  | RAF Northolt was bathed in sunshine for the 2007 photo call on Sunday 10th June and once again offered aviation enthusiasts some excellent photographic opportunities. Strategically positioned ladders offered elevated views of the airframes on show which included a pair of USAF OA-10A's from Spangdahlem and a pair of An-28/PZL-Mielec M-28's from Poland, one a TD variant and the other the later type 1R. Our congratulations and thanks go to the organisers of this event for a great day out. |
| Situated approximately 6 miles, 10 kilometres north of Heathrow in the London Borough of Hillingdon, the airfield is infact older than the RAF. Its origins date back to the early twentieth century when early aviation enthusiasts were looking for an appropriate location to build an airfield. On 3rd March, 1915, No. 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron (RAS), equipped with BE2C’s under the command of Major G.I. Carmichael became the first squadron to move into Northolt from Farnborough. The station was designated as one of the seven Home Defence night landing grounds during the First World War where BE2c’s flew defensive patrols against Zeppelin raids over London. Although extensive building work is being carried out on the base at present, which can be clearly seen in some of the photographs, buildings from those heady Royal Flying Corps days’ remain. On 1st April, 1918, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force, the world's first independent air force. As a result of this, Royal Air Force Northolt became a 3 Flight Group Training Depot Station (TDS) equipped with single seat fighters. |
After the armistice, Northolt's operations declined, but from 1923 RAF interests increased with the formation of No. 12 (Bomber) and No. 41 (Fighter) Squadrons. In this period, many test flights were also made from Northolt, such as the first flights of both the Rolls Royce Kestrel F11 Engine and the Martin-Baker MB-1.
RAF Northolt was chosen as the inaugural station to operate the Hawker Hurricane and during WWII was one of the most important airfields in the defence of London. As the Battle of Britain intensified Northolt became the home to Canadian and Polish squadrons who joined the British Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons in defending the skies over London against German air attacks. No. 303 Polish Squadron achieved the highest allied scores during the Battle of Britain with one of its pilots, Sergeant Josef Frantisek, a Czech national, the most successful pilot. RAF Northolt also suffered heavy losses during this time and outside the South Eastern corner of the airfield stands the Polish War Memorial, to commemorate the Polish airmen who lost their lives. |
| During the worst period of bombing, from 1940-41, over 4000 bombs were dropped within a 2 mile radius of the station but surprisingly, only 20 bombs actually hit the airfield, which was thought to be thanks to the clever thinking of Group Captain Vincent, who, at the outset of war, had initiated a system of camouflage which made the airfield very difficult to spot from the air. In 1943, RAF Northolt's Spitfire Mk IX Squadrons became the first Spitfire Wing as a unit to operate over Germany. |
Transport Command continued operations from RAF Northolt and from May 1944, the Station became known as the Air Defense of Great Britain Communications Squadron. In June 1944 a Douglas C54B, Skymaster was delivered to Northolt for use by Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Northolt was now acknowledged as London's main airport. During that same year the first non-stop flight between London and Washington D.C. was completed by Liberator AL578 'Marco Polo'. Having taken off from Northolt, the Liberator landed at Washington D.C. 19 hours and 46 minutes later.
In 1946 the airfield was loaned by the RAF for civil use while Heathrow Airport was under construction and by 1952 regular services began operating from Northolt to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam using the Dakotas of BOAC. During this same year Northolt was officially the busiest airport in Europe handling 50,000 movements annually.
As civil activity decreased, the numbers of RAF personnel at the base swelled once again and in 1956, No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit moved from RAF Ruislip to RAF Northolt, where they still operate today. During December 1957, the Metropolitan Communications Squadron moved into RAF Northolt from RAF Hendon, becoming the first RAF flying squadron to be based at Northolt for 13 years. In February 1969 the Metropolitan Communications Squadron reformed as No. 32 and No. 207 Squadrons respectively. In early 1990, No 60 Squadron disbanded from Germany and moved to join No 32 Squadron, making it the largest and most varied single Squadron in the RAF. The major role of providing VIP air transport continues today, with the amalgamation of the Squadron in 1995 with the Queen's flight from RAF Benson forming No 32 (The Royal) Squadron at RAF Northolt. |
| In recent years, RAF Northolt has enjoyed something of a celebrity status. It has featured in James Bond films, the British comedy series 'Red Dwarf' and British drama series 'The Bill'. The Station featured in a drama all of its own in 1996, when a Mar Aviation Learjet from Palma Majorca ran off the runway, through the perimeter fence and onto the busy A40, where it collided with a van. Fortunately there were no serious injuries. |
| Over 91 years as a military flying station means that RAF Northolt is a reflection of aviation history. Whilst the airfield remains extremely busy, that is not the whole story. There are a large and diverse number of units at Northolt who all contribute to the success of the Station. Encouragingly, the future is particularly bright and there are busy times ahead. Northolt has been identified as a 'Core Defence Site', with plans to accommodate more units such as the Queen's Colour Squadron and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force as well as British Forces Post Office. It is amazing to think that what was once a boggy piece of land in the Middlesex countryside. RAF Northolt has seen action in two world wars, stood for a time as Europe's busiest airport and currently acts as a base for ministers and royals to carry out official duties both in this country and around the world. |
| | words by
Brian Clark
images by
Matt Critchley
Mike Broad
Brian Clark |
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