RAF Spitalgate
Encyclopedia
RAF Spitalgate formerly known as RFCS Grantham and RAF Grantham was a Royal Flying Corps
and Royal Air Force
station, located 2 mi (3.2 km) south east of the centre of Grantham
, Lincolnshire
, England fronting onto the main A52 road.
. Flying training continued at RAF Grantham during the inter-war years.
RAF Spitalgate should not be confused with HQ of No. 5 Group
that was located in a large private house on St Vincents, Grantham from October 1937 to November 1943 and also known as RAF Grantham during its final years there. Also in November 1943, elements of the HQ IX Troop Carrier Command of the USAAF were relocated to RAF Spitalgate, with their headquarters at St Vincents in the town centre. The station was also the training and point-of departure airfield for the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
during Operation Market Garden
.
The base was an Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) in the 1950s. Much later it became the Women's Royal Air Force
(WRAF) Depot, responsible for the recruitment and training of all non-commissioned females in the RAF, until this moved to RAF Swinderby
. The site is not part of Grantham, but the parish of Londonthorpe & Harrowby Without.
Spitalgate acted as a parent station for a relief landing ground four miles further south at RAF Harlaxton
from November 1916 until 1945.
Barracks, occupied by the Royal Corps of Transport (RTC
) reforming with the amalgimation into the Royal Logistic Corps RLC
in 1992, as 5 training regiment RLC
where all Territorial Army RLC
recruits visit the base for training
and trade training including all catering personnel (former Army Catering Corps
).
The site is also used by the Grantham & District Model Aircraft Society.
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
and Royal Air Force
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...
station, located 2 mi (3.2 km) south east of the centre of Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, 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...
, England fronting onto the main A52 road.
History
The station opened in 1915 as Royal Flying Corps Station Grantham, becoming RAF Grantham in 1918 - a name it bore until 1942 when it was renamed as RAF Spitalgate. Throughout World War I the station was a flying training facility and headquarters of No. 21 Group RFC Flying Training Command. The main lodging unit was No. 12 Flying Training School RFC with further elements at the satellite station at RFCS HarlaxtonRAF Harlaxton
RAF Harlaxton was a Royal Air Force station near the village of Harlaxton, south west of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. The airfield was located in a triangle of flat fields midway between Harlaxton Manor and the nearby village of Stroxton.Originally constructed as a Royal Flying Corps...
. Flying training continued at RAF Grantham during the inter-war years.
RAF Spitalgate should not be confused with HQ of No. 5 Group
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....
that was located in a large private house on St Vincents, Grantham from October 1937 to November 1943 and also known as RAF Grantham during its final years there. Also in November 1943, elements of the HQ IX Troop Carrier Command of the USAAF were relocated to RAF Spitalgate, with their headquarters at St Vincents in the town centre. The station was also the training and point-of departure airfield for the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
The 1st Independent Parachute Brigade was a parachute brigade under command of Maj.Gen. Stanisław Sosabowski, created in Scotland in September 1941, with the exclusive mission to drop into occupied Poland in order to help liberate the country. The British government, however, pressured the Polish...
during Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
.
The base was an Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) in the 1950s. Much later it became the Women's Royal Air Force
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
(WRAF) Depot, responsible for the recruitment and training of all non-commissioned females in the RAF, until this moved to RAF Swinderby
RAF Swinderby
RAF Swinderby was a Royal Air Force Bomber Command airfield opened in 1940, one of the last of the stations completed under the RAF's expansion plans started in the 1930s...
. The site is not part of Grantham, but the parish of Londonthorpe & Harrowby Without.
Spitalgate acted as a parent station for a relief landing ground four miles further south at RAF Harlaxton
RAF Harlaxton
RAF Harlaxton was a Royal Air Force station near the village of Harlaxton, south west of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. The airfield was located in a triangle of flat fields midway between Harlaxton Manor and the nearby village of Stroxton.Originally constructed as a Royal Flying Corps...
from November 1916 until 1945.
Modern day use
Spitalgate is now a Territorial Army Barracks since 1976, called Prince William of GloucesterPrince William of Gloucester
Prince William of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George V.-Early life:...
Barracks, occupied by the Royal Corps of Transport (RTC
RTC
RTC is an initialism that may refer to:* Radiative transfer code, a numerical model of radiation in the atmosphere* Rail tank car* Rail traffic controller, a person who oversees the movement of trains and controls railway signals...
) reforming with the amalgimation into the Royal Logistic Corps RLC
RLC
-Education:* Redeemer Lutheran College, a school in Queensland, Australia* Rosseau Lake College-Government, Law, Politics:* Libertarian Reform Caucus, an internal caucus of the United States Libertarian party...
in 1992, as 5 training regiment RLC
RLC
-Education:* Redeemer Lutheran College, a school in Queensland, Australia* Rosseau Lake College-Government, Law, Politics:* Libertarian Reform Caucus, an internal caucus of the United States Libertarian party...
where all Territorial Army RLC
RLC
-Education:* Redeemer Lutheran College, a school in Queensland, Australia* Rosseau Lake College-Government, Law, Politics:* Libertarian Reform Caucus, an internal caucus of the United States Libertarian party...
recruits visit the base for training
Recruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
and trade training including all catering personnel (former Army Catering Corps
Army Catering Corps
The Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
).
Units
- 162 Movement Control Regiment162 Movement Control RegimentThe 162 Movement Control Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, is a regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom.In 2006 it was amalgamated with the 163 Movement Control Regiment and is now the only volunteer Movement Control Regiment in the Territorial Army...
- 160 Transport Regiment160 Transport Regiment160 Transport Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, is a regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom.It is a National TA unit, formed in April 1995, which recruits personnel from all over the country and is based at Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, Grantham, Lincolnshire.It provides 3rd...
- 165 Port Regiment
- 166 Supply Regiment
- 168th Pioneer Regiment168th Pioneer Regiment168 Pioneer Regiment is a unit in the British Territorial Army. The regiment is nationally recruited and provides a reserve unit of pioneers.-Formation:...
- 88th Postal and Courier Regiment88th Postal and Courier Regiment88th Postal and Courier Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, is a regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom.The regiment was formed in the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993 with four squadrons...
- Catering Support RegimentCatering Support RegimentThe Catering Support Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps, is a regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom.The regiment was formed as part of the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993 and was the successor to the Central Volunteer Headquarters of the Army Catering Corps. In 1998 the Regiment was...
The site is also used by the Grantham & District Model Aircraft Society.
External links
- Queen's Royal Lancers Regimental Association
- Lincolnshire office of the SSAFA Forces HelpSSAFA Forces HelpSSAFA Forces Help is a British based charitable organization set up to help former and serving members of the United Kingdom British Armed Forces and their families or dependents...
- Army units