RAF Woolfox Lodge

RAF Woolfox Lodge
Pickworth, Rutland in England
RAF Woolfox Lodge Shown within Rutland
Coordinates	52°42′34″N000°34′33″W / 52.70944°N 0.57583°W / 52.70944; -0.57583
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	WL [1]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command * No. 3 Group RAF * No. 5 Group RAF * No. 7 (T) Group RAF
Site history
Built	1939 (1939)/40
Built by	John Mowlem Ltd [1]
In use	December 1940 - January 1966 (1966)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	105 metres (344 ft) [1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00   Tarmac 00/00  Tarmac 00/00  Tarmac

Royal Air Force Woolfox Lodge, or more simply RAF Woolfox Lodge, is a former Royal Air Force station next to the A1 road in Rutland, UK. The airfield is split between the parishes of Empingham and Greetham. It was open from 1940 until 1966.

History

Woolfox opened as a reserve landing ground for RAF Cottesmore then became a satellite to RAF North Luffenham in October 1941. Full station status was granted from June 1943. The wartime airfield comprised three tarmac runways and one Type B1 and four T2 aircraft hangars. There was temporary accommodation for 1,149 male and 252 female personnel.

RAF Woolfox Lodge was used in later years as a relief landing ground but the runways deteriorated to such a degree that the airfield had to be closed to flying by spring 1954. In 1960 a Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missile site under No. 62 Squadron RAF was positioned in a secure area adjacent to the A1 road near the former technical site.

RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 61 Squadron RAF	September 1941 - May 1942	Avro Manchester Avro Lancaster	I I & III	Lancaster from April 1942 [2]
No. 62 Squadron RAF	February 1960 - September 1964	Bristol Bloodhound	I	[2]
No. 218 Squadron RAF	March - August 1944	Short Stirling	III	[3]

The following units were here at some point: ^[4]

• Detachment from No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School RAF during August 1944 ^[5]
• Relief Landing Ground for No. 7 Flying Training School RAF between May 1941 and April 1954 ^[6]
• Satellite of No. 14 OTU between December 1940 and August 1941 ^[7]
• Satellite of No. 29 OTU between August 1942 and June 1943 ^[8]
• No. 33 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section
• No. 61 Squadron Conversion Flight RAF
• No. 259 Maintenance Unit RAF between August 1945 and April 1946 and as a sub site between April 1946 and August 1948 ^[9]
• No. 1429 (Czech Operational Training) Flight RAF between June and August 1942 ^[10]
• No. 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF between November 1944 and July 1945 ^[11]
• No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF between June 1943 and January 1944 ^[12]

Current use

The site is now used for agriculture and employment purposes. ^[4]

The landowner in 2019 has proposed it as a site for a possible garden village. ^{[13] [14]}

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 218.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 44.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 72.
4. "Woolfox Lodge". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 7 June 2020.
5. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 171.
6. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 136.
7. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 201.
8. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 202.
9. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 183.
10. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 122.
11. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 97.
12. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 99.
13. Martin, Dan (28 March 2019). "Huge 7,500 home 'garden village' planned for Rutland former RAF base". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
14. "Woolfox Garden Village" . Retrieved 28 March 2019.

Bibliography

• Falconer, J. (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN   978-1-85780-349-5.
• Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   978-0851-3036-59.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20081207003349/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s85.html