RAF Wellingore | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellingore,Lincolnshire in England | |||||||||
 Technical Site for RAF Wellingore | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Relief Landing Ground | ||||||||
| Code | JW[1] | ||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Fighter Command *No. 12 Group RAF 1940-44 RAF Flying Training Command | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  RAF Wellingore Shown within Lincolnshire | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°04′42″N000°31′30″W / 53.07833°N 0.52500°W /53.07833; -0.52500 | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1934 (1934)/35 | ||||||||
| In use | 1935 - 1945 (1945) | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Elevation | 79 metres (259 ft)[1]AMSL | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Royal Air Force Wellingore or more simplyRAF Wellingore is a formerRoyal Air Forcefighter relief landing ground located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) south ofNavenby,Lincolnshire and 10 miles (16 km) south ofLincoln, Lincolnshire, England.
The airfield was originally opened in 1917 as aRoyal Naval Air Service station called Wellingore Heath. The airfield reopened in 1935. By the winter of 1939/40, the airfield was fully operational and consisted of two grass runways, a concrete perimeter track and several hangars. It initially operated as a Relief Landing Ground (RLG) forRAF Cranwell before later operating as a RLG forRAF Digby. Various squadrons equipped with Spitfires, Hurricanes, Blenheims and Beaufighters flew from the station.
The airfield was closed in 1947.
In December 1941,John Gillespie Magee, Jr., author of the famous aviation poem "High Flight", took off from Wellingore on his final flight, in which he was killed.
In November 1940,Guy Gibson, who later ledOperation Chastise (better known as the Dambusters Raid), was stationed at Wellingore. Later in November 1940, he flew from here to Cardiff for his wedding. He had his first victories as a nightfighter pilot operating from here. In April 1942, a German intruder aircraft attacked Gibson's aircraft while landing at Wellingore, injuring his navigator.
The station was used as a prisoner of war camp before being handed back to the local land owner. Many of the original buildings, including the control have been demolished. A number of airfield defence concrete bunkers remain dotted around the airfield which has been returned to agricultural use.[13]
| Formations and units |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branches and components | |||||||
| Reserve forces | |||||||
| Equipment | |||||||
| Personnel | |||||||
| Appointments | |||||||
| Symbols and uniform | |||||||
| Associated civil organisations | |||||||
