Bomber Command Airfields of Yorkshire by Peter Jacobs

Author:Peter Jacobs [Jacobs, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: History, Military, World War II, Aviation, Europe, Great Britain, General
ISBN: 9781473870055
Google: N4QwDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Published: 2017-05-30T22:15:40+00:00

With its aircraft gone, Snaith closed to flying, although it was briefly home to an aircrew holding unit. During Snaith’s operational existence more than 200 aircraft had been lost from the airfield with the loss of more than a thousand lives. One of the most famous Halifaxes to have flown from the airfield was LV937. Having initially flown with 578 Squadron as ‘LK-X’ and then ‘LK-R’, LV937 was then transferred to 51 Squadron and as ‘MH-E’, known affectionately to the crews as ‘Expensive Babe’, completed at least a hundred operational sorties with the squadron.

Snaith briefly re-opened to flying during late-1945 and early-1946 when Airspeed Oxfords of 1516 Beam Approach Training Flight arrived but once the flight disbanded the airfield closed to flying once again. Having no future with the postwar RAF, Snaith lay dormant for several years. Eventually, the runways were dug up when the M62 was built.

The site of the former wartime airfield is effectively bisected by the M62. If heading eastbound towards Hull, it is after the exit for the A19 but before the exit for the M18. To view the area in more detail, take the Pontefract Road south-west from the town of Snaith. After about a mile, this road runs parallel to the M62 motorway to become Broach Road and you are now passing through the northern part of the former airfield. Turning left into Long Lane takes you under the motorway and at Great Heck the road becomes Heck and Pollington Lane. This is the western extremity of the former airfield. Follow the lane eastwards and after about a mile, just before reaching the village of Pollington, you will see an entrance into the Kelkay sand and gravel yard on your left. Turn left here and you will soon see a memorial garden on your left, immediately past the entrance to the staff car park. This is the southern part of the former airfield and marks where the administrative and technical sites once stood. There are many individual memorials to be seen. It is a really beautifully maintained garden and a pleasure to visit.

A beautifully maintained memorial garden near the village of Pollington stands on what was the southern part of the former airfield of Snaith and marks where the administrative and technical sites once stood. (Author)

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.