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Hatfield (Bishops Hatfield)

Major

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Hatfield is still used in various ways as a heritage trail and, in the recent past, occasionally for television and film productions, such as 'Saving Private Ryan'.

Also known as:	BAe Hatfield / Ellenbrook Fields / Ellenbrook Park / Hatfield Aerodrome / Hatfield Business Park / RAF Hatfield / RAF Station, Hatfield / Salisbury Village
County:	Hertfordshire
Current Status:	Housing / Industry / Leisure activity
Date:	June 1930 - 8 April 1994
Current Use:	Disused
Used By:	RAF / Civil
Landing Surface Types:	Unpaved, later paved
Aircraft Roles:	Aircraft ferrying / Aircraft manufacture (main role) / Aircraft preparation/storage / Army aviation / General aviation / Radar calibration / Trainer (main role)

Opened in 1930, the former RAF Hatfield Airfield was synonymous with aircraft production and used too for flying training, although known in this latter capacity to a lesser degree. Indeed, aircraft production by de Havilland was in full swing by the mid-1930s and many of the company’s extremely well known types were built and first flown from here: the Tiger Moth and Dominie trainers, Rapide transport, Mosquito fighter-bomber, Vampire and Venom jet fighters and the Comet, the world’s first jet airliner. Eventually two-thirds of the legendary Mosquito produced were built at Hatfield. Such was the importance of aircraft production that all flying training was moved to Panshanger in the middle of the Second World War.

The Luftwaffe recognised the value of this airfield and an attack by a single Junkers 88 in October 1940 caused heavy loss of life. Top double agent Eddie Chapman – agent Zigzag - carried out a successful spoof explosion at the factory to mislead the Germans in 1943.

A hard runway was laid shortly after the Second World War, Hatfield then carrying on in the aircraft production and related fields until the early 1990s. From the 1960s onwards the gradual merging of British aircraft companies saw different names appear before the eventual emergence of British Aerospace.

Hatfield for decades had easily served as the town’s main employer but in 1992 production finished of the BAe 146 airliner. The last ever flight here was by a de Havilland Canada Chipmunk light aircraft in April 1994.

Since then much of the airfield has disappeared to make way for industry, housing and education, while parkland now exists on the former landing area. However a main hangar and the control tower notably survive, and Hatfield is still used in various ways as a heritage trail and, in the recent past, occasionally for television and film productions, such as 'Saving Private Ryan'.

The following organisations are either based at, use and/or have at least potentially significant connections with the airfield (as at 01/07/2013):

BAE Systems
Bay Trading
Beales Hotel
Booker
Club de Havilland
Computacenter
Colney Heath Parish Council
David Lloyd Hatfield
de Havilland Bowls Club
de Havilland Primary School
de Havilland Sports and Social Club
Denso
DHL Express
DHL Supply Chain
Eisai
Environment Agency
Everything Everywhere
Goodman UK
Goodrich
Hatfield Library
Hatfield Local History Society
Hatfield Police Station
Hatfield Town Council
Henkel
Hertfordshire Sports Village
Howe Dell School
io Centre
KFC
Lightning Packaging
Mill Green Museum
Ocado
Porsche Centre Hatfield
Ramada Hatfield Hotel
Regus
Royal Mail
Saracens RFC
Scania
Skandia
T-Mobile
The Airfield
The Hangar Hotel
Three Valleys Water
Travelodge
University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire - de Havilland Campus

Notable Past Associated Organisations:

British Aerospace
de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited
Hawker Siddeley Aviation

Main unit(s) present:

No 1 Anti-Aircraft Calibration Flight
No 1 E&RFTS
No 1 EFTS
No 2 Sqn
No 3 FPP
No 5 FPP
No 8 MU
No 15 MU
No 116 Sqn
No 239 Sqn
ATA School
ATA (Womens Section)
de Havilland School of Flying
London Aero Club
Propellers Flying Group
RAF Flying Club
Station Flight, Hatfield
TK Flying Group

Photographs from the unveiling of the ABCT marker at Hatfield on 29 September 2012:

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A de Havilland DH 91 Albatross at Hatfield during the interwar period. © IWM (ATP 9097B)

The prototype de Havilland DH 93 Don at Hatfield during the interwar period. © IWM (ATP 9193G)

One of the first de Havilland Mosquito II night-fighters, seen after a demonstration flight during a visit by the Duke of Kent to the de Havilland plant at Hatfield in November 1941. © IWM (E(MOS) 516)

A de Havilland Dominie C Mark 1, which served with the Air Transport Auxiliary, on the ground at Hatfield, August 1942. © IWM (MH 4576)

Final checks and adjustments to a de Havilland Mosquito before a test flight from Hatfield, 1943. © IWM (TR 920)

De Havilland Mosquito aircraft in various stages of production at Hatfield, 1943. © IWM (TR 1426)

Mrs Judd prepares strips of wood to tack over gauze inside the hull of a de Havilland Mosquito aircraft at Hatfield during the Second World War. © IWM (TR 930)

Pauline Gower, Commandant of the ATA Women's Section, waving from the cockpit of a de Havilland Tiger Moth at Hatfield during the Second World War. © IWM (C 380)

The first pilots of the ATA Womens' Section walking past newly-completed de Havilland Tiger Moths at Hatfield during the Second World War. © IWM (C 382)

Pauline Gower (far left), Commandant of the Women's Section of the ATA, stands with eight other founding female ATA pilots at Hatfield by newly-completed de Havilland Tiger Moths during the Second World War. © IWM (C 389)