“Be strong and let your hearts take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.”

 

Psalm 31:24

 

RAF Snaith

          WWII Bomber Base

Handley Page Halifax B Mark II HR952 ‘MH-X’,
of No. 51 Squadron RAF in its dispersal at Snaith
Squadron Leader Peter Hill briefs crews of No. 51 Squadron RAF on the  raid to Nuremberg at Snaith, 30 March 1944.
No. 51 Squadron lost six Halifaxes that night and 35 men in this image were killed that night.
The Watch Office at Snaith guiding 51 Squadron aircraft back to base after a night raid on Nuremberg. The Station Commander, Group Captain N H Fresson, can be seen waiting outside. .on the balcony of the Control Tower.
Trolleys loaded with 500-lb GP and MC bombs are towed
towards aircraft dispersals on the north of the airfield.
RAF Snaith is a former Royal Air Force station that was opened in 1941, and closed in 1946.

Located near to the village of Pollington, it was called RAF Snaith to prevent confusion with the nearby base at RAF Pocklington.

There were two main squadrons based at Snaith as follows:

150 Squadron – Vickers Wellington – Jul 1941 to Oct 1942

51 Squadron – Handley Page Halifax – Oct 1942 to Apr 1945

During WWII, 205 airmen from 150 Squadron and 687 airmen from 51 Squadron lost their lives operating from this base.

There is an active memorial group that is committed to preserving the memory of the sacrifices that were made, and there is a memorial garden at Pollington. Memorial services are held, and 51 Squadron, which still exists, has been granted the Freedom of Snaith.

Local historian Mrs Renee Ounsley BEM has produced four books containing memories of RAF Snaith, and they have all been digitised and are available in their entirety on one of the touchscreens in this church.

The touchscreen also contains a great deal of media relative to RAF Snaith, and includes videos of simulated flights of Halifax, Wellington and Typhoon aircraft, with a simulation of the base.

The display cabinets contain models of all the aircraft that are known to have operated from RAF Snaith, even if only for a short time.

Halifax B III LV937/MH-E of No. 51 Squadron, Snaith, 25 March 1945.
Image Courtesy of Osprey Publications, “Halifax Squadrons of World War 2”

Veterans of RAF Snaith, current members of 51 Squadron RAF, together with
Mrs Renee Ounsley BEM at the Memorial Garden at Pollington for the annual Remembrance Service (photo courtesy of Les Stubbs)

Did You Know?

With Laurie the Church Mouse