RAF Wickenby
Encyclopedia
RAF Wickenby was a purpose built bomber base constructed late 1942 and early 1943. It lies halfway between Wickenby and Holton cum Beckering
, to the south-east of Wickenby
close to the B1399 in West Lindsey
, 8 NM north-east of Lincoln
.
.
The airfield covered about 600 acres (2.4 km²), and had the usual three runway configuration with peripheral tracks, hard standings, a brick watchtower and numerous brick and metal buildings for the aircrews and ground staff. A number of the buildings were to the east (Communal Site, Living Quarters, WAAF
Quarters) and stretched to and beyond the Lissington road - a road travelled many an evening by the airmen and women who visited their favourite watering hole, the White Hart at Lissington
. The Sick Quarters were to the south of the airfield together with a Communal Site and Living Quarters.
(a/c code PH) who brought with them Wellington
II/III's, but during the winter of 1942/3 they converted to the Avro Lancaster
. The Squadron flew the Lancaster throughout the rest of the war. On November 7, 1943, C Flight was expanded to become 626 Squadron
(a/c code UM), also flying the Lancaster. Wickenby played a large part in the bomber offensive, taking part in many of the major raids including: Berlin
, Munich
, Nuremberg
, Essen
, Mailly-le-Camp
, and Caen
. Aircraft from Wickenby were also involved in mine-laying
(gardening), and operations Manna and Exodus. On September 24, 1945, 12 Squadron moved to a more permanent site at Binbrook
.
12 Squadron still exists to this day flying Tornado
aircraft out of Lossiemouth
. Having spent its entire existence at Wickenby, 626 Squadron was disbanded on October 14, 1945. The base was later taken over by No. 93 Maintenance Unit and subsequently No. 92 Maintenance Unit who used the runways to dismantle ordinance until 1956 when the base was closed. Civil aviation and maintenance began in 1963, and the land was sold between 1964-6. During the relatively short period of active service 1080 lives were lost from RAF Wickenby. This sacrifice is commemorated by the RAF Wickenby Memorial in the form of Icarus on an obelisk at the entrance to the airfield. The memorial was placed there by members of the Wickenby Register, an association of former 12/626 Squadron personnel and associate relatives.
, which is a grass and concrete airfield. A road from Holton cum Beckering to Snelland
runs right over the former airfield. Companies based at the airfield are Thruster Aircraft who make microlight planes
; Fly365 Ltd who fly pleasure flights; and Rase Distribution - a haulage firm. Planes using the airfield have to make contact first with the control tower at RAF Waddington
.
The Watch Office is the home of the RAF Wickenby Memorial Collection and the Wickenby Archive, a collection of memorabelia and archive dedicated to the memory of the Squadrons who served here.
Holton cum Beckering
Holton cum Beckering is a small village and civil parish in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England. It lies south of Market Rasen at the junction of the B1202 and B1399 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 140.-History:...
, to the south-east of Wickenby
Wickenby
Wickenby is a hamlet and civil parish about south west of the town of Market Rasen in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.Wickenby existed at the time of Domesday Book of 1086 when it consisted of fifteen households....
close to the B1399 in West Lindsey
West Lindsey
West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural District, Gainsborough Rural District and Welton Rural District...
, 8 NM north-east of Lincoln
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....
.
Construction
It had two T2 type hangars and one B1 type. The B1 and one of the T2 hangars can still be seen on the airfield site. The T2 near the threshold of runway 21 was recently acquired by the airfield owners and after many years of industrial use in now, once more, an aircraft hangarHangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
.
The airfield covered about 600 acres (2.4 km²), and had the usual three runway configuration with peripheral tracks, hard standings, a brick watchtower and numerous brick and metal buildings for the aircrews and ground staff. A number of the buildings were to the east (Communal Site, Living Quarters, 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...
Quarters) and stretched to and beyond the Lissington road - a road travelled many an evening by the airmen and women who visited their favourite watering hole, the White Hart at Lissington
Lissington
Lissington is a village and civil parish about south of the town of Market Rasen, and about north of the town of Wragby, Lincolnshire, England....
. The Sick Quarters were to the south of the airfield together with a Communal Site and Living Quarters.
Residential units
Wickenby was occupied in September 1942 by No. 12 SquadronNo. 12 Squadron RAF
No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth.-History:No. 12 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed in February 1915 from a flight of No. 1 Squadron RFC at Netheravon. The squadron moved to France in September 1915 and operated a variety of aircraft...
(a/c code PH) who brought with them 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...
II/III's, but during the winter of 1942/3 they converted to the 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...
. The Squadron flew the Lancaster throughout the rest of the war. On November 7, 1943, C Flight was expanded to become 626 Squadron
No. 626 Squadron RAF
No. 626 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force from 1943 to 1945.-History:The squadron was formed on 7 November 1943 at RAF Wickenby from C Flight of No. 12 Squadron. It operated in the strategic bombing role with the Avro Lancaster...
(a/c code UM), also flying the Lancaster. Wickenby played a large part in the bomber offensive, taking part in many of the major raids including: Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, 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...
, Mailly-le-Camp
Mailly-le-Camp
Mailly-le-Camp is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-History:The town is mentioned as Mailliacus for the first time in 859 AD document.In 1902 a large military camp was built in its territory....
, and Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
. Aircraft from Wickenby were also involved in mine-laying
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
(gardening), and operations Manna and Exodus. On September 24, 1945, 12 Squadron moved to a more permanent site at Binbrook
RAF Binbrook
RAF Binbrook was a Bomber Command station during World War II. After the war it was amongst others the home of the Central Fighter Establishment...
.
12 Squadron still exists to this day flying Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
aircraft out of Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and is currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s. From 2013 the Northern QRA force of Typhoon F2 will relocate to Lossiemouth following the closure of...
. Having spent its entire existence at Wickenby, 626 Squadron was disbanded on October 14, 1945. The base was later taken over by No. 93 Maintenance Unit and subsequently No. 92 Maintenance Unit who used the runways to dismantle ordinance until 1956 when the base was closed. Civil aviation and maintenance began in 1963, and the land was sold between 1964-6. During the relatively short period of active service 1080 lives were lost from RAF Wickenby. This sacrifice is commemorated by the RAF Wickenby Memorial in the form of Icarus on an obelisk at the entrance to the airfield. The memorial was placed there by members of the Wickenby Register, an association of former 12/626 Squadron personnel and associate relatives.
Post-war use
The north part of the former airfield is now known as Wickenby AerodromeWickenby Aerodrome
Wickenby Aerodrome is located nautical miles north east of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.Wickenby Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee . The aerodrome is not licensed for night...
, which is a grass and concrete airfield. A road from Holton cum Beckering to Snelland
Snelland
Snelland is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about north east of the city of Lincoln and about south of the town of Market Rasen. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Swinthorpe....
runs right over the former airfield. Companies based at the airfield are Thruster Aircraft who make microlight planes
Ultralight aviation
The term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...
; Fly365 Ltd who fly pleasure flights; and Rase Distribution - a haulage firm. Planes using the airfield have to make contact first with the control tower at RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
.
The Watch Office is the home of the RAF Wickenby Memorial Collection and the Wickenby Archive, a collection of memorabelia and archive dedicated to the memory of the Squadrons who served here.