RAF Spilsby - Lincolnshire
Site of RAF Spilsby today. There is very little left of the old airfield to reveal its presence. The A158 road runs across to the north out of pic with the B1195 at the bottom. The the town of Spilsby is out of picture to the left. The village of Great Steeping is clearly visible. The site of the airfield memorial is shown by the yellow triangle and the site of the B1 hangar and old memorial is shown by the red oval.
Just over 2 miles east of Spilsby, north of the B1195 road this airfield was situated at the southern end of the Lincolnshire Wolds a few miles west of Skegness between the B1195 and A158 roads. Work started in early 1943 and a number of minor roads to the north of Great Steeping were closed and taken over as part of the site. The airfield was constructed as a bomber station with the usual three concrete runways and an encircling perimeter track but the runways were above average length. They were the standard 150 feet width but the main runway was 7,590 feet long, the second one 6,000 feet and the third 4,290 feet. The airfield was named after Spilsby largest of the market towns to the west and opened in September 1943 as a bomber airfield in 5 Group.
There were two T2 hangars and one B1 hangar plus 17 hardstands and 19 loops. The bomb store was situated to the north of the site and the communal site to the south west.
The first unit to take up residence were the Lancasters of 207 Squadron which moved in from Langar during October. They continued operations from here for the rest of the conflict. In September of that year the resident unit was joined by 44 Squadron, also flying Lancasters, and Spilsby became a two-squadron station, both units remaining here until after the war in Europe. The last mission of the war for both units was on 25 April 1945 when eight Lancasters of 44 Squadron and ten Lancasters of 207 Squadron were despatched to bomb Berchtesgaden.
Spilsby Lancaster 207 Sqn crew 1944
Spilsby Lancaster PB293 207 Sqn Aug 1944 White and crew
On Easter Monday 10 April 1944, during the preparation for an operation, a 1,000 lb bomb exploded while it was being disarmed in a fusing shed. Ten squadron armourers were killed, three of whom were never found and have no known grave. The force of the explosion also caused damage to some of the airfield's buildings.
On 1 November 1944 during a daylight take off for an operation a 207 Squadron Lancaster piloted by F/O Arthur Loveless swung violently on take-off and careered across the airfield. It demolished a Nissen hut before coming to rest among four Halifaxes belonging to 429 'Bison' Squadron (RCAF) which had been diverted to Spilsby from the previous night's operation. The Lancaster and three of the Halifaxes were destroyed by explosion and fire. A fourth Halifax was severely damaged and its Flight Engineer killed when he started the engines with the intention of getting clear of the inferno. A number of the airfield's buildings were damaged.
In July 1945 44 Squadron moved to Mepal, Cambridgeshire and replaced by 75 (New Zealand) Squadron from that station. This unit remained until 15 October 1945 when it then disbanded, bringing to an end a distinguished war career. The decorations won by New Zealand personnel of 75 Squadron were one VC, six DSOs, 88 DFCs, four bars to DFCs, two CGMs and 17 DFMs. Because of these squadron honours the Air Ministry suggested that the RNZAF should take over the squadron number plate in memory of their fine war effort. That same month 207 Squadron moved to Methwold, Suffolk, and it too had achieved a fine war record—much of it during its two-year stay at Spilsby. The squadron partiipated in 540 operations with 154 crews lost. The decorations won were seven DSOs, 115 DFCs and 92 DFMs.
With the departure of the last flying unit the station was then taken over by No 2 Armament Practice School which remained until November 1946. By the end of the year the station had closed down and was put on care and maintenance. For the next few years Spilsby was surplus to requirements and was just another disused airfield. In June 1955 the station reopened and was used by non-flying units of the USAF stores and maintenance sections for nearby East Kirkby. The Americans remained until 1958 then, with the Korean war over, the units moved out in March. The station closed immediately the Americans had left and today very little remains. The control tower has long gone and most of the runways and perimeter track have been demolished. The B1 hangar still exists and is used for storage.
RAF Spilsby Hangar
RAF Spilsby runway
RAF Spilsby track
RAF Spilsby Memorial
Spilsby original memorial now at Monksthorpe Chapel
Compiled by David Fell with photos from my archive and WWP
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