SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

During recent conversations with a collegue who lives near the 'Mexborough Arms' on Newmarket Lane at Methley, he told me about the item of the thread title.Apparantly during WW2, as older villagers have told him, there was a searchlight positioned in the land close to 'the Mex'They say it worked, both as a searchlight, & as one of a string 'flarepath' lights for Bombers returning home With regard to the 'flare-path' angle, having one there seems a bit 'off-course' for most of the WW2 Yorkshire airfields, bar perhaps Yeadon??? (unless I'm not thinking about some of them?)Searching on the net does reveal that there was an anti-aircraft unit in the locality, & it was billeted at Methley Hall, but I can't find any further details - unless my choice of search words/phrases is insufficient?All I can find, to date, is in the 3rd article here;http://www.methley-village.com/wartime_methley.htmlI throw this query over to the 'SL' community to see if they can help me (us)

RichT wrote: During recent conversations with a collegue who lives near the 'Mexborough Arms' on Newmarket Lane at Methley, he told me about the item of the thread title.Apparantly during WW2, as older villagers have told him, there was a searchlight positioned in the land close to 'the Mex'They say it worked, both as a searchlight, & as one of a string 'flarepath' lights for Bombers returning home With regard to the 'flare-path' angle, having one there seems a bit 'off-course' for most of the WW2 Yorkshire airfields, bar perhaps Yeadon??? (unless I'm not thinking about some of them?)Searching on the net does reveal that there was an anti-aircraft unit in the locality, & it was billeted at Methley Hall, but I can't find any further details - unless my choice of search words/phrases is insufficient?All I can find, to date, is in the 3rd article here;http://www.methley-village.com/wartime_methley.htmlI throw this query over to the 'SL' community to see if they can help me (us) The Halifax bomber that crashed at Tingley crossroads on November 14th 1944 was recorded as having taken off from an airfield at Snaith and flown along the River Aire towards Leeds. Rivers, of course, are very visible from an aircraft on a moonlit nightBearing in mind the proximity of Methley to the river Aire a searchlight in Methley used as a navigation aid to form an east - west flight corridor would appear to be quite possible

I know about the Halifax, & the memorial, but as stated forgot things whilst writingCo-incidentally, I work at Pinderfields, & was talking to an elderly patient the other week.Looking at her address, she lived near the memorial, and remembered the actual crash (& aftermath) as a girl.It was a very interesting conversation, if sad.

Have you looked at the “Defence of Britain” keyholes on Google Earth? Three place-marks indicate, a search light and two anti-aircraft emplacements near Methley.

Bramley4woods wrote: [The Halifax bomber that crashed at Tingley crossroads on November 14th 1944 was recorded as having taken off from an airfield at Snaith and flown along the River Aire towards Leeds. Rivers, of course, are very visible from an aircraft on a moonlit night Would the airfield at Snaith be RAF Pollington ?? If so large amounts of it, and a hangar or two, remain and I often pass it and used to drive buses past it too. It still has that vast Bomber Command "atmosphere" and I always, even now, pause to imagine those brave lads setting out to perform the almost impossible in those dark days.

HI Blakey Just googled Pollington and it seems it was RAF Snaith so called to avoid confusion with RAF Pocklington. Just off topic once went for a flip in a Cessina with a well known Middleton Driver FP landed At Pocklington due to bad weather and Collided with An old LCT bus which FP had bought to use as a canteen but thats another story

BLAKEY wrote: Would the airfield at Snaith be RAF Pollington ?? If so large amounts of it, and a hangar or two, remain and I often pass it and used to drive buses past it too. It still has that vast Bomber Command "atmosphere" and I always, even now, pause to imagine those brave lads setting out to perform the almost impossible in those dark days. Yes Blakey. It's near the M62 between Eggborough and Goole.I think I've posted this Operations Record Book before - Henry George was a Halifax pilot with 51 Squadron which was based at Snaith between October 1942 and April 1945. The Halifax III (LK844) which crashed at Tingley on 14th November 1944, was also from 51 Squadron. It was on a night-time training mission, when shortly after take-off, it got into difficulties due to bad weather, and crashed into a rhubarb field. The seven crew members unfortunately perished.    More information can be found here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 5495.shtml    

liits wrote: Have you looked at the “Defence of Britain” keyholes on Google Earth? Three place-marks indicate, a search light and two anti-aircraft emplacements near Methley. I'll have a look, but I'll admit it's not a site ('D of B') I've heard of before

RichT wrote: liits wrote: Have you looked at the “Defence of Britain” keyholes on Google Earth? Three place-marks indicate, a search light and two anti-aircraft emplacements near Methley. I'll have a look, but I'll admit it's not a site ('D of B') I've heard of before As a site, it's a bit rubbish but the keyholes on Google Earth, it can be handy. It tends to concentrate on pill boxes, Anti-aircraft sites, anti-tank defences etc, etc. It seems to miss off manufacturing and production altogether [which is the bit that interests me].