RAF Cammeringham
Encyclopedia
RAF Cammeringham was a Royal Air Force base used by RAF Bomber Command
between 1940 and 1945 and the Polish Air Force
until 1946. The airfield was located between the A15 (Ermine Street
) and B1398 roads, 10.3 mi (16.6 km) north of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire
, England and due east of the village of Ingham
.
Mainly used as an overflow airfield for nearby RAF Hemswell
and later as a training establishment, its continued use was limited by damage to its grassed runways by the heavy bomber aircraft. The airfield closed in early December 1946.
Detailed surveys were undertaken in preparation for the building of the concrete runways then needed for heavy bombers, but it was decided that the contour gradients were unsuitable and the runways remained grass only. However between 1940 and 1942 a concrete perimeter track was constructed, together with three hangars (1 x B1 and 2 x T2 types) and a technical site. A total of 36 pan-type aircraft standings were constructed in two phases.
The station's WAAF
female personnel were billeted in a separate area within the station in Quonset huts that provided accommodation and messing facilities. The huts still stood as late as 2007.
The first squadrons to be based at Ingham were No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
and No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron
, both flying Vickers Wellington
s, that arrived on 20 June 1941 from Hemswell which could no longer accommodate them. They were joined by No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron
also operating Wellingtons on 28 May 1942. No. 300 Squadron left for several months during early 1943 while undertaking Lancaster conversion training but No. 305 squadron remained at Ingham until August 1943.
Overnight on 31 May 1943 No.301 squadron took part in a large bombing raid on Cologne
losing two crews. Overnight on 6 June it visited Essen
, where it lost another two crews. On 27 June the squadron bombed Bremen
, losing even more air crew. On 3 July yet another crew was lost. Overnight on 22 July 1943 another three were lost to enemy AA fire and fighter planes. The Polish HQ, lacking manpower and any more experienced crews, decided to disband the squadron.
On 3 February 1943 No. 199 Squadron RAF
arrived from RAF Blyton
flying Short Stirling
s while training over The Wash
for maritime mine laying operations. Four months later they left for RAF Lakenheath
to commence active operations off the east and south coasts. They were replaced at Ingham by two non-bomber training flights; 1687 Flight RAF flew Hurricanes while training personnel to defend bomber formations during operations; 1481 Flight RAF flew Martinets while towing airborne targets for the bomber gunners to practice their gunnery skills in defending their aircraft.
In November 1944, after several instances of urgent spares being delivered in error to units in Ingham, Norfolk and Ingham, Suffolk, the station was renamed RAF Cammeringham to prevent any further confusion. Flying effectively ceased from the airfield in early 1945 due to deterioration of the grassed runways and, from then until December 1946, RAF Cammeringham was used in a ground training school capacity and as a holding unit for demobilised Polish aircrew personnel awaiting repatriation or settlement. The station closed on 7 December 1946
s. Only the northern stretch of the concrete perimeter track remains and is in use for agricultural vehicles and as access to an industrial unit. The southernmost T2 Hangar stood as late as 2005 when it was demolished, only its footings are still visible from aerial photographs.
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...
between 1940 and 1945 and the Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
until 1946. The airfield was located between the A15 (Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
) and B1398 roads, 10.3 mi (16.6 km) north of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, England and due east of the village of Ingham
Ingham, Lincolnshire
Ingham is a village in the English county of Lincolnshire, in the district of West Lindsey.-Geography:It is located 14 km north of Lincoln on the B1398 road, which runs parallel to the main A15 ....
.
Mainly used as an overflow airfield for nearby RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command for 20 years between 1937 and 1957 and saw most of its operational life during World War II. Later used by RAF Fighter Command as a nuclear ballistic missile base during the Cold War it closed to military use in 1967...
and later as a training establishment, its continued use was limited by damage to its grassed runways by the heavy bomber aircraft. The airfield closed in early December 1946.
History
The site had been considered as a potential stand-alone airfield as early as 1936 but building did not commence until 1940 when RAF Hemswell needed additional capacity during the expanding World War II bomber offensive. Initially no squadrons were based at the station and it was used exclusively by Hemswell as an overflow site.Detailed surveys were undertaken in preparation for the building of the concrete runways then needed for heavy bombers, but it was decided that the contour gradients were unsuitable and the runways remained grass only. However between 1940 and 1942 a concrete perimeter track was constructed, together with three hangars (1 x B1 and 2 x T2 types) and a technical site. A total of 36 pan-type aircraft standings were constructed in two phases.
The station's WAAF
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
female personnel were billeted in a separate area within the station in Quonset huts that provided accommodation and messing facilities. The huts still stood as late as 2007.
The first squadrons to be based at Ingham were No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron "Land of Pomerania" was a Polish World War II bomber unit. It was fighting alongside the Royal Air Force and operated from airbases in the United Kingdom and Italy.-History:...
and No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 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...
, both flying Vickers 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...
s, that arrived on 20 June 1941 from Hemswell which could no longer accommodate them. They were joined by No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 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 :...
also operating Wellingtons on 28 May 1942. No. 300 Squadron left for several months during early 1943 while undertaking Lancaster conversion training but No. 305 squadron remained at Ingham until August 1943.
Overnight on 31 May 1943 No.301 squadron took part in a large bombing raid on Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
losing two crews. Overnight on 6 June it visited Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, where it lost another two crews. On 27 June the squadron bombed Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, losing even more air crew. On 3 July yet another crew was lost. Overnight on 22 July 1943 another three were lost to enemy AA fire and fighter planes. The Polish HQ, lacking manpower and any more experienced crews, decided to disband the squadron.
No. 199 Squadron RAF
No. 199 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron that operated during the second world war and later in the 1950s as a radar countermeasures squadron.-History:...
arrived from RAF Blyton
RAF Blyton
RAF Blyton is an airfield in Lincolnshire, England. It was built in 1942 and was heavily used during World War II, but was little used after the early stages of the Cold War...
flying Short Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
s while training over The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
for maritime mine laying operations. Four months later they left for RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
to commence active operations off the east and south coasts. They were replaced at Ingham by two non-bomber training flights; 1687 Flight RAF flew Hurricanes while training personnel to defend bomber formations during operations; 1481 Flight RAF flew Martinets while towing airborne targets for the bomber gunners to practice their gunnery skills in defending their aircraft.
In November 1944, after several instances of urgent spares being delivered in error to units in Ingham, Norfolk and Ingham, Suffolk, the station was renamed RAF Cammeringham to prevent any further confusion. Flying effectively ceased from the airfield in early 1945 due to deterioration of the grassed runways and, from then until December 1946, RAF Cammeringham was used in a ground training school capacity and as a holding unit for demobilised Polish aircrew personnel awaiting repatriation or settlement. The station closed on 7 December 1946
Squadrons and units based at RAF Cammeringham (Ingham)
| Date of arrival | Unit | Notes |
| July 1940 | No indigenous squadrons | Ingham used as an overflow ground for RAF Hemswell aircraft. - (Part of No. 5 Group RAF No. 5 Group RAF No. 5 Group was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part by AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane.-History:The Group was formed on 1 September 1937 with headquarters at RAF Mildenhall.... ) |
| 20 June 1941 | No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron No. 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... |
Flying Vickers 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... s. Relocated to RAF Swanton Morley RAF Swanton Morley The former Royal Air Force Station Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force Station in Norfolk, England, located near to the village of Swanton Morley... in August 1943 and became part of the Second Tactical Air Force flying North American Mitchell bombers. |
| 20 June 1941 | No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron "Land of Pomerania" was a Polish World War II bomber unit. It was fighting alongside the Royal Air Force and operated from airbases in the United Kingdom and Italy.-History:... |
Flying Vickers 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... s. Squadron disbanded in July 1943 when crew losses during operations could not be restaffed. |
| 28 May 1942 | No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron No. 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 :... |
Flying Vickers 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... s. Relocated to RAF Hemswell for conversion to 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... s on 31 January 1943. |
| 3 February 1943 | No. 199 Squadron RAF No. 199 Squadron RAF No. 199 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron that operated during the second world war and later in the 1950s as a radar countermeasures squadron.-History:... |
Flying Short Stirling Short Stirling The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941... s. Training over The Wash The Wash The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom... for marine mine-laying operations. Once trained the squadron departed for No. 3 Group RAF No. 3 Group RAF Number 3 Group of the Royal Air Force was an RAF group first active in 1918, again in 1923-26, part of RAF Bomber Command from 1936 to 1967, and part of RAF Strike Command from 2000 until it disbanded on 1 April 2006.-The 1930s and World War II:... on 20 June 1943 where they operated from RAF Lakenheath RAF Lakenheath RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel... . |
| 5 June 1943 | No. 1687 (Bomber) Defence Training Flight | Flying Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... s. Departed 4 December 1944 |
| 20 June 1943 | No. 1481 (Bomber) Gunnery Flight | Flying Miles Martinet Miles Martinet |-See also:-Bibliography:* Amos, Peter. and Brown, Don Lambert. Miles Aircraft Since 1925, Volume 1. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 2000. ISBN 0-85177-787-0.... s in a target towing role. Target tugs flown by Polish pilots of No. 148 Squadron RAF No. 148 Squadron RAF No. 148 Squadron of the Royal Air Force has been part of the RAF since World War I.-History:As No. 148 Squadron it was reformed as a special duties squadron and part of the Balkan Air Force in World War II. It dropped men and materiel behind enemy lines in the occupied countries such as... . 1481 Flight relocated on 4 December 1944 to RAF Marham RAF Marham Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia.... |
| 22 June 1943 | No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron | Returned from Lancaster training at Hemswell, but still flying Wellingtons. Departed for RAF Faldingworth RAF Faldingworth 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... on 1 March 1944 and were re-equipped with Avro Lancasters |
| 10 March 1944 | Night Bomber Tactical Training School | Relocated to 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.... in May 1944 |
| 24 November 1944 | Station is renamed RAF Cammeringham. - (Control transferred to No. 1 Group RAF No. 1 Group RAF Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two operations groups in Air Command.The group is today referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK plus RAF Unit Goose Bay in Canada, which is used extensively as an... ) |
|
| 9 July 1945 | No. 16 Polish School of Technical Training | Closed 7 December 1946 |
| 14 November 1945 | No. 4 (Polish) Aircrew Holding Unit | Closed 7 December 1946 |
| 7 December 1946 | RAF Cammeringham disestablished and closed down |
The airfield site today
Cliffe House which had been commandeered by the Air Ministry for the duration of the war as the station's officers' mess still stands, back in private ownership. Also still standing is the brick built control tower and a number of pre-fabricated Quonset hutQuonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
s. Only the northern stretch of the concrete perimeter track remains and is in use for agricultural vehicles and as access to an industrial unit. The southernmost T2 Hangar stood as late as 2005 when it was demolished, only its footings are still visible from aerial photographs.
Memorials
Unlike many wartime stations there is no on-site memorial in place. The Windmill Pub located on the B1398 road displays a print of Wellington IV Z1407, BH-Z of No 300 Polish Bomber Squadron. The print shows battle damage to the aircraft following a raid mounted from RAF Ingham in September 1942. A total of 35 Wellingtons and crews were lost during operations from the airfield.Main reference
- Bruce Barrymore HalpennyBruce Barrymore HalpennyBruce Barrymore Halpenny is a widely respected English military historian and author, specialising in airfields and aircraft, as well as ghost stories and mysteries. He is also a broadcaster and games inventor.-Parents:...
Action Stations: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2 (ISBN 978-0850594843)