RAF Dunholme Lodge

Royal Air Force Dunholme Lodge or more simply RAF Dunholme Lodge was a Royal Air Force station located between the parishes of Welton and Dunholme in Lincolnshire, England.

RAF Dunholme Lodge
Dunholme, Lincolnshire in England
RAF Dunholme Lodge is located in Lincolnshire
RAF Dunholme Lodge
RAF Dunholme Lodge
Shown within Lincolnshire
Coordinates53°17′28″N 000°30′19″W
TypeRoyal Air Force station
* Parent station 1943–44[1]
CodeDL[1]
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Bomber Command
* No. 1 Group RAF
* No. 5 Group RAF[1]
Site history
Built1942 (1942)
In use1941–1944
1959–1964 (1964)
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Cold War
Airfield information
Elevation30 metres (98 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Concrete/Tarmac
00/00  Concrete/Tarmac
00/00  Concrete/Tarmac

History

The grass airfield was first used by the Royal Air Force during 1941 and 1942 for use by Handley Page Hampden aircraft from nearby RAF Scampton, and was officially opened as a RAF Station in September 1942 as part of RAF Bomber Command with the building of three hard runways.

The main occupier of the station was 44 Squadron, with the Avro Lancaster four-engined heavy bomber, which moved in from RAF Waddington in May 1943 and stayed until it moved to RAF Spilsby in September 1944.

In November 1944 flying operations ceased due to the proximity of other stations which did not allow night flying. At the end of the war 120 Lancasters had been lost on operations from Dunholme Lodge.

From 1948 the site was host to motorcycle and car racing until 1959 when the base was reopened as an active RAF station.[2][3]

The William Farr School was opened in 1952 on part of the disused domestic site.

On re-opening in 1959, the airfield became a site for Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles with 141 Squadron until it was disbanded and the station finally closed in 1964.

Based units
Unit Aircraft From To To Notes
No. 44 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster I/III 31 May 1943 30 September 1944 RAF Spilsby Squadron Code:KM.[4]
No. 141 Squadron RAF Bristol Bloodhound I 1 April 1959 31 March 1964 Disbanded Surface-to-Air Missile.[5]
No. 170 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster I/III 22 October 1944 29 November 1944 RAF Hemswell Squadron Code:TC.[6]
No. 619 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster I/III 17 April 1944 28 September 1944 RAF Strubby Squadron Code:PG.[7]

The following units were also here at some point:[8]

Current use

Bits of the runways still exist and the site is now used for farming.[8]

References

Citations
  1. Falconer 2012, p. 84.
  2. Dunholme Lodge Circuit Retrieved 7 January 2015
  3. Motor Racing, Lincolnshire County Council Retrieved 7 January 2015
  4. Jefford 1988, p. 39.
  5. Jefford 1988, p. 61.
  6. Jefford 1988, p. 65.
  7. Jefford 1988, p. 101.
  8. "Dunholme Lodge". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  9. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 43.
  10. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.
  11. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 138.
  12. Oliver, K (2002). The RAF Regiment at WAR. UK: Leo Cooper. ISBN 9780850528527., Chapter 2, United Kingdom 1942-45.
  13. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 45.

Bibliography
  • Falconer, J. (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
  • Jefford, C. G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J.; Halley, J. (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Dunholme Lodge.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.