CELEBRATIONS took place at RAF Northolt this month, to commemorate the base's 90th anniversary.

The base, in West End Road, Ruislip, is the oldest continually operational RAF Station, and the airfield is even older than the base itself.

The first flight landed on the airfield on March 3, 1915, when No 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron arrived from Farnborough flying Maurice Farman S7 Longhorn and BE2c aircraft.

On the night of June 4/5, 1915, the first recorded operational flight was made by two aircraft flying defensive patrols against a Zeppelin raid on Kent. During the First World War, BE2c aircraft flew defensive patrols against Zeppelin raids over London, and in 1937, RAF Northolt was the first station to operate the Hawker Hurricane.

In January 1938, No 111 Squadron, based at Northolt, became the first RAF squadron to be equipped with the new Hawker Hurricane Mk1 high speed monoplane fighters.

This was a huge attraction, and in 1938, 22,000 spectators, the largest number visiting any RAF station at that time, visited Northolt for an 'Empire Air Day'.

At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, RAF Northolt formed a significant part of No 11 Group Fighter Command, commanded by former RAF Northolt Station Commander, Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park, and was a corner stone in the country's air defence.

The base is world-renowned for being the home to key elements of the Polish Air Force, units such as 303 Sqn and 315 Sqn with heroic records. The famous No 303 (Kosciuszko) Polish Squadron formed at Northolt on August 17 1940, and was the first Polish Squadron to operate from the station, instigating Northolt's close association with the gallant airmen who played such an outstanding part in fighter command activities throughout the war.

During September 1940 Northolt's multi-national pilots destroyed 95 enemy aircraft; 303 squadron was the highest scoring fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain. Between 1941 and1943 a three-squadron Polish Spitfire Wing operated from the station, which, together with the Polish Bomber and Coastal Command Squadrons, inspired the Polish Air Force memorial at the south-east corner of the airfield as a permanent reminder of their courageous sacrifices.

It is now the last remaining RAF airfield to have seen active service 65 years ago as part of Fighter Command's No 11 Group during the Battle of Britain when, again, it was one of the key airfields in the defence of London. Immediately after the Second World War, the airfield was used for civil European flights while Heathrow Airport was under construction, and for seven years was officially the busiest airport in Europe. Northolt has continued to the present date in a VIP and communications role performed since 1995 by Number 32 (The Royal) Squadron, whose theatre of operations is worldwide in peacetime and war. Official visitors to the base, for which the motto is Ready to Carry or to Fight, include British and foreign royalty, heads of state and government ministers, as well as military personnel of both the British and Foreign armed forces. The airfield is also the preferred destination for many civilian VIPs and celebrities, including recently Arnold Swazenegger and Madonna.

Almost 90 years as a military flying station means that RAF Northolt is a reflection of aviation history and has witnessed aircraft development from pioneering monoplanes to luxury jet travel.

The base has a range of historic buildings include a 1915 Royal Flying Corps storage hut, a 1920s Station Workshops and Officers' Mess, 1930s aircraft hangars, 1940s Nissen huts and dispersal sites, and an array of huts and buildings from the 1950s onwards.

About 1,000 personnel employed at RAF Northolt are made up of service personnel from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Army, Reservists, and MOD civilians and civilian contractors. And the future still looks bright for the base. A review of the Ministry of Defence Estates in London has recently identified Northolt as a core defence site for the MOD, with plans to house more units such as the Queen's Colour Squadron and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force as well as the British Forces Post Office.