RAF Church Fenton, England

RAF Church Fenton is a former military airfield and base located near the village of Church Fenton in North Yorkshire, England. The air force opened the station in 1937. It functioned as a fighter base during World War II and later became a major facility for training pilots.

I explored RAF Church Fenton a few times over the years, covering almost all of the remaining buildings over my visits. The site was demolished in 2020 and 2021 to make way for housing developments.

History

The station opened in April 1937 after two years of planning and construction. This Royal Airforce Base would provide air defence for industrial centres in the North of England, including Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield. The base was soon home to No. 71 Squadron RAF, which flew the Gloster Gladiator ( the last biplanes to be flown by the RAF).

By 1940, the Eagle Squadron, made up of American volunteers, called RAF Church Fenton home. These pilots flew Brewster Buffalos and later shifted to Hawker Hurricanes. Various squadrons flew out of Church Fenton during the 1940s, including Canadian and Polish squadrons.

In the post-war years, the site remained a fighter base initially. It was one of the first to receive modern jet aircraft, namely the Gloster Meteor and the Hawker Hunter. In later years, the role of the site changed to pilot training. No. 7 Flying Training School arrived in 1962 and operated Jet Provost trainer aircraft. The base was the RAF’s main elementary flying training airport until 1992.

Closure of RAF Church Fenton

In 1992, the UK government’s Options For Change policy was implemented. In the aftermath of the Cold War, this review aimed to reduce the size of the British Armed Forces. The flying training school closed, and units relocated to RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Additionally, other buildings were demolished and sold off to reduce maintenance costs. RAF Church Fenton lost its status as a standalone command and now serves as a relief landing ground for RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

In March 2013, it was announced that RAF Church Fenton would fully close down following the Strategic Defence and Security Review. By December 2013, his final military flying day took place, and Air Traffic Control was suspended. The airfield was sold to a private developer, who transformed the site into Leeds East Airport.

Demolition Of the airbase (2020/2021) & end of an era

The rest of RAF Church Fenton sat abandoned for over a decade, as decay and vandalism took their toll.

Plans were filed and approved to build housing on the site, with over 100 houses in a new development called “Poppy Fields”. Demolition took place in the winter of 2020, extending into 2021. RAF Church Fenton is now but a memory, another piece of Biritsh history erased by bulldozers.