Inside abandoned RAF base which played crucial role fighting Nazis during WW2

An abandoned RAF base has been left to rot after its crucial role in WW2 when it was used to defend Britain from the Nazis.

Eerie photos show rotting walls, crumbling floors and vandalism throughout RAF Church Fenton in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

Fearless pilots once used the base, which was built in 1937, to help defend some of the biggest cities in England during the war.

Some of the site continued to be used decades after the fighting but much of it has been left to decay for years, reports Yorkshire Live.

During WWII, the airfield was home to various aircraft from Hurricanes, Mosquitoes, Blenheims and Beaufighters to Typhoons and Mustangs.

It also housed a fast but flimsy wooden aircraft called the de Havilland Mosquito which was only in service for a matter of months before being disused.

RAF Church Fenton seen by explorer Daniel Sims before it was demolished (Jam Press/Bearded Reality)

The base was tasked with defending some of the great industrial cities of northern England from German bombers at the beginning of the war.

Some of Britain's very first night fighters flew out of the Yorkshire base with some paying the ultimate price to protect the nation.

The site also hosted a significant amount of squadrons including the firstRAF 'Eagle' Squadron of American volunteers, the first all-Canadian RAF Squadron, and the first all-Polish RAF Squadron.

Images show what the base was like after years of decay (Jam Press/Bearded Reality)

Photographer Bearded Reality captured a series of pictures which show what is left of the base some eight decades later.

The images offer an insight into what life would have been like for those who spent time there over the years.

In a YouTube video, he shows some of the rooms that were covered in graffiti and taken over by nature including an old bar and kitchen area.

In some, the floors had collapsed and there was debris hanging from the ceilings (Jam Press/Bearded Reality)

Debris hung from the ceilings while some of the flooring has collapsed.

After the war ended, RAF Church Fenton was used as a frontline fighter station in the defence of northern England to the late 1940s.

Since then it has been falling apart and simply left to the elements.

Initially, the station continued to be used after the war and its role changed to pilot training by 1960.

It was used as a frontline home defence station until 1959 and later became a pilot training school (Jam Press/Bearded Reality)

But it was finally shut down for good in 2013 by which time a number of its buildings had already fallen into disuse.

The video shows Daniel and his companions running at different points after hearing other people in the building.

At the end of the video, Daniel tells viewers: “That was RAF Fenton, AKA Leeds East Airport. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get into the tower because security rolled up right beside us.

“The place is creepy but an amazing explore.”

The RAF buildings hosted significant squadrons (Jam Press/Bearded Reality)

After posting the video on YouTube, some viewers asked Daniel for more information about the site but he told them the buildings he visited were now gone.

One wrote: “Cool abandoned place in Leeds I will be going there to paint.”

Daniel replied: “The place is unfortunately gone but was a super cool place.”

Another added: “Sad to see, flew here a couple of times as an air cadet.”

Daniel responded: “Ohh thats amazing thank you for sharing and yes it's a shame it's gone.”

Someone else said: “I’m so glad I subscribed to this channel.”