SCHOFIELDS AIRFIELD, NSW
IN AUSTRALIA
DURING WWII
Schofields airfield in central New South Wales was used extensively by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (RN FAA) of the British Pacific Fleet during WW2.
Station Flight Schofields Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, was based at Schofields from 1 March 1945 to 1 July 1945.
No. 6 Mobile Naval Air Base (6 MONAB), HMS Nabstock, was based at Schofields from 15 November 1945 to 8 June 1946.
No. 3 Mobile Naval Air Base (3 MONAB), HMS Nabthorpe, was based at Schofields from 5 February 1945 to 15 November 1945.
| SQUADRON | ARRIVED SCHOFIELDS | DEPARTED SCHOFIELDS |
| 702 Squadron RN FAA | 4 Jul 1945 | 10 Sep 1945 |
| 706 Squadron RN FAA | 6 Mar 1945 | 28 Aug 1945 |
| 18 Jan 1946 | 31 May 1946 | |
| 723 Squadron RN FAA | 21 Jan 1946 | 31 May 1946 |
| 724 Squadron RN FAA | 31 Mar 1946 | 31 May 1946 |
| 801 Squadron RN FAA | 9 Sep 1945 | 16 Jan 1946 |
| 15 Mar 1946 | 29 Apr 1946 | |
| 812 Squadron RN FAA | 12 Jan 1946 | 19 Mar 1946 |
| 814 Squadron RN FAA | 21 Jul 1945 | 13 Aug 1945 |
| 22 Jan 1946 | 13 Mar 1946 | |
| 820 Squadron RN FAA | 5 Jun 1945 | 1 Jul 1945 |
| 31 Dec 1945 | 31 Jan 1946 | |
| 837 Squadron RN FAA | 16 Aug 1945 | 1 Sep 1945 |
| 880 Squadron RN FAA | 25 Aug.1945 | 11 Sep 1945 |
| 885 Squadron RN FAA | 20 Mar 1945 | 4 Apr 1945 |
| 18 Sep 1945 | 27 Sep 1945 | |
| 887 Squadron RN FAA | 10 Feb 1945 | 27 Feb 1945 |
| 5 Jun 1945 | 7 Jul 1945 | |
| 18 Sep 1945 | 15 Nov 1945 | |
| 22 Dec 1945 | 31 Jan 1946 | |
| 894 Squadron RN FAA | 10 Feb 1945 | 27 Feb 1945 |
| 05 Jun 1945 | 7 Jul 1945 | |
| 18 Sep 1945 | 23 Nov 1945 | |
| 22 Dec 1945 | 31 Jan 1946 | |
| 899 Squadron RN FAA | 23 Apr 1945 | 27 Jul 1945 |
| 1770 Squadron RN FAA | 5 Jun 1945 | 29 Aug 1945 |
| 1772 Squadron RN FAA | 18 Mar 1945 | 7 Jul 1945 |
| 18 Sep 1945 | 18 Nov 1945 | |
| 22 Dec 1945 | 31 Jan 1946 | |
| 1790 Squadron RN FAA | 13 Aug 1945 | 16 Jan 1946 |
| 28 Mar 1946 | 29 Apr 1946 | |
| 1831 Squadron RN FAA | 16 Aug 1945 | 1 Sep 1945 |
| 1834 Squadron RN FAA | 5 Jun 1945 | 20 Jun 1945 |
| 5 Jun 1945 | 26 Jun 1945 | |
| 1836 Squadron RN FAA | 5 Jun 1945 | 26 Jun 1945 |
| 1840 Squadron RN FAA | 23 Feb 1945 | 9 Mar 1945 |
| 1843 Squadron RN FAA | 1 May 1945 | 20 May 1945 |
| 1845 Squadron RN FAA | 25 Feb 1945 | 11 Mar 1945 |
| 1850 Squadron RN FAA | 12 Jan 1946 | 19 Mar 1946 |
| 1851 Squadron RN FAA | 21 Jul 1945 | 13 Aug 1945 |
| 24 Jan 1946 | 22 Mar 1946 |
The units mostly lived in Airfield Temporary Huts at Quaker Hill, Sydney.
Woy Woy airfield was constructed as a satellite field of Schofields airfield.
Geoff Russell told me that he had spoken to a gentleman back around 1999 who related a story that in late 1945 or early 1946, he witnessed a Royal Navy Corsair make a wheels up forced landing near the intersection of New Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road at what is now know as Kellyville, NSW. This is almost within the circuit area of Schofields airfield.
He said that the aircraft shed a lot of metal from underneath as the ground was rough and there were a lot of tree stumps. Pieces from the aircraft were scattered along the landing path. The pilot was unhurt. The gentleman stated that he and his friends found a starter cartridge that had been dislodged from the aircraft during the belly landing and they hid the cartridge inside a tree stump for later retrieval. Once the aircraft was recovered, he and his friends searched for the cartridge but as they could not work out which tree stump they had placed it in. They never found it. It was probably a blessing in disguise that they never did as they may have been injured by it anyway. As far as Geoff Russell can determine from the description, the crash site was on the slight rise to the south west of the intersection behind where the electricity substation is located, somewhere around where the model aircraft club held its flying days during the 80's and 90's. As of 2007, the site is being developed for medium density housing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Dennis Whiley and Geoff Russell for their assistance with this home page.
Can anyone help me with more information?
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
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This page first produced 26 March 2003
This page last updated 13 January 2020
