Royal Air Force Stations in Lincolnshire

( Page 1 ... 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 ... )
Creative Commons License Text by Adrian S Pye, August 2019 ; This work is dedicated to the Public Domain.
Images are under a separate Creative Commons Licence.


RAF Skellingthorpe

Airfield Code: SK; Grid reference centred SK 934 695


SK9369 : Memorial to RAF Skellingthorpe by Adrian S Pye SK9271 : RAF Skellingthorpe Memorial by Adrian S Pye SK9369 : War memorial, Birchwood by Alex McGregor SK9369 : WWII RAF Memorial by Tony Hibberd SK9369 : RAF WWII Memorial by Tony Hibberd SK9369 : Taxiway of former WWII airfield by Tony Hibberd SK9369 : WWII information board by Tony Hibberd SK9271 : WWII memorial to the former RAF Skellingthorpe by Tony Hibberd

1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright



You would be hard pushed to believe there ever was a bomber station here, the whole sit has been built over and the only clue can be found on a remaining piece of taxiway in Birchwood play area at this grid reference, SK 935 697 (fourth image above).
Skellingthorpe was a bomber airfield within 5 Group, which opened in late 1941. It eventually had the Class "A" intersecting three runways, the main being 1650 yards with two subsidiaries at 1400 yards. There were three hangars, two T2s and a B1. On 26th November 1941, 50 Squadron arrived with their Hampdens from Swinderby, whilst the runways there were re-laid. It was whilst at Skellingthorpe that they re-equipped with Manchesters. Joining them for a while, also from Swinderby, were the Hampdens of 455 Squadron RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) although their admin personnel remained at Swinderby.

June 1942, saw 50 Squadron return to Swinderby, having converted onto Lancasters. Skellingthorpe then closed for upgrading to Class 'A' standard, with the extension of the main runway north-east by 350 yards and the addition of further accommodation sites.
In October 1942, 50 Squadron again returned to Skellingthorpe from Swinderby and were joined by 61 Squadron from Syerston exactly one year later. During the following November 1943, Skellingthorpe became a satellite to Waddington, part of 53 Base.
Once the war in Europe was over both squadrons moved to Sturgate on 16th June 1945. Post-war the site was used by 58 MU, 91 MU and 93 MU and was finally disposed of in 1952. Despite a proposal to convert the airfield into a civil airport for Lincoln it never happened.

KML

( Page 1 ... 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 ... )
You are not logged in login | register