RAF Yeadon

{{Short description|Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire}} {{Use British English|date=May 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox military installation | name = RAF Yeadon | ensign = [[File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|90px]] | location = [[Yeadon, West Yorkshire|Yeadon]], [[Bradford]] | country = England | image = Leeds Bradford Airport ( Yeadon ) 1968 - geograph.org.uk - 2987550.jpg | alt = An aerial view showing a runway on the left, a lake on the lower right, and the conurbation of Leeds in the distance | caption = | coordinates = {{Coord|53.867|-1.662|display=inline, title}} | gridref = SE222410 | type = Military airfield | site_area =  | floor_area = | height =  | length =  | ownership = [[Air Ministry]] | operator = [[Royal Air Force]] | controlledby = [[RAF Bomber Command]]<br />[[RAF Fighter Command]]<br />[[RAF Flying Training Command]] | open_to_public = [[Leeds Bradford Airport|Yes]] - for public flights | condition = Extant | website = | built = 1939 – 1957 | built_for = | builder = | architect = | used =  | materials = | fate =  | nrhp = | IATA = | ICAO = | FAA = | TC = | LID = | GPS = | WMO = | elevation = {{Convert|204|m|order=flip}} | r1-number = | r1-length =  | r1-surface = | h1-number = | h1-length =  | h1-surface = | airfield_other_label =  | airfield_other =  }}

'''RAF Yeadon''' was a [[Royal Air Force]] [[Royal Air Force station#Physical layout|flying station]] at [[Yeadon, West Yorkshire|Yeadon]], near [[Bradford]], in [[West Yorkshire]], England. The site was used in the [[World War II|Second World War]] and by some flying squadrons after the war had ended. It is now known as [[Leeds Bradford Airport]]. Civilian flying activity ceased during wartime and the airfield was requisitioned for military use, though normal RAF use ceased by 1941, with the site mostly being used for training or by ferry pool pilots flying aircraft out from the adjacent aircraft factory. [[No. 609 Squadron RAuxAF|No. 609 Squadron]] used the site between 1936 and 1939, and they returned after the war but had left the site again by 1950, and the RAF permanently vacated the airfield by 1957.

== History == The airfield at Yeadon was opened in 1931 at a height of {{convert|204|m|order=flip}}{{#tag:ref|Various heights are offered from different sources, such as {{convert|653|ft}} (Myers), {{convert|681|ft}} (ABCT), and {{convert|682|ft}} (Laming). The stated height of {{convert|204|m|order=flip}} is taken from an [[Ordnance Survey]] map which shows that a point where the newer 14/32 runway intersects with the old north/south runway is the highest point.{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=8}}<ref name="ABCT"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Laming |first1=Tim |title=UK airports and airfields: a spotter's guide |date=2000 |publisher=Airlife |location=Shrewsbury |isbn=1853109789 |page=108}}</ref>|name=Elevation|group=note}} above sea level, and is {{convert|7|mi}} north-west of [[Leeds]], and {{convert|6|mi}} north-east of Bradford.<ref>{{cite map|title=Lower Wharfedale and Washburn Valley |map =297 |year = 2015|scale =1:25,000 |series =Explorer |publisher =Ordnance Survey |isbn =978-0-319-24549-1}}</ref>{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=8}} At first the site was a grassed field that covered {{convert|60|acre}} and had minimal facilities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McLelland |first1=Tim |title=Action Stations revisited – the complete history of Britain's military airfields: No. 6 Northern England and the Isle of Man |date=2012 |publisher=Crecy Publishing |location=Manchester |isbn=9780859791120 |page=278}}</ref> The first significant RAF presence came in the form of No. 609 Squadron RAuxAF, which formed at Yeadon on 10 February 1936, with temporary hangars at the north-western corner of the airfield.{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=23}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Philpott |first1=Ian |title=The Royal Air Force - Volume 2: An Encyclopedia of the Inter-War Years 1930-1939 |date=2008 |publisher=Pen and Sword |location=Barnsley |isbn=978-1-84415-391-6 |page=303}}</ref> Originally, 609 Squadron formed as a light bomber unit, and so was assigned to [[Bomber Command]], but by December 1938, the squadron had transferred to [[RAF Fighter Command|Fighter Command]].{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=13}} The outbreak of war saw a curtailment of civilian aircraft flights and most aerodromes and airfields were requisitioned for military flying, which included Yeadon.{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=24}} The base was allocated to [[No. 13 Group RAF|No. 13 Group]] by the Royal Air Force, and was then later moved into [[No. 12 Group RAF|No. 12 Group]] until 1941 under Fighter Command.{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=279}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Oliver |first1=David |title=Fighter Command 1939-45 : From the Battle of Britain to the Fall of Berlin. |date=2000 |publisher=Harper Collins |location=London |isbn=0007629087 |page=232}}</ref>

No. 51 Group Communications moved their headquarters to RAF Yeadon in August 1939, having formed at [[Hendon Aerodrome|Hendon]] some three months earlier.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ranter |first1=Harro |title=Incident Miles Magister Mk I L8344, 07 Nov 1939 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/215982 |website=aviation-safety.net |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref> By 1940, the RAF footprint had increased exponentially with the intention of building five Bellman hangars, and new accommodation huts had been erected. A watchtower was built in 1940, which had a good overall sight of the airfield area.{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=24}} The site was predominantly used as a scatter airfield for Whitley Armstrong aircraft of No.s 51 and 58 Squadrons, based at [[RAF Driffield]] and [[RAF Linton-on-Ouse]] respectively.{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=24}}{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=17}} No. 4 Bomber Group Central Maintenance Organisation formed at Yeadon on 6 October 1940 to carry out repairs and overhauls on the Whitleys belonging to [[No. 4 Group RAF|No. 4 Group]] of Bomber Command.{{sfn|Halpenny|1982|p=196}}

Fighter Command had found that the site was too far north to be of any use during the first year of the war, so by early 1941, it was turned over to [[No. 51 Group RAF]], part of Flying Training Command.{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=24}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jacobs |first1=Peter |title=Bomber Command Airfields of Yorkshire |date=2017 |publisher=Pen and Sword |location=Barnsley |isbn=978-1-78346-331-2 |page=214}}</ref> With the completion of the aircraft factory, the site was handed over to the [[Ministry of Aircraft Production]], with the flying training activities becoming a [[Royal Air Force station#Lodger units|lodger unit]].{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=24}}{{#tag:ref|In United Kingdom military parlance, a lodger unit is one that does not belong to the administrative hierarchy of the base that it is located on. For example, at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire is JFACTSU, but they are part of the [[Joint Force Air Component Headquarters]] based in Air Command at [[RAF High Wycombe]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Security upgrades to Boscombe Down military base approved |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-68151815 |access-date=1 May 2026 |work=BBC News |date=31 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=No.11 Group |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/groups/no-11-group/ |website=raf.mod.uk |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref>|name=Lodgers|group=note}} No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) formed at Yeadon in 1941, with Tiger Moths being sent in from No. 12 EFTS at [[RAF Prestwick|Prestwick]] which had been disbanded.{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=29}} Training of pilots carried on until January 1942, when No. 20 EFTS was disbanded. The EFTS had trained over 250 pilots during its tenure, and responsibility for the airfield and the environs, was handed over to Blackburn Aircraft Factory, who had a presence with the aircraft factory at the northern end of the site.{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=30}}

In January 1947, the base was handed over to the Ministry of Civil Aviation who resumed club flying and domestic airlines, initially to the [[Isle of Man]].{{sfn|Halpenny|1982|p=198}} The final RAF involvement was No. 1964 Flight of 664 Squadron, which departed in March 1957.{{sfn|Halpenny|1982|p=200}}

No [[Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force|badge]] was issued for RAF Yeadon, but there are two memorials inside the terminal building that commemorate the time period that No. 609 Squadron spent at the site.<ref>{{cite web |title=609 Sqn {{!}} RAF Heraldry Trust |url=https://www.rafht.co.uk/index.php/2016/06/11/609-sqn/ |website=rafht.co.uk |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=David J. |title=Britain's Aviation Memorials and Mementoes |date=1992 |publisher=Patrick Stephens |isbn=1-85260-395-X |page=76}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McIntyre |first1=Annette |title=RAF fly-over marks 80th anniversary at Leeds Bradford Airport |url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/14267191.raf-fly-over-marks-80th-anniversary-at-leeds-bradford-airport/ |access-date=1 May 2026 |work=Bradford Telegraph and Argus |date=10 February 2016}}</ref>

== Shadow factory == In 1940, the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) built a [[British shadow factories|shadow]] factory just to the north of the airfield and set about forming the site to be a launch airfield for new aircraft.{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=24}} Extensive effort was made into keeping the site of the factory a secret from aerial observation; grassed banks were built up on all sides at a 45 degree angle, a duck pond and fake animals were placed upon the roof (which were moved from time to time), the pattern of the fields before the factory's construction was painted out on the roof, and the hedges and trees were foliated or de-foliated depending upon the time of year.{{sfn|Myers|1995|pp=28–29}} The factory had a floorspace of {{convert|1,514,190|ft2}}, and was thought to be the largest factory under a single roof and free-standing structure in Europe.{{sfn|Halpenny|1982|p=197}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bond |first1=Chris |title=Aerodrome that became Yorkshire’s gateway to the world |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/aerodrome-that-became-yorkshires-gateway-to-the-world-1918757 |access-date=1 May 2026 |work=Yorkshire Post |date=18 October 2011}}</ref> A {{convert|30|ft|adj=on}} roadway was built connecting the factory with the airfield so that aircraft could be towed onto the runway and flown out of the base directly.{{sfn|Halpenny|1982|p=197}} Even with a large number of outgoing flights, the base never had a Ferry Pool flight assigned to it,{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=281}} with flying duties falling to [[No. 7 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA|No. 7 Ferry Pilots Pool]] based at [[RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet]].{{sfn|Otter|1998|p=293}}

The factory was producing 130 [[Avro Anson|Anson]]s a month, and it total over the course of the war, it had produced over 4,000 Ansons with enough spares for 900 more.{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=280}}{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=31}} The factory also produced 668 [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]]s, and an additional small number of [[Avro York|York]]s and [[Avro Lincoln|Lincoln]]s.{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=281}} Work at the factory ceased in August 1946, with the last aircraft being delivered on the 16th of that month.{{sfn|Otter|1998|p=293}}

== Based units == The following military units were based at RAF Yeadon: {| class="wikitable" |+Units based at RAF Yeadon !Units !Dates !Details !Ref |- |No. 4 Bomber Group Central Maintenance Organisation |6 October 1940 – March 1941 |Formed at Yeadon, moved to [[RAF Dishforth|Dishforth]], then [[RAF Clifton|Clifton]] |{{sfn|Myers|1995|p=29}} |- |No. 6 AACU | | |<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web |title=Yeadon (Leeds/Bradford) - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK |url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/yeadon-leeds-bradford/ |website=www.abct.org.uk |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref> |- |[[No. 9 Air Experience Flight RAF|No. 9 Air Experience Flight]] |8 September 1958 |Became a flight within the Yorkshire University Air Squadron |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=15}} |- |[[No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School RAF|No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School]] |1 March 1941 – 9 January 1942 |Formed and disbanded at Yeadon |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=62}} |- |[[No. 23 Gliding School RAF|No. 23 Gliding School]] |May 1943 – |Formed at Yeadon |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=111}} |- |No. 51 Group Communications Flight |January 1940 – 14 July 1947 |Formed and disbanded at Yeadon |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=123}} |- |[[No. 609 Squadron RAuxAF|No. 609 Squadron]] |10 February 1936 – 27 August 1939<br />5 November 1946 – 18 October 1950 |Formed at RAF Yeadon in 1936, departed for [[RAF Catterick|Catterick]] in September 1939 |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=270}}{{sfn|Phillips|2012|p=23}}{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=281}} |- |No. 1964 Reserve Air Observation Post Flight |1 September 1949 – 10 March 1957 |Formed as a flight of No, 664 Squadron, based at [[RAF Andover|Andover]] |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=101}} |- |No. 3609 Fighter Control Unit (West Riding) |22 September 1948 – 31 January 1961 | |<ref>{{cite web |title=Auxiliary Air Force/Royal Auxiliary Air Force Units |url=https://www.rafweb.org/Organsation/AuxAF1.htm |website=www.rafweb.org |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fighter Control Units - Hansard - UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1960-12-09/debates/02b92bf1-a15f-444e-bd2d-1dd549c75587/FighterControlUnits |website=hansard.parliament.uk |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref> |- |Leeds University Air Squadron |22 April 1947 – 1 may 1948<br />18 March 1954 – 2 November 1959 |Later moved to [[RAF Church Fenton|Church Fenton]]{{#tag:ref|Leeds University Air Squadron merged with Hull University Air Squadron in March 1969 to become [[Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron]] (YUAS).{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=314}}|name=Air Squadron Universities|group=note}} |{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=281}} |}

== Notable personnel == *[[Geoffrey Ambler]], officer commanding No. 609 Squadron at Yeadon from 1938 to 1939<ref>{{cite ODNB|first=Emily|last=Winterburn|title=Ambler, Geoffrey Hill|id=46570|date=25 September 2014}}</ref> *[[John Dundas (RAF officer)|John Dundas]], fighter pilot, joined 609 Squadron whilst they were at Yeadon<ref>{{cite book |last1=Franks |first1=Norman |title=Wings of freedom: twelve Battle of Britain pilots |date=1980 |publisher=W. Kimber |location=London |isbn=0718301978 |page=178}}</ref>

== Notes == {{reflist|group="note"}}

== References == {{Reflist}} === Sources === *{{cite book |last1=Delve |first1=Ken |title=Northern England : Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire |date=2006 |publisher=Crowood |location=Ramsbury |isbn=1-86126-809-2}} *{{cite book|last=Halpenny|first=Bruce Barrymore|title=Action Stations 4. Military Airfields of Yorkshire|date=1982|publisher=Patrick Stephens|location=Cambridge|isbn=0-85059-532-0}} *{{cite book |last1=Lake |first1=Alan |title=Flying units of the RAF : the ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912 |date=1999 |publisher=Airlife |location=Shrewsbury |isbn=1-84037-086-6}} *{{cite book |last1=Myers |first1=Gerald |title=Mother worked at Avro |date=1995 |publisher=Compaid Graphics |location=Warrington |isbn=0-9517965-7-7}} *{{cite book |last1=Otter |first1=Patrick |title=Yorkshire airfields in the Second World War |date=1998 |publisher=Countryside Books |location=Newbury |isbn=1-85306-542-0}} *{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Alan |title=Leeds Bradford Airport Through Time |date=2012 |publisher=Amberley |isbn=978-1-4456-0609-5 |location=Stroud}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeadon}} [[Category:Military airbases established in 1939]] [[Category:Military airbases closed in 1959]] [[Category:City of Leeds]] [[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Yorkshire]] [[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Military history of South Yorkshire]]