HAWKESBURY HISTORY
with Michelle Nichols & Jonathan Auld
RAAF Base Richmond ~ 100 years strong
The Royal Australian Air Force RAAF Base Richmond recently celebrated a major milestone with the 100th anniversary of their formation. Aviation has played an important role in the Hawkesbury, starting with the early twentieth century and the exhilarating pioneering days of flying, to the establishment of the first base of the Royal Australian Air Force( RAAF) in New South Wales.
Australia’ s first licensed pilot, William Ewart Hart operated a flying school which opened on Ham Common on the outskirts of Richmond in 1912. The position of the airfield was described as“ the finest site in Australia for an aviation ground.”
At the start of World War 1, a flying school was established and officially opened in 1916 when the NSW Government set up the NSW Flying School to provide pilots for the Australian Flying Corps with vital training. Land was reclaimed on Ham Common for aviation purposes in 1916 and basic infrastructure established. The first trainers were Billy Stutt and Andrew Lang, both experienced with military flying in England. The site was in use until the end of World War 1.
After World War 1, the Australian Air Corps were disbanded, and in 1921, the Australian Air Force was established as part of our military force. King George V approved the use of the‘ Royal’ prefix and the Royal Australian Air Force( RAAF) came into being in August 1921.
The Air Council investigated in 1921 whether the old flying depot at Richmond could be used by the new addition to Australia’ s defence force. Eventually the Australian Government
Hawker Demon Aircraft A1-8 RAAF Station Richmond, 1940. Courtesy Australian War Memorial.
RAAF Station Richmond, 1937 by Sqn no. 6. Courtesy National Library of Australia. Sabres flying over the Richmond Base, 1961. Courtesy Australian War Memorial.
acquired this land on Ham Common, halfway between Windsor and Richmond, near Clarendon and in June 1925 the first RAAF airbase was established in NSW, the second in Australia.
The first aircraft, DH9A Bomber and a single-seat SE5A Fighter, plus personnel arrived at the Base in mid-1925 and RAAF operations commenced in earnest in the Hawkesbury. Along with the Commanding Officer Flight Lieutenant F. W. F. Lukis, accompanied by seven officers and forty-nine airmen, No 3 Squadron was established.
A hangar and another building remained on-site from the flying school however, the Federal Government set aside funds(£ 177,000) to develop the site with the appropriate barracks and buildings for the staff and servicemen.
A little-known fact about the RAAF Base, is that the first Australian freefall parachute jump, occurred at the RAAF Base when Flt Lt Ellis Charles Wackett in 1926, jumped from 610m.
Until the 1930s, the site was used as an additional aerodrome in conjunction with Sydney. Locals were accustomed to see distinguished aviators at Richmond. In 1919, Ross and Keith Smith landed here with their
Vickers Vimy Bomber on their trip from England to Australia.
Charles Kingsford Smith was
a popular sight, often housing his plane in a hangar at the base. Pilots Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm departed from Richmond on the first trans-Tasman flight to New Zealand in 1928. They also completed the first trans-Pacific flight, arriving in Richmond, in the same year, with locals crowding the airfield to witness the significant event.
The first female to land at the Base was Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, arriving in 1930. In 1935 Jean Batten landed at Richmond on her solo flight from England.
The Richmond RAAF Base played an essential role in World War 2. The strength of the RAAF increased and“ at its height, it was the fourth largest air force in the world” and accommodated a range of squadrons. The physical Base also saw a number of changes and expansion.
Camouflage schemes were introduced as the threat of conflict became real, construction of a wireless station, radio training school with several new squadrons formed onsite. Paratroopers were also trained at Richmond and the Women’ s Auxiliary Australian Air Force( WAAAF), formed in 1941, with many stationed and housed at the Base.
After the war and during subsequent conflicts, Richmond played its part. From the 1950s, the RAAF and the site, underwent some restructuring with a focus on“ becoming a hub for air mobility
assets” with enhanced maintenance facilities. It has also housed the C-130 Hercules since 1958, a favourite of the Hawkesbury community. The Hercules have been vital in times of civilian disasters such as Cyclone Tracy, East Timor and the Bali Bombing.
In more recent years, the Base has been involved in various humanitarian, disaster relief operations and search and rescue manoeuvres. Since 2015 NSW Large Air Tanker fleet and related craft and equipment have been stored at the Richmond RAAF Base and kept busy during the Australian bushfire season.
Despite there being a number of air shows in Australia, the first international show was held at Richmond RAAF Base in 1988, as part of Australia’ s Bicentennial celebrations. Aircraft on display included the Russian Antonov 124, the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber.
In 1991, an air show was held at Richmond to observe the RAAF’ s 70th anniversary and another was held in 2006. This year, the RAAF Richmond Airshow will be held 27-28 of September to commemorate the centenary of the RAAF on the Richmond site. If you didn’ t get a ticket, make sure you get outside and check out the skies over Richmond.
While safeguarding the nation for more than 100 years, the Hawkesbury district has continued to have a close attachment to the Richmond RAAF Base.
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10 ISSUE 184 // SEPTEMBER 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT