RAF Wymeswold
Encyclopedia
RAF Wymeswold is a former Royal Air Force
military airfield in Leicestershire
, England
.
and was home to Wellington
bombers amongst others. It was not used for operations over Germany, but for training.
RAF Castle Donington was a satellite airfield (now East Midlands Airport).
It initially trained bomber pilots until 1944, then was taken over by Transport Command, to train Dakota pilots. On 14 April 1944 at around 16.30, Airspeed Oxford LB415 from 1521 Flight from the airfield collided with Avro Lancaster
W4103 RC-E, from the 5 Lancaster Finishing School at RAF Syerston
, over the Nottinghamshire
village of Screveton.
. The RAAF was disbanded on 10 March 1957, which led to the closure of the airfield, after it had served as a satellite station of RAF Syerston
for its Jet Provost
training aircraft.
On Saturday 7 July 1951, a Meteor from the airfield, piloted by Auxiliary Pilot Officer
H Elliot, exploded in the air, killing the pilot.
s.
It did not close as an RAF Base in 1957 as RAF Syerston still used it as a satellite airfield in 1963.
I did my first RAF solo from Wymeswold due to Syerston being restricted due to frequent closures for snow clearance on December 16th 1963. The aircraft I had was Jet Provost mk3 XM386 and the controllers were Syerston based but use to bus to Wymeswold when it was being usd by 2 FTS. I actually came from Loughborough and knew the airfield well and it was not closed in 1957, as I took a Tiger Moth in there from Sywell in 1959 in addition to the previously mentioned flight.
.
The airfield is around four miles north-east of Loughborough
, east of the A60, between Hoton
, Wymeswold and Burton on the Wolds
, laying in the current district of Charnwood
. The entire airfield and associated buildings lie completely outside the civil parish of Wymeswold, with the north half being in Hoton, and the southern half in Prestwold
. On the eastern fringe of the airfield is the Wymeswold Industrial Estate, where there is a go-karting facility. The Hoton-Wymeswold road runs alongside the airfield.
The airfield has also been host for regattas of land sailing
.
In the early 1990s, there were plans for a 6,000 population new town to be built on the airfield.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
military airfield in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
It was opened on 16 May 1942 during the Second World WarWorld 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...
and was home to Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The 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...
bombers amongst others. It was not used for operations over Germany, but for training.
RAF Castle Donington was a satellite airfield (now East Midlands Airport).
It initially trained bomber pilots until 1944, then was taken over by Transport Command, to train Dakota pilots. On 14 April 1944 at around 16.30, Airspeed Oxford LB415 from 1521 Flight from the airfield collided with Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The 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...
W4103 RC-E, from the 5 Lancaster Finishing School at RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.-Bomber Command:...
, over the Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
village of Screveton.
Post-war
From 1949 it was part of Fighter Command, flying Spitfires until 1950, then Meteors, although the aircraft were flown by the Royal Auxiliary Air ForceRoyal Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Auxiliary Air Force , originally the Auxiliary Air Force , is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service...
. The RAAF was disbanded on 10 March 1957, which led to the closure of the airfield, after it had served as a satellite station of RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston
RAF Syerston is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.-Bomber Command:...
for its Jet Provost
BAC Jet Provost
The BAC Jet Provost was a British jet-powered trainer aircraft used by the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1993. The Jet Provost was also successfully exported, serving in many air forces worldwide....
training aircraft.
On Saturday 7 July 1951, a Meteor from the airfield, piloted by Auxiliary Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
H Elliot, exploded in the air, killing the pilot.
Units
It was used by operational training unitOperational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
s.
- 28 OTU (part of 93 Group, Bomber Command) May 1942 - October 1944 (Vickers WellingtonVickers 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...
) - 108 OTU (44 Group, Transport CommandRAF Transport CommandRAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
) 15 October 1944 - August 1945 - 1382 OCU (4 GroupNo. 4 Group RAFNo. 4 Group was a Royal Air Force group, originally formed in World War I, and reformed in the wake of the Second World War, mostly part of RAF Bomber Command, but ending its days in RAF Transport Command.-Formation in World War I:...
) August 1945 - December 1947 - 504 SqnNo. 504 Squadron RAFNo. 504 Squadron was one of the Special Reserve Squadrons of the Auxiliary Air Force. It was integrated into the AAF proper in 1936. Based at RAF Cottesmore, Rutland, 504 Squadron used a variety of light bombers before being re-tasked to fighters with the Hawker Hurricane in 1939. It subsequently...
(12 GroupNo. 12 Group RAFNo. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force was a command organization that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I when it had a training function and from just prior to World War II until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.No. 12 Group was first formed...
, Royal Auxiliary Air ForceRoyal Auxiliary Air ForceThe Royal Auxiliary Air Force , originally the Auxiliary Air Force , is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service...
) 3 May 1949 - 12 February 1957 - 664 SqnNo. 664 Squadron RAFNo. 664 Squadron was a Royal Air Force Air Observation Post squadron associated with the Canadian 1st Army and later part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A...
(1969 Flight) July 1954 - 10 March 1956 - 56 SqnNo. 56 Squadron RAFNumber 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
August 1955 - 1957 (Hawker HunterHawker HunterThe Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
) - 257 SqnNo. 257 Squadron RAF-In World War I:No. 257 Squadron was formed at Dundee on 18 August 1918 from Nos. 318 and 319 Flights. It flew both seaplanes and flying boats on anti-submarine patrols from Dundee until the end of the First World War and disbanded there on 30 June 1919....
and 263 SqnNo. 263 Squadron RAFNo 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...
(temporary base from RAF WattishamRAF WattishamRAF Wattisham was a Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front-line air force base...
) (Hawker Hunter)
Closure
It was closed as an RAF station in early 1957, although it continued to be used for aircraft maintenance by various private organisations until 1968.It did not close as an RAF Base in 1957 as RAF Syerston still used it as a satellite airfield in 1963.
I did my first RAF solo from Wymeswold due to Syerston being restricted due to frequent closures for snow clearance on December 16th 1963. The aircraft I had was Jet Provost mk3 XM386 and the controllers were Syerston based but use to bus to Wymeswold when it was being usd by 2 FTS. I actually came from Loughborough and knew the airfield well and it was not closed in 1957, as I took a Tiger Moth in there from Sywell in 1959 in addition to the previously mentioned flight.
Current use
The airfield is now disused although many of the original buildings remain and there is currently an industrial estate on the site; the runway still exists and is used for motorsportMotorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
.
The airfield is around four miles north-east of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, east of the A60, between Hoton
Hoton
Hoton is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The parish has a population of around 350. It is on the A60, north-east of Loughborough. The village is just south of the border with Nottinghamshire. Nearby places are Prestwold , Wymeswold , and...
, Wymeswold and Burton on the Wolds
Burton on the Wolds
Burton on the Wolds is a village situated on the B676 road west of the A46 in Leicestershire and has a population of around 800. The Parish Council of Burton on the Wolds, Cotes and Prestwold serves the village and its two neighbouring hamlets...
, laying in the current district of Charnwood
Charnwood (borough)
Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
. The entire airfield and associated buildings lie completely outside the civil parish of Wymeswold, with the north half being in Hoton, and the southern half in Prestwold
Prestwold
thumb|right|Prestwold HallPrestwold is a hamlet and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The parish has a population of around 60. Nearby places are Hoton, just to the north, and Burton on the Wolds, to the south-east....
. On the eastern fringe of the airfield is the Wymeswold Industrial Estate, where there is a go-karting facility. The Hoton-Wymeswold road runs alongside the airfield.
The airfield has also been host for regattas of land sailing
Land sailing
Land sailing, also known as sand yachting or land yachting, is the act of moving across land in a wheeled vehicle powered by wind through the use of a sail. The term comes from analogy with sailing. Historically, land sailing was used as a mode of transportation or recreation...
.
In the early 1990s, there were plans for a 6,000 population new town to be built on the airfield.