Hornchurch
| Location: | Hornchurch |
| Date opened: | 1915 |
| Operational Status: |
The site, which was once, one of
the most famous airfields during the Battle of Britain is now home to
Hornchurch Country Park. The airfield can trace its origins back to 1915
when the small and rather primitive landing ground was known as Sutton’s
Farm. The small site was purchased by the air ministry along with some adjacent land
and opened as an RAF aerodrome on 1st April 1928. The first
squadron to use the airfield was No 111, which were equipped with Armstrong
Whitworth Siskin III’s in January 1929 the airfield became officially
known as RAF Hornchurch. At
the outbreak of the war Hornchurch was a sector station in No 11 Group of
Fighter Command, covering the important southeastern approaches to London.
There were three squadrons based at Hornchurch during the early part of
the war, these were No’s 54, 65, & 74, all equipped with spitfires.
Hornchurch had no runways as such, but a large open grass airfield, which
allowed for three runs of 1,200, 850, and 830 yards. Hornchurch
soon gained a satellite airfield at Rochford and, in November 1939 another
at Manston; both airfields were controlled from Hornchurch. During 1940
and especially from May onwards a number of squadrons arrived at
Hornchurch to relive the hard pressed existing squadrons who could be
rested, these included No’s 19, 41, 92 and 222. Like other sector
airfields Hornchurch came under attack from the Luftwaffe. The first raid
came in the afternoon of 24th August, which cut the telephone
lines and left 85 craters. By the end of 1940 the airfield had sustained
another 13 bombing raids. By
the end of September 1940 the various squadrons that had operated in the
Hornchurch sector during the Battle of Britain had claimed 411 enemy
aircraft destroyed with another 235 as probable victories. No
54 squadrons finally left Hornchurch in November 1941; they had served at
the airfield longer than any other fighter squadron. During August 1941
the first commonwealth squadron – No 403 (Canadian) arrived at
Hornchurch with its spitfire VB’s. Before the year was out another
Canadian squadron No 411 arrived and stayed for over three months. The
increasingly cosmopolitan nature of the airfield became apparent when No
313 squadron flew in during December; this was the third Czech fighter
squadron to be formed in fighter command. During the next two years a free
French (No 340) squadron, a Belgian (N0
350), an Australian (No’ 433) and a New Zealand (No 485) squadron all
became part of the Hornchurch wing. On January 21st 1944 the
airfield was bombed for the first for over three years. The station was now under Northweald’s fighter control as the sector Operations Room had been closed down. By this time, Hornchurchs days as a flying station were numbered. From November 1944 to June 1945 the airfield housed an Air Sea Rescue squadron, a Radar calibration squadron, and most unlikely, a fleet air squadron equipped with Vickers Wellington’s. |
| Airfield Closed: | 1962 |
| Current Status: | Housing and Country Park |
| Relevant Squadrons |
No 11 Group Fighter Command http://www.battleofbritain.net/0006.html No 19 Squadron No 41 Squadron No 54 Squadron No 65 Squadron No 74 Squadron No 92 Squadron No 222 Squadron No 313 (Czech) Squadron No 340 (Free French) Squadron No 350 (Belgian) Squadron No 403 (Canadian) Squadron No 411 Squadron No 433 (Australian) Squadron No 485 (New Zealand) Squadron
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| Relevant Aircraft | Information to come |
| Future Action: | Visit Area and photograph |
