Battle of Britain memorial unveiled at former RAF Church Fenton - now Leeds East Airport

A memorial commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain has been unveiled at the former RAF Church Fenton.
Flight Sergeant John Weetman (left) is pictured with Chris Makin as a new memorial is unveiled at the former RAF Church Fenton to commemorate the  80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.Flight Sergeant John Weetman (left) is pictured with Chris Makin as a new memorial is unveiled at the former RAF Church Fenton to commemorate the  80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Flight Sergeant John Weetman (left) is pictured with Chris Makin as a new memorial is unveiled at the former RAF Church Fenton to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The memorial was built by the RAF Church Fenton Veterans group and honours all those who served at the former airbase - now known as Leeds East Airport.

Flight Sergeant John Weetman - an RAF Church Fenton veteran - and site owner Chris Makin unveiled the memorial on Saturday (Sept 12).

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Mark Whitaker of RAF Church Fenton Veterans Group, said: “RAF Church Fenton opened in 1937 and just three years later played a major role during the Battle of Britain and in defending the cities of Leeds, York, Sheffield and Bradford later in the war.

A new memorial  at the former RAF Church Fenton to commemorate the  80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.A new memorial  at the former RAF Church Fenton to commemorate the  80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
A new memorial at the former RAF Church Fenton to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

"As a veterans group we wanted to honour that role and preserve the memory of all those who have served from this base.

“Those who know the base well may remember that a decommissioned Spitfire sat for many years in the entrance to the base. We are grateful to the new owners for enabling us to use that very same area for this memorial.

“It was great to welcome veterans to the unveiling ceremony on Saturday, and those in attendance included several men and women who had served at the base in the 1950s.”

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RAF Church Fenton became the home of the first RAF ‘Eagle’ Squadron, which saw American volunteers join the war effort through the RAF, before the USA entered the war.

The airfield was a base to a large number of squadrons during the conflict, including the first all Canadian and all Polish squadrons to join the RAF.

Following the war, Church Fenton was among the first RAF bases to move into the jet age, when it welcomed the Gloster Meteor and Hawker Hunter aircraft.

In later years, Church Fenton’s role was mainly flight training.

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The base was finally decommissioned in 2013 and was bought by Makin Enterprises in late 2014.

Chris Makin, owner of what is now called Leeds East Airport said: “As a pilot myself, I have always been very keen to ensure that the aviation heritage of this site continues to be recognised.

"It is a real honour to have been asked by the veterans group to host their Battle of Britain memorial.

"It’s rewarding to have been able to afford the veterans the opportunity to once again visit the site and to reflect on their own roles in our collective history.”

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The ceremony was marked by a fly-past by an ex-RAF Tiger Moth biplane.

Invited veterans got the chance to see a number of former service RAF aircraft at the event including Buccaneer, Jet Provost and Chipmunk training cockpits along with an assortment of historic military vehicles.

The Battle of Britain took place between July and October 1940.

September 15 1940 was officially named Battle of Britain Day as it was the day when RAF Fighter Command claimed what proved to be a decisive victory over the German Luftwaffe.

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