Airfields of Leeds

LS16 · Post by **LS16** » Mon 31 Aug, 2009 11:26 pm

Whilst searching for information for a "family tree" project I came across the website for the "Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust"This site lists the following Leeds based airfields:FARSLEY - March 1916 - March 1917http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Farsley-Bradford.phpMIDDLETON - March 1916 - February 1918http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Middleton-Leeds.phpSEACROFT (WINN MOOR (sic)) - March 1916 - March 1917http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Seacroft-Winn-Moor.phpYEADON - 17th October 1931 - Datehttp://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Yeadon-(Leeds ... rd).phpThe site fails to mention Blackburns site at Roundhay Park although it also includes Sherburn which has a Leeds postcode i believe.I'm curious to know more - can anyone help? As the dates the first three started at are so similar was this a national defence issue associated with WW1?

Post by **chameleon** » Mon 31 Aug, 2009 11:55 pm

That's something new to me - and the Seacroft one is under the Job Centre building.Back in the early 80's I watched the estates around Naburn Approach beuing built. Before work started, the Cock Beck ran from close to the Coal Road in the NW, NE towards York Road. In the area shown above, it was split (or one branch was a field drain perhaps), running either side of a low plateau, a long straight, flat area.I was told, by more than one person, that this stretch was used as an air strip 'during the war'. At the time of course, I never thought to question further (wonderful thing hindsight - it comes with age I think!) nor have I ever found anything documented, wondering if anyone else knows of this?

simong · Post by **simong** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 12:25 pm

I have a book called 'Yorkshire Airfields' which lists every airstrip in the county that has been used by the RAF. I'll dig it out this afternoon or tomorrow. I think it's reasonable to assume that airfields that existed in the time of the First World War were established to provide air defence for the city. As has been mentioned recently on here, Farsley was proposed as a possible site for the airport in the 1920s.

liits · Post by **liits** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 2:04 pm

Brian Rapier in his book White Rose Base, lists Seacroft as “Situated three miles north of Leeds, was used by “B” Flight of 33 Squadron RFC who were then flying B.E.2c aircraft. Known as a night landing ground the squadron used Seacroft from March to October 1916”. And the caption to a photograph reads “The Training Depot Mess, now part of an experimental farm of Leeds University”.Trips out to York with my old man would always have him pointing out “That was an airfield in the First War – and that was the hanger” at which point he would indicate the brick building standing approximately where the end of Birchfields Avenue is now.Looking on Google Earth I can’t see any trace of this building so I’m guessing that the Birchfields have been built in the last twenty years [?] As this is only about five hundred yards from the farm on Skeltons Lane in one direction and less than a hundred yards from where Chameleon says the Landing Strip was, maybe the old man was right after all.

Post by **chameleon** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 3:10 pm

liits wrote: Brian Rapier in his book White Rose Base, lists Seacroft as “Situated three miles north of Leeds, was used by “B” Flight of 33 Squadron RFC who were then flying B.E.2c aircraft. Known as a night landing ground the squadron used Seacroft from March to October 1916”. And the caption to a photograph reads “The Training Depot Mess, now part of an experimental farm of Leeds University”.Trips out to York with my old man would always have him pointing out “That was an airfield in the First War – and that was the hanger” at which point he would indicate the brick building standing approximately where the end of Birchfields Avenue is now.Looking on Google Earth I can’t see any trace of this building so I’m guessing that the Birchfields have been built in the last twenty years [?] As this is only about five hundred yards from the farm on Skeltons Lane in one direction and less than a hundred yards from where Chameleon says the Landing Strip was, maybe the old man was right after all. Bingo! Maybe there is something in it after allSherburn Road came into being as Whinmoor (pahse) 'C' was developed. On the eastern edge, Whitelaithe Close and the psuedo-spotted path continuation from York Road was the biundry.Standing there you looked down into a shallow valley to the streams and towards the fields and woods which rose up on the other side. In 1980 that area was opened up to give rise to Whinmoor 'D'. If you take a line from what is Oakdale Meadow on the eastern side and follow through from there to where Whitelaithe Grove meets Naburn Approach, you have the original line of the parallel running becks, with as liits says, the Birchfields estatebeing built over the end of it.I hope something turns up about this.

LS16 · Post by **LS16** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 5:10 pm

Chameleon - I'd heard about Seacroft myself - in fact it is mentioned as one of the sites considered for the airport in a book I once borrowed from the Library.Glad that you and liits have been able to add more information for me including the runway position.I have also seen mention of an airfield at Garforth, does anyone know anything about this one too?

Post by **chameleon** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 5:56 pm

LS16 wrote: Chameleon - I'd heard about Seacroft myself - in fact it is mentioned as one of the sites considered for the airport in a book I once borrowed from the Library.Glad that you and liits have been able to add more information for me including the runway position.I have also seen mention of an airfield at Garforth, does anyone know anything about this one too? LS16 - just to check - it's not the one you sited above:SEACROFT (WINN MOOR (sic)) - March 1916 - March 1917http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Seacroft-Winn-Moor.phpThis is different - compare my pic with the one in the link you posted - is this too listed in your book?

Richard A Thackeray · Post by **Richard A Thackeray** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 6:01 pm

What about the WW1 hanger that remains alongside the side of the A64 just east of 'Bramham interchange', at Headley HallThat was home to 33 Squadron, who left it in 1916It remained in service until 1919, when 76 Squadron was the last to be there.It's now (or was?) used by the 'National Institute of Agricultural Botany' as a research centre. Apparantly only two WW1 hangers are left in existance in the UK!http://travel.webshots.com/photo/133279 ... 9372ksXDlh(Source; 'Highways & Byways From Leeds', by John Gilleghan)

LS16 · Post by **LS16** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 8:26 pm

chameleon wrote: LS16 - just to check - it's not the one you sited above:SEACROFT (WINN MOOR (sic)) - March 1916 - March 1917http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Seacroft-Winn-Moor.phpThis is different - compare my pic with the one in the link you posted - is this too listed in your book? I'd noticed that too but, on checking have found that the centre points for their mapping are somewhat off on a lot of airfields in the UK. RichT wrote: What about the WW1 hanger that remains alongside the side of the A64 just east of 'Bramham interchange', at Headley HallThat was home to 33 Squadron, who left it in 1916It remained in service until 1919, when 76 Squadron was the last to be there.Apparantly only two WW1 hangers are left in existance in the UK! Yes, "Bramham Moor" must also fall within the Leeds postcode. If you look carefully when northbound there is some evidence of the "airstrip" still visible at the roadside.That's interesting about the hangers too, must take a closer look soon.All this came about when I was researching a relative who perished in WW2 on his first mission. Check out http://www.ee138.net where information about my Mum's cousin, Herbert Jowett, appears and also information about one of his fellow crew who was from Leeds. They are remembered in a permanent memorial at their crash site in Stadil, Denmark where their bodies are still interred.

liits · Post by **liits** » Tue 01 Sep, 2009 8:42 pm

Well done RichT! Stunning photo.The alleged aircraft hangar at Seacroft was of a very similar design but, from memory, only about a third of the length of the one in your shot. It had the same curved roof its sides being brick to within a few feet of the roof-line and then glazed whether this was original or a later addition, I don’t know.And, on the subject of John Gilleghan’s book, he writes “Morwick Flats is the land north of Morwick Hall on the Whinmoor and was suggested by Sir Alan Cobham as a suitable site for the Leeds Airport. In his report to the council Cobham stated that Whinmoor was “an ideal position from the flying point of view ... an absence of physical obstructions ... visibility on the plateau may be expected to be above average ... a valuable property as an aerodrome site ...Whinmoor is in my opinion the only area within a radius of 5 miles from Leeds which is suitable for development as a municipal airport” Cobham further said that Whinmoor is so much better in every way than Yeadon and it would be a great mistake for Leeds to forgo acquiring Whinmoor , “a truly perfect site although Yeadon is the only site for Bradford airport”. A giant Handley Page Hyderabad aircraft made an emergency landing on the airfield on October 2nd 1926 and the crew stayed for ten days until repairs were brought up from Newton in Norfolk. The crew ate and washed at the Old Red Lion Inn at Whinmoor and when repairs were complete the plane circled over the inn and a lead weighted message was dropped to landlord Jimmy Crampton and Mrs. Crampton.... from fitter J Barker and Pilot Flt/Sgt J. Wood.” A British Hospital Air Pageant took place on Thorner Aerodrome on 28/29th May 1933 and T. Campbell Black brought his British Empire Air Display to Thorner field on 21st June 1936. The flying ace Amy Johnson also appeared on Morwick airfield but by the end of 1939 the rough field had been ploughed for crops.”So it looks like the area was in use well into living memory and could be worth digging around a bit more. I wouldn’t be inclined to give much credence to the views of Alan Cobham. Air pioneer he may have been but self serving publicist he was too. He would have recommended my back yard for Heathrow if it would have got his name in the paper plus a bit more sponsorship.