Beverley Aerodrome, was a First World War era Royal Flying Corps training depot (No.

[2][3][4] The siting of an air station at the racecourse involved closing the adjacent public road which ran between Beverley and York.

[10] However, a further 50 acres (20 ha) was also taken to the North Western edge of the racecourse to facilitate a larger landing and take-off area.

[11] On the night of 5/6 March 1916, at least three Zeppelins attacked the East Riding area, including Beverley town, but 47 Sqn were not prepared enough to combat the threat.

However, the long summer nights were free from Zeppelin attacks and a rethink of aircraft allocation saw a focus on fighting on the Western Front.

[16] However, 47 Sqn spent only six months training before departing for Devonport in September 1916, and then sailing for Salonika in Greece.

80 Squadron arrived with their Camels from Montrose on 27 November 1917, staying for exactly two months, leaving on 27 January 1918 for the Western Front in France.

[21] Non-enemy related crashes occurred, though less so at intensive training airfields such as Redcar, Markse or Bramham Moor.

72 Squadron ceased flying in March 1919, the base remained active until June 1919, and was not placed on the disposal register until November 1920.

[21] A memorial was erected in the church at Bishop Burton to the 17 airmen[note 1] who died in training accidents at Beverley Aerodrome.

The memorial is situated in Bishop Burton as that is the parish where the main part of the base was located (the western edge of the aerodrome).

[31][32] Whilst the site was largely returned to civil use, a small unit belonging to the RAF tested radio telephones at Beverley during the 1930s,[33] and in the Second World War, the technical area including the hangars, was used by the army.