RAF Church Fenton, Church Fenton – Feb 2016
Another late one! I visited this one during another great Northern Road Trip with Mookster, with this being the main target. It was a rather large site and took a few hours to get round! We also bumped into some other explorers while here.
I enjoyed it here, it was quite ruined but it had the odd photogenic photo!
RAF Church Fenton opened in 1937 with the peak of its activity during the years of the Second World War. During this time, it served within the defence network of fighter bases of the RAF providing protection for the Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Humberside industrial regions of Northern England.
During the September of 1940 it became home to the first RAF "Eagle squadron" of American volunteers being No. 71 Squadron RAF initially with the “Brewster Buffalo I” for one month, before changing to the Hawker Hurricane I.
The airfield was also home to both the first all-Canadian and all-Polish squadrons. (No. 242 Squadron RAF for the Canadians and No. 306 Squadron RAF for the Polish.)
As technology evolved; the first night fighter Operational Training Unit (No. 54 OTU) was formed at Church Fenton in 1940 and stayed there until 1942. Some of the squadrons stationed there flew the famous De Havilland Mosquito.
Today the airfield side is used as a private airport for the wealthy while the RAF bunk houses and mess halls have lay dormant since its closure in 1992.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
https://www.flickr.com/photos/landie_man/25675233762/in/album-72157665353531210/
Another late one! I visited this one during another great Northern Road Trip with Mookster, with this being the main target. It was a rather large site and took a few hours to get round! We also bumped into some other explorers while here.
I enjoyed it here, it was quite ruined but it had the odd photogenic photo!
RAF Church Fenton opened in 1937 with the peak of its activity during the years of the Second World War. During this time, it served within the defence network of fighter bases of the RAF providing protection for the Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Humberside industrial regions of Northern England.
During the September of 1940 it became home to the first RAF "Eagle squadron" of American volunteers being No. 71 Squadron RAF initially with the “Brewster Buffalo I” for one month, before changing to the Hawker Hurricane I.
The airfield was also home to both the first all-Canadian and all-Polish squadrons. (No. 242 Squadron RAF for the Canadians and No. 306 Squadron RAF for the Polish.)
As technology evolved; the first night fighter Operational Training Unit (No. 54 OTU) was formed at Church Fenton in 1940 and stayed there until 1942. Some of the squadrons stationed there flew the famous De Havilland Mosquito.
Today the airfield side is used as a private airport for the wealthy while the RAF bunk houses and mess halls have lay dormant since its closure in 1992.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
https://www.flickr.com/photos/landie_man/25675233762/in/album-72157665353531210/
