RAF Seletar & RAF Tengah – History, Memories & Archive
Preserving the history, photographs, stories and memories of two remarkable RAF stations in Singapore.
RAF Seletar & Tengah Association – The Legacy Continues
For nearly 30 years, the RAF Seletar & Tengah Association brought together former RAF personnel, their families and friends from around the world, united by their connection with two remarkable RAF stations in Singapore.
The Association formally came to an end on 31 March 2026, but the history, memories and friendships it helped preserve remain.
This website will continue as a permanent historical archive and information resource – preserving photographs, personal recollections, copies of Searchlight, aircraft and squadron histories, and the stories of those who served and lived at Seletar and Tengah.
Whether you served there, lived there as part of an RAF family, are researching a relative, or simply have an interest in the RAF’s history in Singapore and the Far East, we hope you will continue to explore and enjoy the archive.
Have Something to Add?
Although the Association has now closed, this website is very much still here – and we’d like to continue adding to it.
If there are any of you out there who have photographs, memories, stories, documents, information or anything else connected with RAF Seletar or RAF Tengah that you think may be of interest to others, please get in touch.
Perhaps you’ve spotted something we’ve missed, have a story that deserves to be recorded, or have material tucked away that hasn’t seen the light of day for years. We’d be delighted to hear from you.
Email the Webmaster with your ideas or contributions
The Association may have closed its doors, but there’s no reason why we should stop adding to the history.
RAF Seletar – From Empire Air Station to Singapore’s Aviation Future
RAF Seletar was far more than another Far East station. It began as a flagship base of the inter-war RAF, endured the Japanese attack on Singapore, supported operations throughout the post-war and Cold War years, and finally changed hands as Britain’s permanent military presence “East of Suez” came to an end.
For those who served there, and for their families, Seletar was not simply an operational station – it was a community, a home, and a small but important part of a much bigger story.
1920s-1930s: A Flagship Far East Station
The decision to build an RAF station at Seletar came at a time when air power was rapidly transforming long-distance travel, communications and defence planning.
Operations began in 1928, and RAF Seletar was officially opened on 1 January 1930. It became one of the most important RAF stations in the Far East and a key link in Britain’s developing global air network.
In its early years, Seletar was closely associated with flying boats. The sheltered waters of the Johor Strait made it ideal for maritime aircraft connecting Singapore with distant parts of the world.
The station badge motto, authorised in March 1940 – “We watch all around” – neatly captured Seletar’s role: vigilance over sea lanes, air approaches and a strategically vital region.
1941-1945: War Reaches Singapore
On 8 December 1941, Japanese aircraft carried out the first air raids on Singapore as the campaign in Malaya began. RAF airfields, including Seletar, were among the targets.
For personnel on the station, the war was no longer a distant event.
As Japanese forces advanced down the Malay Peninsula, the situation deteriorated rapidly and Seletar was eventually abandoned. Following the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, the airfield was taken over and used by Japanese forces throughout the occupation.
1945-1960s: Post-war Service
Following the end of the war, Seletar returned to RAF control in a very different world.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, the station formed part of Britain’s wider Far East air presence during the Malayan Emergency. In the 1960s it also supported Britain’s regional commitments during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation (Konfrontasi).
Aircraft, units and roles changed over the years, but Seletar remained an important centre for operational readiness, engineering, maintenance and support across the Far East.
Yet for many of those who were there, the lasting memories are just as likely to be of everyday life – married quarters, schools, clubs, sport, friendships and the remarkable community that grew up around the station.
1968-1971: The End of an Era
In January 1968, the British Government announced plans to withdraw its permanent military presence from bases “East of Suez”.
RAF flying operations at Seletar effectively ended on 28 March 1969, although the station continued in a support and maintenance role.
In April 1970, administrative control of the airfield passed to Singapore’s Department of Civil Aviation.
RAF Seletar formally closed on 31 March 1971.
The occasion marked the end of one chapter in Britain’s long association with Singapore and the beginning of another as the newly independent nation developed its own aviation and defence capabilities.
RAF Seletar – Key Dates
- 1923 – Site provided for development of a new RAF station at Seletar
- 1928 – RAF operations begin
- 1 January 1930 – RAF Seletar officially opened
- March 1940 – Station badge and motto “We watch all around” authorised
- 8 December 1941 – Japanese air raids on Singapore; RAF airfields including Seletar attacked
- 15 February 1942 – Fall of Singapore; Seletar taken over by Japanese forces
- 1945 – Airfield returned to RAF control
- 1948-1960 – RAF operations during the Malayan Emergency
- 1963-1966 – Regional support during Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation
- 28 March 1969 – RAF flying operations at Seletar effectively cease
- April 1970 – Administration transferred to Singapore’s Department of Civil Aviation
- 31 March 1971 – RAF Seletar formally closed
Seletar Today
The airfield remains active as Seletar Airport and is now an important part of Singapore’s aviation and aerospace sector.
For generations of RAF personnel and their families, however, the name Seletar means something more – a station remembered for its aircraft and operations, certainly, but also for its people, friendships and way of life.
RAF Tengah – The RAF’s Main Fighter Base in Singapore
Alongside Seletar, RAF Tengah became the RAF’s principal fighter airfield in Singapore and one of its most important operational bases in the Far East.
Commissioned in 1939, Tengah was built inland and developed as a major operational airfield at a time of rapidly increasing tension across the Far East.
War and Occupation
Tengah was attacked during the opening Japanese air raids on Singapore in December 1941 and aircraft operating from the station became heavily involved in the defence of Singapore.
Despite determined efforts by RAF and Allied personnel, the speed and scale of the Japanese advance overwhelmed the defending forces.
Following the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, Tengah was taken over and used by Japanese forces throughout the occupation.
Post-war Operations
Following liberation in 1945, Tengah was rebuilt and developed into the RAF’s principal operational airfield in Singapore.
During the Malayan Emergency, aircraft operating from Tengah played an important part in RAF operations. The station subsequently became home to an impressive succession of front-line aircraft and squadrons.
Types associated with post-war Tengah included the Vampire, Venom, Canberra, Gloster Javelin, Hawker Hunter and English Electric Lightning – aircraft which chart the extraordinary development of RAF jet aviation during the period.
During the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, Tengah again occupied a strategically important position in the defence of Singapore and the Malay Peninsula.
1971: Handover and a New Chapter
Britain’s withdrawal from its bases “East of Suez” brought RAF operations at Tengah to an end in 1971.
The base passed to Singapore and remains operational today as Tengah Air Base, continuing a military aviation history stretching back more than eight decades.
For those who served or lived there, however, Tengah is remembered for much more than aircraft and operations. Like Seletar, it created a strong community and friendships which lasted long after people returned home.
Explore the RAF Seletar & Tengah Archive
Across this website you will find an extensive collection built up over many years by Association members and contributors.
It includes photographs, personal memories, station histories, aircraft and squadron information, historical documents and back issues of the Association’s Searchlight magazine.
Together they provide something no conventional history book can quite reproduce – the experiences of the people who were actually there.
Remembering the RAF Seletar & Tengah Association
The RAF Seletar & Tengah Association existed for nearly 30 years and, at its peak, brought together well over a thousand former personnel, family members and friends around the world.
Its purpose was simple – to renew old friendships, create new ones and ensure that the experiences of those who served and lived in Singapore were not forgotten.
The Association formally closed on 31 March 2026, but the archive it created remains.
This website is now maintained as a lasting historical record of RAF Seletar, RAF Tengah and the people whose lives became part of their story.
To everyone who served, supported the Association, attended reunions, contributed photographs and memories, wrote for Searchlight, helped maintain the archive or simply stayed in touch over the years – thank you.
The Association may have closed, but its history and memories remain here for future generations.
Page updated September 2026