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In 1921 the Government decided to build a naval base in Singapore and, at the same time, it was thought that an airfield and seaplane base would also be required. The naval base was built on the island’s north coast with the air base several miles east. The task of construction began in 1926 and, by March 1927, sufficient land had been cleared to for a landing strip. A concrete slip way was constructed for use of flying boats and, in February 1928, 4 Supermarine Southampton flying boats of the RAF Far East Flight became the first aircraft to land at the base. This unit was renamed 205 Flying Boat Squadron in January 1929 The Sqn motto is: Perama di Malaya, which translates to First in Malaya. In 1929 Seletar became the first civilian air port on the island when permission was granted for the grass landing strip to be used for civil air traffic. Singapore received its first commercial flight in Feb 1930 when a Fokker FVIIB of the Royal Dutch Indies Airline landed at Seletar. For the next 9 years it was host to many pioneering flights and aviation personalities including Charles Kingsford-Smith, Jim Mollison, Jim Batten and Amy Johnson. The base became host to the Singapore Flying Club which was mainly confined to seaplane flying due to the absence of other landing strips on the island. In 1937 civil traffic was moved to the new airfield at Kallang. In January 1930 the Far East Command was formed and the airfield opened as RAF Base Seletar. The station’s first land based unit was 36 Sq with their Hawker Horsley torpedo bombers. In January 1934 the Vickers Vildebeests of 100 Sq arrived at the airfield and in October 1936 230 Squadron arrived with Short Singapores to join 205 Sq. 230 Sq took delivery of Sunderland Mk 1s in June 1938, and departed for Ceylon in October 1939. The start of WW2 had little effect on the daily routine at Seletar. Aircraft were camouflaged and armed and 36 Sq undertook various photographic sorties of the surrounding operational area. Various support units arrived at the base including No 4 Anti Aircraft and 151 Maintenance Unit was formed. Catalinas replaced the Singapores in 205 Sq in 1941 and one of their aircraft had the distinction of being the first British aircraft shot down in the Pacific war when sent out to shadow a Japanese invasion convoy. 36 Sq with their Vildebeests were detached to airfield in Northern Malaya when the Japanese invasion got underway and fought valiantly against hopeless odds. Hurricane fighters of 232 Sq arrived at Seletar in mid Jan 42 but these were too few to make any impact and were not tropicalised versions so not as effective as hoped. At the end of January the air attacks had made the airfield untenable and 36 Sq was withdrawn to Java followed by 232 Sq in February. The airfield facilities were destroyed as the RAF pulled out. Seletar became a Japanese base until 1945 and was used extensively by the Japanese Navy who laid a concrete runway for use of their own aircraft. The RAF returned in 1945 when the Sunderland flying boats of 205 and 209 Sqs arrived and it was some days before the airfield was repaired and operational for land based aircraft. The Mosqitos FBIVs of 84, 89 and 110 Sqs soon arrived with Spitfires XIVs of 11 and 17 Sqs. 314, 389 and 390 Maintenance Units were established in November and 81 Sq was reformed with Mosquito PR34s. In mid 1948 most of the front line squadrons had departed for other airfields on Singapore and Seletar and its MUs were reorganized into a combined Maintenance Unit in support of aircraft during the Malayan Emergency. In 1950 81 Sq with Spitfire and Mosquito photo reconnaissance aircraft arrived from Tangah. 88 Sq with their Sunderlands joined 205 Sq and 209 Sq at Seletar in 1951 to form the Far East Flying Boat Wing. 88 Sq served in the Korean War and 205 Sq flew the last Sunderland sortie in May 1959. 209 Sq arrived later that year with Pioneer and Twin Pioneers. Target towing Beaufighters were still operational at the airfield up to May 1960 when the last RAF Beaufighter sortie was flown. Seletar had been mainly a Maintenance Unit and Equipment Supply Depot for the Far East Air Force in the 1950s but now took on the role of short and medium range transport base. In Oct 1960 34 Sq was reformed with Blackburn Beverleys and, in 1962, 66 Sq with Bristol Bevederes were taken on strength. In Aug 1963 103 Sq flying Westland Whirlwind helicopters were reformed at RAF Seletar and, with 110 Sq, were added to the strength of the Far East Air Force in Singapore to support efforts in Borneo campaign. In Nov 1963 225 Squadron deployed to RAF Seletar, Singapore with its Whirlwind HAR10s from RAF Odiham, for operations against Indonesian terrorists infiltrating into Malaysia and Borneo. In 1964 65 Sq commenced their deployment with their Bloodhound ground/air anti-aircraft missiles, the first such unit stationed outside the UK. They stayed until the station closed. 52 Sq with Hawker Siddeley Andover transports were based at Seletar from Dec 1966. The Borneo Campaign ended in 1966 and flying at Seletar was gradually wound down although the Squadrons took part in many exercises held in Malaya. 52 Sq, 103 Sq and 110 Sq left for Changi with 130 Beaver Flight in March 1969 and all flying ceased at Seletar. For the next 2 years the airfield provided engineering and supply support for the Far East Air Force and during this period control was gradually handed over to the Singapore Government. In November 1971 Far East Air Force disbanded and Seletar was officially handed over to the to the newly formed Singapore Air Force. Acknowledgements:
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