil airport at Heathrow meant Northolt's operations became constrained by its proximity to the new facility. No. 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit (AIDU) moved to the station in 1956 from the neighbouring RAF West Ruislip
RAF West Ruislip
RAF West Ruislip was a Ministry of Defence site, located in Ickenham within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The base was originally built as a depot for the Royal Air Force , split by what is now the Chiltern Main Line...
station. The unit had been established in 1953 to provide information on airfields, communications and navigational aids for the benefit of aircraft safety. AIDU was originally under the command of RAF Transport Command but this was moved to Home Command in March 1957.
On 1 June 1960, an Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
aircraft suffered engine failure soon after take-off from Northolt and crash-landed on top of the nearby Express Dairies
Express Dairies
Express Dairies is a subsidiary of Dairy Crest, specialising almost entirely in home deliveries of milk and other dairy products.-History:The company was founded by George Barham in 1864 as the Express County Milk Supply Company, named after the fact that they only used express trains to get their...
plant in South Ruislip. There were no fatalities. Later that year, on 25 October, a Pan Am
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, heading for Heathrow, mistakenly landed at Northolt with forty-one passengers on board. A Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
Boeing 707 also attempted to land at the station on 28 April 1964 but was dissuaded by a red signal flare fired by personnel from Air Traffic Control. In the days before navigational aids such as instrument landing systems
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS) and the global positioning system
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS) were available, the letters NO (for Northolt) and LH (for Heathrow) were painted on two gasometer
Gasometer
A gas holder is a large container where natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressure coming from the weight of a movable cap...
s situated on the approach to each airfield, one at Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
for the approach to Heathrow's diagonal runway (coded 23L) and one at South Harrow for the approach to Northolt's runway (then coded 26), in an effort to prevent a recurrence of such errors. By the 1980s movements of privately-owned aircraft, mainly corporate jets, outnumbered military aircraft. Civil flights were limited to 28 per day, with a maximum of 7,000 a year. This limit remains to this day.
Northolt received its first gate guardian
Gate guardian
A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main entrance to somewhere, especially a military base...
, a Spitfire F.Mk
Mark (designation)
The word Mark, followed by number, is a method of specifically designating a standardized, integrated, assumed to be functional and unique version of a mechanical and/or electrical hardware product that has completed the design process and has been approved to be put into final production, as well...
22, in September 1963. Purchased from the RAF in 1969 for use in the film Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
, it was replaced by a Spitfire Mk XVI on 2 June 1970. This aircraft remained at the station until its removal on 8 September 1989 for restoration to full flying condition. The Kermit Weeks
Kermit Weeks
Kermit Weeks is an aviation enthusiast, pilot, and aircraft collector. He was recently inducted into Florida's Aviation Hall Of Fame for his services to Florida's aviation history.Weeks was twice U.S. National Aerobatic Champion...
' Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight is an aviation-related attraction in Polk City, Florida, USA that takes visitors back to the pioneering days of early flight, World War I, World War II and beyond. The attraction opened in November of 1995, and houses the world's largest private aircraft collection on display...
Museum in Polk City
Polk City, Florida
Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,516 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,515. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Florida, purchased the aircraft whereupon the station received a fibreglass replica of a Spitfire Mk IX as a replacement.
Servicing of No. 32 Squadron
No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF
No. 32 Squadron of the Royal Air Force at present operates from RAF Northolt, west London, in the VIP and general air transport roles.-Formation:...
passed from the RAF to the private company Fields Aviation Services in April 1985, then to Lovaux Aircraft Servicing in 1990. In 1991, the Station Flight was established, taking delivery of two Britten-Norman Islanders in December which entered service in January 1992. No. 32 Squadron celebrated its Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
in 1991, at a time when personnel became involved in operations during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. No. 38 Group RAF
No. 38 Group RAF
No 38 Group RAF was formed on 6 November 1943 from nine squadrons as part of Fighter Command. It was finally disbanded on 1 April 2000.-History:...
assumed control of RAF Northolt on 2 November 1992 following a wider restructuring of the RAF. On 16 December 1994, the new southside Operations Building opened, replacing the old Northolt Airport Terminal building. With the reorganisation of RAF Strike Command
RAF Strike Command
The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
on 1 April 2000, No. 38 Group was disbanded and Northolt came under the control of No. 2 Group RAF
No. 2 Group RAF
Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command....
.
In August 1996, a Spanish Learjet operated by Mar Aviation overshot runway 25 and collided with a van heading eastward on the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
Western Avenue; the aircraft was carrying an actress bound for Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The two pilots, the actress and van driver all suffered minor injuries. The ensuing investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority's Air Accidents Investigation Branch
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigates air accidents in the United Kingdom. It is a branch of the Department for Transport and is based on the grounds of Farnborough Airport near Aldershot, Rushmoor, Hampshire.-History:...
found that both the crew's lack of understanding English and military air traffic control procedures had contributed significantly to the crash. Subsequently, after some thirty years of protracted consideration, an ILS was eventually fitted to Northolt's redefined Runway 25. In addition, aggregate
Aggregate (composite)
Aggregate is the component of a composite material that resists compressive stress and provides bulk to the composite material. For efficient filling, aggregate should be much smaller than the finished item, but have a wide variety of sizes...
-filled safety pits were installed at each end of the runway by 21 January 1998 to protect road users in the event of another business jet
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
or military transport failing to stop or ascend before the end of the runway. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee considered the conversion of RAF Northolt to a possible offshoot of Heathrow Airport in the 1990s. While the existing runways would cause aircraft to cross the flightpaths of those using Heathrow, new parallel runways were suggested. These suggestions were opposed by then MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Ruislip-Northwood
Ruislip-Northwood (UK Parliament constituency)
Ruislip-Northwood was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, John Wilkinson, and eventually progressed no further.
Much media attention focused on the airfield when the body of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, arrived there from Villacoublay airfield, in Paris, France, after her death
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
in a car crash in the city on 31 August 1997. The Queen's Colour Squadron
Queen's Colour Squadron
The Queen's Colour Squadron is the unit of the Royal Air Force charged with the safe-keeping of the Queen's Colour for the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. Since its formation, it has been manned exclusively by officers and men of the RAF Regiment...
, then based at neighbouring RAF Uxbridge, acted as the bearer party, while the flight was met by the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, the Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London
Lord Lieutenant of Greater London
The Lord Lieutenant of Greater London is Her Majesty's representative in Greater London, including the 32 London boroughs.This is a complete list of Lord Lieutenants of Greater London in the United Kingdom....
, Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
, the RAF Northolt Station Commander and the RAF Chaplain-in-Chief.
Attention was high again in 2001, when the seriously ill, fugitive Great Train Robber
Great Train Robbery (1963)
The Great Train Robbery is the name given to a £2.6 million train robbery committed on 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. The bulk of the stolen money was not recovered...
, Ronnie Biggs
Ronnie Biggs
Ronald Arthur "Ronnie" Biggs is an English criminal, known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, for his escape from prison in 1965, for living as a fugitive for 36 years and for his various publicity stunts while in exile. In 2001, he voluntarily returned to the United Kingdom and...
was flown from Brazil to the airfield to be arrested by waiting police officers. Biggs had escaped from custody in 1965 and was taken to Belmarsh Prison, upon his return, to complete the remainder of his sentence.
Since 1 June 1998, station commanders have served as aides-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Her Majesty the Queen. The station received the Freedom of Entry to the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
on 11 May 2000. This allowed military personnel to march through the borough in full uniform, an honour granted by the council in light of 2000 being the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the 85th anniversary of the opening of RAF Northolt. The neighbouring RAF Uxbridge station had received the same honour in 1960.
The remains of a Hawker Hurricane flown by Flying Officer Ludwik Witold Paszkiewicz, the first pilot in No. 303 Squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft, were donated to the station in June 2008. During the Battle of Britain, Paszkiewicz became a flying ace and received the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
after shooting down six aircraft. He was killed in action over Borough Green
Borough Green
Borough Green is a large village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling District of Kent, England. The main village is situated on the A25 road between Maidstone and Sevenoaks in Kent.-History:...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
on 27 September 1940. No. 303 Squadron recorded its 100th kill less than a month after commencing operations. Polish pilot Squadron Leader Franciszek Kornicki, who saw wartime service at RAF Northolt, was reunited with the Supermarine Spitfire he had flown at a special ceremony in September 2010.
An additional memorial to British, Polish, Australian and New Zealand aircrew killed during the Battle of Britain was unveiled in September 2010. In October that year, the hangar which had housed Churchill's personal aircraft, the former Squadron Watch office and the Operations Block were given Grade II listed building status. The Operations Block was a prototype of the "Dowding
Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB, GCVO, CMG was a British officer in the Royal Air Force...
System", which facilitated the chain of command's issuance of orders for the interception of enemy aircraft and a scheme used for the first time during the Battle of Britain. Prior to the listing, the block was renamed the Sir Keith Park
Keith Park
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander...
Building on 20 September in honour of the former No. 11 Group RAF commander who had also served as Station Commander at Northolt between 1931 and 1932. RAF Northolt itself is the only airfield in use during the Battle of Britain still operated by the RAF.
Group Captain Tom Barrett, appointed Station Commander in September 2009 and the final Station Commander of neighbouring RAF Uxbridge, died on 10 March 2011 following a road traffic accident on the A40. Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Jules Stilwell paid tribute to Group Captain Barrett, saying, "Tom was an extraordinary person. We were privileged to have had him as our station commander and the Royal Air Force is a poorer place without him." Group Captain Tim O'Brien was appointed Group Captain Barrett's successor in May 2011.
Project MoDEL redevelopment
The Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
launched Project MoDEL
Project MoDEL
Project MoDEL is a project run for the Ministry of Defence by the ministry's Defence Infrastructure Organisation and VSM Estates, a joint venture established between Vinci PLC and St. Modwen Properties to bid for the contract...
(Ministry of Defence Estates London) in 2006 to consolidate many of its London-based operations at RAF Northolt. Under the project, RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was famous as the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and the Second World War. The RAF Bentley Priory site includes a Grade II* listed Officers' Mess and Italian...
, RAF Uxbridge, RAF West Ruislip, RAF Eastcote
RAF Eastcote
RAF Eastcote, also known over time as RAF Lime Grove, HMS Pembroke V and Outstation Eastcote, was a Ministry of Defence site in Eastcote, within the London Borough of Hillingdon....
and the Inglis Barracks in Mill Hill
Mill Hill
Mill Hill is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburb situated 9 miles north west of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until it was absorbed by London...
were all closed between 2006 and 2010 with any remaining units transferring to Northolt. The Air Historical Branch
Air Historical Branch
The Air Historical Branch is the historical archive and records service of the Royal Air Force.First established in 1919, the AHB was responsible for creating the Official History of British Air Operations in the First World War....
, originally established in 1919 to provide a record of air activity during the First World War, was also relocated to RAF Northolt from RAF Bentley Priory in 2008 as part of this project. As a result, the station has been extensively redeveloped with new facilities to support these operations.
The statue, Letter from Home, of a First World War soldier reading a letter was moved from outside Inglis Barracks in Mill Hill to RAF Northolt in June 2007. It is a replica of the statue at Paddington Station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
and was first unveiled in 1982. Following the relocation of the British Forces Post Office
British Forces Post Office
The British Forces Post Office provides a postal service to HM Forces, separate from that provided by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. BFPO addresses are used for the delivery of mail in the UK and around the world...
and Defence Courier Service from Mill Hill, a new headquarters and main sorting facility were built for their use which opened in November 2007. New hangar facilities for the use of No. 32 Squadron were also constructed, along with new personnel accommodation.
Refurbishment of the original 1920s Officers' Mess took place in collaboration with English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and reopened in June 2009. Further work at the station saw the relocation of the Supermarine Spitfire (full scale replica) gate guardian to the passenger terminal, and the unveiling of a new Hawker Hurricane (full scale replica) gate guardian near the eastern station entrance in September 2010, commemorating the aircrew based at Northolt who had fought in the Battle of Britain.
Upon the closure of RAF Uxbridge, control of the Battle of Britain Bunker
Battle of Britain Bunker
The Battle of Britain Bunker is an underground operations room at RAF Uxbridge, formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Second World War. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from there throughout the War but most notably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day...
passed to RAF Northolt to allow for continued public visits. In December 2010 it was agreed that the South Hillingdon branch of the St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance
St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
service would move from its existing base in RAF Uxbridge to new premises at Northolt.
Operations
Within the Operations Wing, the station houses No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAFNo. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF
No. 32 Squadron of the Royal Air Force at present operates from RAF Northolt, west London, in the VIP and general air transport roles.-Formation:...
, No. 600 Squadron (Royal Auxiliary Air Force), 621 EOD Squadron RLC (part of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment) and the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
. 32 Squadron flies six BAe 125 CC.3 executive jets, two BAe 146
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...
CC.2 four-engine VIP short range transport aircraft, and two Agusta Westland A109E Power
Agusta A109
The AgustaWestland AW109 is a light-weight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland...
helicopters. RAF Northolt also houses the Station Flight, operating three Britten-Norman Islander
Britten-Norman Islander
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...
s in electronic intelligence gathering – described by the RAF as performing "photographic mapping and light communications roles".
The Support Wing of the station incorporates the Administrative Squadron, the Plans and Business Squadron, the Engineering Squadron and the Finance Department. Its Operations Squadron, the Air Movements Squadron and the Airfield Support Squadron make up the station's Operations Wing. Lodger Units at Northolt include No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF, No. 600 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, No. 1 AIDU (Aeronautical Information Documents Unit), the Service Prosecuting Authority, Naval Aeronautical Information Centre, 621 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Squadron, the British Forces Post Office (BFPO), the Air Historical Branch (AHB) and the Military Aviation Authority.
Squadrons and aircraft
Sources: Battle of Britain Airfields (1st Edition) and A History of Royal Air Force Northolt| Unit | Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Squadron RAF No. 1 Squadron RAF No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated the Harrier GR9 from RAF Cottesmore until 28 January 2011.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since... |
August–September 1940 | Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... |
I | |
| No. 1 Squadron RCAF No. 1 Squadron RCAF No. 1 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force was formed as a fighter unit at Trenton, Ontario on 21 September 1937 with Siskin aircraft. The squadron was formed from the Fighter Flight of No. 3 Squadron. In August 1938, the squadron moved to Calgary, Alberta and was re-equipped with Hawker Hurricane... |
August–October 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I | Renumbered No. 401 Squadron RCAF in 1941 |
| No. 4 Squadron RAF | February–September 1919 | Royal Aircraft Factory RE 8 | Returned from operations in France as a cadre | |
| No. 12 Squadron RAF No. 12 Squadron RAF No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth.-History:No. 12 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed in February 1915 from a flight of No. 1 Squadron RFC at Netheravon. The squadron moved to France in September 1915 and operated a variety of aircraft... |
April 1923 – March 1924 | De Havilland DH.9A | Formed at Northolt then moved to RAF Andover RAF Andover Andover Airfield is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station. The ICAO code for the airfield is EGWA and the IATA code is ADV... |
|
| No. 16 Squadron RAF No. 16 Squadron RAF No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War... |
April–September 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s... |
XI and XI | Moved out to Normandy, France |
| No. 18 Squadron RFC No. 18 Squadron RAF No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the CH-47 Chinook HC.2 from RAF Odiham. No. 18 Squadron was the first and is currently the largest RAF operator of the Chinook.-First World War:... |
May–August 1915 | Various | Formed at Northolt then moved to Mousehold | |
| No. 23 Squadron RAF No. 23 Squadron RAF No. 23 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Until October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.-First World War:... |
December 1936 – May 1938 | Hawker Demon | ||
| No. 24 Squadron RAF | January 1927 – February 1933 | Variety of types | Operated eight different types of aircraft for communications and liaison duties | |
| No. 25 Squadron RAF | September 1938 – October 1938 | Gloster Gladiator Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it... |
I | |
| No. 32 Squadron RAF | February 1969 – | Percival Pembroke Percival Pembroke -See also:-Bibliography:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.... Bristol Sycamore Bristol Sycamore -See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*... Beagle Basset Hawker Siddeley Andover Westland Whirlwind British Aerospace 125 Westland Gazelle BAe 146 BAe 146 The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992... |
Communications and liaison duties | |
| No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No... |
April 1923 – October 1935 | Variety of types | Moved to Aden operating the Hawker Demon | |
| No. 43 Squadron RAF No. 43 Squadron RAF No. 43 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron originally formed in 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. It last operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland in the air defence role until disbanded in July 2009.-In World War I:... |
May–September 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I | Not based but operated detachments from RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, located at Tangmere village about 3 miles east of Chichester in West Sussex, England. American RAF pilot Billy Fiske died at Tangmere and was the first American aviator to die during World War II... |
| No. 65 Squadron RAF No. 65 Squadron RAF No. 65 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.-World War I:The squadron was first formed at Wyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich. By the end of World War I, it had claimed over 200 victories... |
October 1939 – March 1940 | Supermarine Spitfire | I | |
| No. 69 Squadron RAF No. 69 Squadron RAF The name No. 69 Squadron has been used by the Royal Air Force for two quite different units.No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps was formed at Point Cook, Victoria, Australia on 19 September 1916. To avoid confusion with No. 3 Squadron, RAF, it was known to the British military as "No... |
May–September 1944 | Vickers Wellington Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a... |
XIII | Moved out to Normandy, France |
| No. 111 Squadron RAF No. 111 Squadron RAF No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland until March 2011, when the squadron was disbanded, ending the Tornado F3's RAF service.-In World War I:... |
July 1934 – October 1939 | Bristol Bulldog Bristol Bulldog |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. The Bristol Bulldog . Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1965.* Barnes, C.H. Bristol Aircraft Since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964.... Gloster Gauntlet Gloster Gauntlet -See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Crawford, Alex. Bristol Bulldog, Gloster Gauntlet. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2005. ISBN 83-89450-04-6.... Hawker Hurricane |
||
| No. 124 Squadron RAF No. 124 Squadron RAF No. 124 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a light bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:... |
July–September 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VII | |
| No. 140 Squadron RAF No. 140 Squadron RAF No. 140 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a Second World War photo-reconnaissance squadron that operated between 1941 and 1945.-History:Briefly formed during the First World War on 1 May 1918 at RAF Biggin Hill as a home defense squadron with Bristol F.2B Fighters, although by then German... |
April–September 1944 | De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"... |
IX and XVI | Moved out to Normandy, France |
| No. 207 Squadron RAF | February 1969 – June 1984 | Beagle Basset Hunting Pembroke De Havilland Devon |
Communication and liaison squadron | |
| No. 213 Squadron RAF No. 213 Squadron RAF No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service... |
March 1937 – July 1937 | Gloster Gauntlet | II | |
| No. 229 Squadron RAF No. 229 Squadron RAF No. 229 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is an officially accredited Battle of Britain Squadron. It became No. 603 Squadron RAF in January 1945.-Formation & World War I:... |
September–December 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I | |
| No. 253 Squadron RAF No. 253 Squadron RAF RAF 253 Squadron was based at RAF Waterbeach in the two years 1955 to 1957. It flew Vampire and Venom fighter aircraft.253 squadron Nighthawks.Squadron commander wing commander FinlaysonOne Vampire T Mk 11... |
February–May 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I | |
| No. 257 Squadron RAF No. 257 Squadron RAF -In World War I:No. 257 Squadron was formed at Dundee on 18 August 1918 from Nos. 318 and 319 Flights. It flew both seaplanes and flying boats on anti-submarine patrols from Dundee until the end of the First World War and disbanded there on 30 June 1919.... |
July–August 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I | |
| No. 264 Squadron RAF No. 264 Squadron RAF No. 264 Squadron RAF also known as No 264 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force formed from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights, No. 439 and No. 440, on 27 September 1918 at Souda Bay, Crete to perform anti-submarine patrols. It operated the Short 184 floatplanes on patrols in the... |
August–October 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I | |
| No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron RAF was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940... |
October–November 1940 December 1943 – March 1944 |
Hawker Hurricane | I | Polish-manned unit |
| No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron was one of 16 Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It was the highest scoring RAF squadron of the Battle of Britain.... |
January–July 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | I, IIA and IIB | Polish-manned unit |
| No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940... |
April–October 1941 | Hawker Hurricane Supermarine Spitfire |
||
| June 1942 – March 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | VB then IX | Polish-manned unit | |
| No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron | October–December 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA | Polish-manned unit |
| No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron No 315 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during the World War II... |
July 1941 – April 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | IIA, IIB and VB | Polish-manned unit |
| No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 316 "City of Warsaw" Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941... |
December–April 1942 March–September 1943 |
Supermarine Spitfire | VB | Polish-manned unit |
| No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 317 "Wilno" Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941... |
April–June 1942 July–September 1942 September–December 1943 |
Supermarine Spitfire | VB then IX | Polish-manned unit |
| No. 515 Squadron RAF No. 515 Squadron RAF No. 515 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force formed during the Second World War. It stood at the brink of Electronic countermeasures warfare, jamming enemy radar installations from October 1942. This was first done as only such squadron in the RAF, but later in the war together with... |
October 1942 | Boulton Paul Defiant Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant was a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force early in the Second World War. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any forward-firing guns. It was a contemporary of the Royal Navy's Blackburn Roc... |
II | Formed then moved to Heston |
| No. 600 Squadron RAF No. 600 Squadron RAF No. 600 Squadron RAuxAF is a squadron of the RAF Reserves. It was formed in 1925 and operated as a night fighter squadron during the Second World War with great distinction. After the war, 600 Squadron went on to operate jet fighters until 1957. Reactivated in 1999, 600 Squadron is the only RAF... |
October 1925 – January 1927 | De Havilland DH.9A | Formed at Northolt | |
| August–October 1939 May–June 1940 |
Bristol Blenheim | I | ||
| No. 601 Squadron RAF No. 601 Squadron RAF No. 601 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in London. The squadron battle honours most notably include the Battle of Britain and the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of this squadron.-History:... |
October 1925 – January 1927 | De Havilland DH.9A | Formed at Northolt | |
| December 1940 – May 1941 | Hawker Hurricane | I, II | ||
| No. 604 Squadron RAF No. 604 Squadron RAF No. 604 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force notable for its pioneering role the development of radar-controlled night-fighter operations. The squadron was established in March 1930 at RAF Hendon as a day-bombing squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. In July 1934, the squadron... |
January–May 1940 | Bristol Blenheim | I | |
| June–July 1940 | Gloster Gladiator | I | ||
| No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 609 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, originally formed as a bomber squadron and in World War II active as fighter squadron, nowadays provides personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air Force. The squadron is no longer a flying Squadron, but instead has the role... |
May–July 1940 | Supermarine Spitfire | I | |
| No. 615 Squadron RAF No. 615 Squadron RAF No. 615 Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1937 and 1957.-Formation and early years:... |
October–December 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | I |
In popular culture
Due to its proximity to several film studios including those at PinewoodPinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, the airfield has been used to represent outside locations in a number of feature films. The James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
, Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
and Octopussy
Octopussy
Octopussy is the thirteenth entry in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights...
were filmed at Northolt, and station personnel served as extras in the Octopussy hangar fly-through stunt scene. The mini-series The Winds of War
The Winds of War
The Winds of War is Herman Wouk's second book about World War II, the first being The Caine Mutiny . Published in 1971, it was followed up seven years later by War and Remembrance; originally conceived as one volume, Wouk decided to break it in two when he realized it took nearly 1000 pages just to...
and The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and the BBC shows Waking the Dead
Waking the Dead (TV series)
Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
have all used Northolt to represent various fictional airfields. In early 2010 the station was used for the filming of the BBC's final series of Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
.
See also
- Kennedy GiantKennedy GiantThe Kennedy Giant was a British biplane heavy bomber designed by Kennedy Aeroplanes Ltd. during the First World War. The design was an imitation of works by Igor Sikorsky, with whom the owner of Kennedy Aeroplanes Ltd., C. J. H. Mackenzie-Kennedy, had ostensibly worked prior to setting up the company...
- List of Battle of Britain airfields
- List of RAF stations
Further reading
- Halpenny, Bruce BarrymoreBruce Barrymore HalpennyBruce Barrymore Halpenny is a widely respected English military historian and author, specialising in airfields and aircraft, as well as ghost stories and mysteries. He is also a broadcaster and games inventor.-Parents:...
. (1984) Action Stations: Military Airfields of Greater London v. 8. London: Patrick Stephens ISBN 0-85059-585-1 - Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore. (1986) Fight for the Sky: Stories of Wartime Fighter Pilots. London: Patrick Stephens ISBN 0-85059-749-8
- Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore. (2004) Fighter Pilots in World War II: True Stories of Frontline Air Combat. London: Leo Cooper ISBN 1-84415-065-8