Sha Tin Airfield was a small military airfield in

Sha Tin Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project. The ...

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

, which had a single concrete runway. The airfield was located along the

Shing Mun River The Shing Mun River or Shing Mun River Channel is a river in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. History The original Shing Mun River began at Needle Hill, and flowed into the former Tide Cove (Sha Tin Hoi), a shallow bay. In the 1970s, Tide Cove was rec ...

and looked out to

Tide Cove Sha Tin Hoi / Sha Tin Sea () or Tide Cove is a cove at the mouth of the Shing Mun River. It is between Ma Liu Shui and Ma On Shan. The cove is open to Tolo Harbour (Tai Po Hoi). It was largely reclaimed for the development of Sha Tin New Town. ...

. The airfield served as a

Flight (military unit) A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subservient of a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though ...

location for most of the location's existence. The airfield was destroyed by storm surge from Typhoon Wanda in 1962. It was demolished in the early 1970s as the RAF consolidated their operations at RAF Shek Kong and later re-developed as part of the New Town project for

Shatin Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project. The ...

Location

It was located near the

Sha Tin station Sha Tin station, formerly known as Sha Tin railway station ( or ) is a station on the of Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system. The station is located in the town centre of Sha Tin. The station was formerly on the main line of the Kowl ...

of the Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section, near present-day

Hong Kong Heritage Museum Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a museum of history, art and culture in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, located beside the Shing Mun River. The museum opened on 16 December 2000. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Ko ...

and Royal Park Hotel. The airfield was built on the shallow shores of

History

In 1949, Sha Tin Airfield was built for use by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(as RAF Shatin). The designation as an RAF airfield was brief and was transferred to the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

's Army Air Corps (AAC). In the 1950s and 1960, the AAC rotated in various

Air Observation Post Air Observation Post (AOP) is an aeroplane or helicopter used in the role of artillery spotter by the British Army and Commonwealth forces. In this role, either the pilot of the aircraft or another crew member acts as an observer watching for ta ...

Flight units from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

: * No. 20 Independent Reconnaissance Flight *

No. 1900 Independent Air Observation Post Flight RAF No. 657 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force in North Africa, Italy and the Netherlands during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely wi ...

No. 1903 Air Observation Post Flight RAF No. 652 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaiso ...

7 Flight AAC Number 7 Flight Army Air Corps (7 Flt AAC) was an independent flight of the British Army's Army Air Corps, latterly based at the British garrison at Medicina Lines in Seria, Brunei, on the island of Borneo. History The flight was originally ...

8 Flight AAC 658 Squadron AAC is an Army Air Corps unit of the British Army that provides dedicated aviation support to the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS) for domestic counter terrorism (CT) operations. The squadron is co-located with 22 SAS at ...

* 12 Flight AAC * 16 Flight AAC *

25 Flight AAC 25 Flight Army Air Corps is a flight within the British Army's Army Air Corps, currently part of the British Army Training Unit Kenya. History The flight was formed in 1987 in Belize where it operated Sioux AH1 helicopters. The flight returne ...

* 29 Flight AAC The Air Observation Post were under the command of the 40th Infantry Division. The airfield operated the

Auster AOP.6 The Auster AOP.6 was a British military air observation aircraft produced by Auster Aircraft Limited to replace the numerous wartime Taylorcraft Auster aircraft then in-service. History The Auster AOP.6 (Auster Model K) was designed as a succ ...

, an aircraft also used by the

Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF) was a Hong Kong Government department based in Hong Kong. It was formed as an air force in 1949 as part of the Hong Kong Defence Force. In preparation for the transfer of sovereignty from the Uni ...

. Belgian pilot Charles den Bron flew his Spirit of Shatin from an airfield in the area in 1911. During the late 1950s a private club used the airfield to fly RC model airplanes.Hong Kong Model Engineering Club Limited
/ref> The club remained at the airfield until 1970. In 1962, Typhoon Wanda severely damaged much of the site and moved to Kai Tak airport to relocate with the RAF around 1963. Subsequently, the airfield was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for developing the

Sha Tin New Town Sha Tin New Town, or known as Sha Tin-Ma On Shan New Town or Sha Tin Town is one of the satellite towns and new towns of Hong Kong. It is within the Sha Tin District, the New Territories. The New Town covers the neighbourhoods such as Sha Tin, T ...

Facilities

The airfield consisted of a single 600-metre runway, direction 05/23. Facilities at the airfield consisted of a small control tower, building and hangars made of corrugated steel sections. The airfield was abandoned after Typhoon Wanda in 1962. All the structures were demolished when the station closed in the 1970s. The Air Observation Post Headquarter's building was located at the edge of the

facing

Tolo Harbour Tolo Harbour, or Tai Po Hoi (, historically ) is a sheltered harbour in northeast New Territories of Hong Kong. Geography Tide Cove aka. Sha Tin Hoi is to the south of the harbour, and Plover Cove, Three Fathoms Cove and Tolo Channel are ...

. The runway is now the site of the

New Town Plaza New Town Plaza is a shopping mall in the town centre of Sha Tin, Hong Kong. Developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, it was the biggest shopping centre in the New Territories when it was completed in the early 1980s. Covering 200,000 square metre ...

Phase 3 and Royal Park Hotel, while the base is currently occupied by Sha Tin Park.

References

* 宋軒麟 (2004), 《香港航空百年》, Hong Kong: Joint Us Press () * http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201449.html * http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200922.html * http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%201569.html

External links

Flight Global (PDF)
{{authority control Airports in Hong Kong Defunct airports in the United Kingdom Military of Hong Kong under British rule Sha Tin Former buildings and structures in Hong Kong Military of Hong Kong 1949 establishments in Hong Kong 1970 disestablishments in Hong Kong Airports established in 1949 Airports disestablished in 1970

Location

History

Facilities

See also

References

External links