Royal Air Force Stations in Lincolnshire

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RAF Grimsby / Waltham

Airfield Code: GY: Grid reference centred on: TA 276 030


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Lincolnshire Aero Club were the first occupants in 1933 of what was later to become Grimsby (Waltham) airfield. It started in a small way, with Hitler stirring up trouble in Europe, interest in and inspections of the airfield by the Air Ministry, meant they took control of the airfield in June 1938. Further inspections by 5 Group, Bomber Command officials, and later that month 25 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, moved on to the airfield. The purpose of 25 E & RFTS was to train members of the RAF Volunteer Reserve in basic flying. The instructors were civilians who were employed by Herts and Essex Aero Club Ltd, the company that managed the airfield at the time. They had at their disposal a Tiger Moth and a Magister aircraft. But with the outbreak of war with Germany in 1939 everything changed.
In May 1940 the airfield was officially taken over by the RAF, and concrete runways were laid creating a Class "A" airfield under the control of 1 Group, Bomber Command. RAF Grimsby was officially opened in November 1941, and was initially intended as a satellite station for nearby RAF Binbrook. Although named Grimsby, the local people knew the station as Waltham.
A few days after the opening A and B flights from 142 Squadron checked the facilities with their Vickers Wellington aircraft and returned to Binbrook the following day. Only to return on the 26th of the same month. Their stay at the airfield this time was to be much longer, but by late December 1942 they were to be moved on again. But this time half the squadron was posted to RAF Killingholme, with the other half to North Africa. 100 Squadron was re-formed at the station, and with them, in January 1943, came Avro Lancasters. The squadron was quickly brought up to full strength, and on the night of 8-9th March 1943, made their first operational sortie. By the October, the aircraft had also been upgraded, and were now flying with the new H2S radar.
By the end of 1943 100 Squadron had been joined at the airfield, with the re-formation of 550 Squadron in November. 550 Squadron flew their first operational sortie the following night. Their stay at Grimsby was to be short lived, with them departing for North Killingholme early in January 1944. With the end of the war in sight, 100 Squadron was transferred to Elsham Wolds in April 1945, thus leaving the airfield abandoned it was placed on Care and Maintenance, until the station was placed under the command of 40 Group Maintenance Command on 1st June 1945. It was then used by 35 Maintenance Unit as a storage sub-site until its closure in 1952 and sold off in 1958.

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