RAF Dunholme Lodge

Last updated

RAF Dunholme Lodge
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Dunholme, Lincolnshire in England
Site information
Type Royal Air Force station
* Parent station 1943–44 [1]
CodeDL [1]
Owner Ministry of Defence
Operator Royal Air Force
Controlled by RAF Bomber Command
* No. 1 Group RAF
* No. 5 Group RAF [1]
Location
Lincolnshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Dunholme Lodge
Shown within Lincolnshire
Coordinates 53°17′28″N000°30′19″W / 53.29111°N 0.50528°W / 53.29111; -0.50528
Site history
Built1942 (1942)
In use1941–1944
1959–1964 (1964)
Battles/wars European 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

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.

Contents

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

UnitAircraftFromToToNotes
No. 44 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster I/III31 May 194330 September 1944 RAF Spilsby Squadron Code:KM. [4]
No. 141 Squadron RAF Bristol Bloodhound I1 April 195931 March 1964DisbandedSurface-to-Air Missile. [5]
No. 170 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster I/III22 October 194429 November 1944 RAF Hemswell Squadron Code:TC. [6]
No. 619 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster I/III17 April 194428 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. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 "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