Royal Air Force Stations in Lincolnshire
Great Britain 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Mapping Extracts © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey. All Rights Reserved. Educational licence 100045616.
Contents
- Expansion of RAF Airfields in the 1930s
- International Bomber Command Centre.
- RAF Anwick
- RAF Bardney
- RAF Barkston Heath
- RAF Binbrook
- RAF Blyton
- RAF Bottesford
- RAF Caistor
- RAF Coleby Grange
- RAF Coningsby
- RAF Cranwell
- RAF Digby
- RAF Donna Nook (Range)
- RAF Dunholme Lodge
- RAF East Kirkby
- RAF Elsham Wolds
- RAF Faldingworth
- RAF Fiskerton
- RAF Folkingham
- RAF Fulbeck
- RAF Goxhill
- RAF Grimsby / Waltham
- RAF Harlaxton
- RAF Hemswell / Harpswell
- RAF Hibaldstow
- RAF Holbeach Range
- RAF Ingham / Cammeringham
- RAF Kelstern
- RAF Kirmington
- RAF Kirton-in Lindsey
- RAF Ludford Magna
- RAF Manby
- RAF Metheringham
- RAF North Cotes
- RAF North Killingholme
- RAF North Witham
- RAF Saltby
- RAF Sandtoft
- RAF Scampton / Brattleby
- RAF Skellingthorpe
- RAF Spilsby
- RAF Spitalgate (Grantham)
- RAF Strubby
- RAF Sturgate
- RAF Sutton Bridge
- RAF Swinderby
- RAF Waddington
- RAF Wainfleet Range
- RAF Wellingore
- RAF Wickenby
- RAF Woodhall Spa
- FIDO
- High Flight
- Folkingham in 1944
- Fulbeck 1944
- Goxhill 1947
RAF East Kirkby
Airfield Code: EK; Grid reference centred on: TF 344 617
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Initially set up as a 'K'-type decoy, designed to attract enemy aircraft away from nearby Coningsby and Manby. But on 27th June 1941 and approval was given in August for the construction of a Class 'A' bomber airfield with work being carried out in 1942-1943. This became RAF East Kirkby opening in August 1943 as an airfield in 5 Group. As a Class 'A', it had the usual three intersecting runways all linked by a perimeter track. The technical site was located to the north, just off the A155 and contained two of the three hangars. A third was located off the eastern perimeter track. A further four hangars were constructed on the technical site when East Kirkby became the parent station of Spilsby and Strubby.
57 Squadron transferred from Scampton on 29th August 1943. In November 1943, 'B' Flight of 57 Squadron was expanded to form 630 Squadron. On 18th July, 630 Squadron was disbanded as it was not required for the force, its place being taken by 460 Squadron RAAF.
At the end of the war East Kirkby was retained by the RAF on Care and Maintenance.
Between 1951-1958, as a result of the tensions in the Far East the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command took over the airfield, redeveloping it. Existing facilities were refurbished and a large aircraft parking area was laid near the northern perimeter. The east-west runway was extended eastwards by 1226 yards making its overall length 2626 yards (about 1.5 miles). East Kirkby was finally closed in 1958.
The Ministry of Defence finally disposed of the site in 1970. In recent years due to the work of Fred and Harold Panton, RAF East Kirkby is now home to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, Link
the home of "Just Jane", the Lancaster bomber restored to taxiing condition.
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Images used on this page, © Copyright Adrian S Pye and Chris;
licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/Great Britain 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Mapping Extracts © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey. All Rights Reserved. Educational licence 100045616.
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