RAF Faldingworth
Encyclopedia
RAF Faldingworth was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command
during and after World War II
. It was located close to the village of Faldingworth
in Lincolnshire
. It was used during the war by number 300 (Polish) Squadron and a memorial is now in place to them at the end of the main runway.
Faldingworth entered service life as Toft Grange decoy airfield and later as a satellite airfield of RAF Lindholme
. Late in 1943 it became a satellite of RAF Ludford Magna
.After the war the base was used for storage of weapons.
In 1957 the site beccame a nuclear weapons store for the RAF V bomber
force. In times of crisis nuclear weapons from the site would be distributed to the nearby v-bomber airfields such as RAF Scampton
, RAF Finningley
and RAF Coningsby
. With the transfer of the UK nuclear deterrent
role to the Royal Navy
's Resolution class submarine
s in 1968 the site was run down and finally de-activated in 1972. The site was later used by BMARC
as a weapons test site.
Current Ordnance Survey
maps show the remains of a typical wartime bomber airfield, with the former storage site overlaying the south-western part of the airfield, about 2km east of Spridlington
. There is a cluster of RAF-built housing north-east of the airfield area, and a group of RAF buildings used as an industrial estate.
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was located close to the village of Faldingworth
Faldingworth
Faldingworth is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A46 about south-west from Market Rasen. Spridlington parish lies to the west, and Friesthorpe parish to the south-east. Faldingworth parish covers just over...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. It was used during the war by number 300 (Polish) Squadron and a memorial is now in place to them at the end of the main runway.
Faldingworth entered service life as Toft Grange decoy airfield and later as a satellite airfield of RAF Lindholme
RAF Lindholme
RAF Lindholme is a former Royal Air Force base near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and was initially called RAF Hatfield Woodhouse.-Early years:...
. Late in 1943 it became a satellite of RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna was a Royal Air Force airfield operated by Bomber Command during World War II and the Cold War. The station lay on agricultural farmland immediately south of the village of Ludford, Lincolnshire and was sited 21.4 miles north east of the county town of Lincoln, Lincolnshire...
.After the war the base was used for storage of weapons.
In 1957 the site beccame a nuclear weapons store for the RAF V bomber
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
force. In times of crisis nuclear weapons from the site would be distributed to the nearby v-bomber airfields such as RAF Scampton
RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Station Scampton is a Royal Air Force station situated north of Lincoln in England, near the village of Scampton, on the site of an old First World War landing field.-First World War:...
, RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
and RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
. With the transfer of the UK nuclear deterrent
Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom was the third country to test an independently developed nuclear weapon, in October 1952. It is one of the five "Nuclear Weapons States" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which the UK ratified in 1968...
role to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Resolution class submarine
Resolution class submarine
The Resolution-class submarine armed with the Polaris missile was the United Kingdom's primary nuclear deterrent from the late 1960s to 1994, when they were replaced by the Vanguard-class submarine carrying the Trident II.-Background:...
s in 1968 the site was run down and finally de-activated in 1972. The site was later used by BMARC
BMARC
BMARC was a UK-based firm designing and producing defence products, particularly aircraft cannon and naval anti-aircraft cannon...
as a weapons test site.
Current Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps show the remains of a typical wartime bomber airfield, with the former storage site overlaying the south-western part of the airfield, about 2km east of Spridlington
Spridlington
Spridlington is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is north of Lincoln just off the A15. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 194.The parish church of St. Hilary's dates from 1875...
. There is a cluster of RAF-built housing north-east of the airfield area, and a group of RAF buildings used as an industrial estate.
Operation units and aircraft
- No. 300 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 300 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 300 "Land of Masovia" Bomber Squadron was a Polish World War II bomber unit. It was fighting alongside the Royal Air Force and operated from airbases in the United Kingdom.- History :...
(1944-1947) - Vickers Wellington XVickers WellingtonThe Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
, Avro Lancaster I & IIIAvro LancasterThe Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other... - No. 305 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 305 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron "Ziemia Wielpolska" was a Polish World War II bomber unit.-History:The last of the Polish bomber squadrons, 305 Squadron was formed at RAF Bramcote, Warwickshire on 29 August 1940...
(1946-1947) - de Havilland Mosquito VIDe Havilland MosquitoThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...