Royal Air Force Stations in Lincolnshire

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RAF Metheringham

Airfield Code: MN; Grid reference centred on: TF 104 610







Opened in October 1943 as a Class 'A' bomber airfield within 5 Group. The standard three intersecting concrete runways, two T2 hangars and a B1 hangar. The bomb stores were to the north and between these and the north-west runway head stood the smaller B1 hangar. The domestic site was located in fields to the south and west. The administration and accommodation sites were built in the south western corner of the airfield on both sides of the B1189 and consisted of an operations block, ration store, a single officers' mess, one communal other-ranks dining room, one WAAF mess, a gymnasium, four domestic accommodation blocks and a station sick quarters. Living accommodation was designed and scaled to house 1,685 males and 345 females. Many of the buildings were of the quickly erected Nissen (or Quonset) temporary hutting type. Metheringham was also equipped with FIDO (Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation).
On 11th November 1943, the Lancasters of 106 Squadron arrived from Syerston in Nottinghamshire. The squadron would remain at the airfield for the duration of the war, disbanding on 18th February 1946. During September 1944, Bomber (Defence) Flight arrived, providing evasion training to local fighter squadrons, leaving Metheringham in June 1945. Following the end of the war in Europe, 189 Squadron and No.467 Squadron arrived at the airfield but his was only in order to disband and neither was operational.
After VE-Day the Australian 467 Squadron RAAF arrived to train with 106 Squadron for planned Tiger Force operations against Japan in the Far East. The end of the war overtook this plan and 467 Squadron disbanded at the start of October 1945. 189 Squadron RAF briefly took its place, but this squadron was also soon stood down. 106 Squadron remained in service until February 1946 when it too was disbanded. RAF Metheringham was closed to flying and decommissioned shortly thereafter.
Parts of the runway and perimeter track still exist today and it is possible to drive where Lancasters once taxied and took-off. The south-west to north-east subsidiary runway and eastern perimeter track are now public roads. Many of the technical site buildings still stand, either in use by various industries or, as in the case of the operations block, abandoned to the elements. In addition, the communal site retains some of its buildings which form the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre. Situated beside the perimeter track is the memorial to No.106 Squadron.

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