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 Kelstern
Airfield Code: KS; Grid reference centred on: TF 262 924
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Military flying began at Kelstern in 1916, on a field centred on grid reference TF 246 910 it was used as a Class 1 unlit landing ground by the Royal Flying Corps. Manned by 33HD (Home Defence) Squadron operating a variety of aircraft including the Bristol Fighter and Avro 504. The squadron’s role while stationed here was the defence of North Lincolnshire from German Zeppelins during the Great War. The landing ground covered an area of 90 acres. It had two landing strips, one of 700 yards and the other 650.
On 1st August 1942. The minor road from Binbrook to South Elkington running across the centre of the site was closed and construction began. Built to Class "A" specification with 36 loop hardstandings and T2 hangars. The bomb store was off the south-east side of the airfield, where the camp sites were dispersed in fields to the north-west. The station was opened on the 18th August 1943.
625 Squadron was formed at the station as part of 1 Group, Bomber Command. With the formation of the new squadron came the stations first aircraft, the Avro Lancaster. The squadron was finally declared operational on the 9th October, and began a series of Bullseye navigational exercise sorties around the country. The squadron made its first operational sortie on the 18th, when nine Lancasters took part in a bombing raid on Hanover. By September 1944, 625 Squadron had been expanded to three flights, thus enabling the squadron to send 31 aircraft on the first of two 1000 bomber raids mounted in a single day against Duisburg. The squadron was to make its final operational sortie of the war on the 25th April, taking part in a raid on Berchtesgaden. With the end of the war and the close proximity to Scampton and the risk of mid-air collisions the station was closed. RAF Kelstern was formally closed on 4th August 1946 and returned to agriculture.
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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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