RAF Stenigot was a 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...

 radar station situated at Stenigot

Stenigot

Stenigot is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, located in the Lincolnshire Wolds a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about south west of the town of Louth, and a mile south east of the village of Donington on Bain...

. near Donington on Bain

Donington on Bain

Donington on Bain is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies in the Lincolnshire Wolds about miles south-west of Louth and about six miles north of Horncastle. It sits on the east bank of the River Bain...

, 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

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...

.

It was part of the Chain Home

Chain Home

Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal Early Warning radar stations built by the British before and during the Second World War. The system otherwise known as AMES Type 1 consisted of radar fixed on top of a radio tower mast, called a 'station' to provide long-range detection of...

 radar network, intended to provide long range early warning for raids from Luftflotte V

Luftflotte 5

Luftflotte 5 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed 12 April 1940 in Hamburg for the invasion of Norway....

 and the northern elements of Luftflotte II

Luftflotte 2

Luftflotte 2 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed February 1, 1939 in Braunschweig and transferred to Italy on November 15, 1941...

 along the approaches to Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 and Nottingham

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

 and the central midlands.

After World War II, the site was retained as part of the Chain Home network. In 1959 it was upgraded to a communications relay site as part of the ACE High

ACE High

ACE High was a NATO communications system which dates back to 1956. The system was decommissioned in the late 1980s, and its frequencies reallocated for commercial radiotelephone service. The system was designed to be an L-band troposcatter radio system, which was meant to provide long-range...

 program, which involved adding four tropospheric scatter

Tropospheric scatter

Tropospheric scatter is a method of transmitting and receiving microwave radio signals over considerable distances – often up to 300 km...

dishes.

The site was decommissioned in the late 1980s and was mostly demolished by 1996.

External links

• Site history and photographs
• Reminiscences from the 50's
• RAF Stenigot photos taken in 2007