RAF Northolt's origins stem from the early nineteenth century, when early aviation enthusiasts were looking for a suitable position to build an airfield. It was not until after the outbreak of the First World War however that the airfield began to take definite shape. On 3 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 in to Northolt from Farnborough. The Station became designated as one of the seven Home Defence night landing grounds during the First World War from where planes would take off in the search for Zeppelins in the night sky.
On 1 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 dwindled, but from 1923 RAF interests increased with the formation of No. 12 (Bomber) Squadron and No. 41 (Fighter) Squadron. In this period, many test flights were also made from Northolt, such as the first flight of the Rolls Royce Kestrel F11 Engine and the first flight of the Martin-Baker MB-1 light aeroplane.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, RAF Northolt was again thrown into the thick of the action. Canadian and Polish squadrons joined British squadrons as British skies were defended from the German air attacks. The Polish squadron No. 303, which was based at Northolt, went on to become the most successful squadron in the Battle of Britain, with one of its pilots, Sergeant Josef Frantisek (a Czech national) the most successful pilot. The Polish President visited the airfield during the war to congratulate the squadron. Winston Churchill also visited the Station, as did the king. Despite its successes, Northolt also suffered heavy losses, with the death of many pilots killed in action. The Polish War Memorial at the southeast corner of the airfield serves as a permanent reminder to the sacrifices made by the Poles at this time. Moreover, during the worst period of bombing, from 1940-41, over 4000 bombs were dropped within a 2 mile radius of the station. Amazingly, 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.
Transport Command continued to operate from RAF Northolt and from May 1944, the Station became known as the Air Defence of Great Britain Communications Squadron. In June 1944 a Douglas G54B, Skymaster (DC-4) was delivered to Northolt for use by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Northolt was now acknowledged as London's main airport (Heathrow began construction around 1945). Also in 1944 came the first non-stop flight between London and Washington D.C. by the Liberator (AL 578) 'Marco Polo'. The plane, having taken off from Northolt, landed at Washington D.C. some 19 hours and 46 minutes later.
Civil transport continued to develop after the war. From early 1946, regular services began operating from Northolt to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam using the Dakotas of BOAC. For the seven years following the end of the Second World War, Northolt was officially the busiest airport in Europe. As Heathrow developed however, more and more civilian operations began to move the short distance from Northolt to the ever growing Heathrow a little distance to the south.
As civil activity decreased, the numbers of RAF personnel at the base once again grew. In December 1957, the Metropolitan Communications Squadron moved to RAF Northolt from RAF Hendon; 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. The HS 125, the Station's first resident jet aircraft, now occasionally used by the Royal Family, was added to No. 32 Squadron at this time.
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.
RAF Northolt continues to function as a Station on many levels, providing services to Royals, VIPs, Ministers, Heads of State, as well as civilian passengers. It is amazing to think that what was once a boggy piece of land in the Middlesex countryside 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.
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