# Raf swinderby august 2011



## urban phantom (Aug 29, 2011)

Hi all another air base for you we didnt realy no how mutch of swinderby had escaped the demo team so the only to find out was to pay a visite . I carnt realy understand why swinderby tec site and both control towers have reduced to a big pile of bricks as nothing seems to be going on its real shame . We did find wot i bellive to be hanger one bellived to of housed the gym , chapple , madical ward this is in the action stations book for lincolnshire . here is some history for you 



air field swinderby by urban phantom, on Flickr

SWINDERBY
Eight miles from Lincoln and seven from Newark, on the east side of the A46 - the Roman Fosse Way - this was one of the last expansion plan airfields to be built. Like several other stations that were still incomplete on the outbreak of war; Swinderby received three of the economic curved-roof Type J hangars instead of the Type Cs. However, the barracks, administrative and much of the technical site buildings were built to the pre war specification and grouped together on the A46 side of the station. A public road ran through camp on the east side. The main contractors were John Laing & Son Ltd whose first task was to clear and level the landing ground so that it could be re=seeded where necessary.

Swinderby was allocated to No.1 Group and in late August 1940 Nos. 300 and 301 Squadrons arrived from the training station at Bramcote. These were the first Polish manned bomber squadrons in the RAF and had only been formed a few weeks earlier. Equipped with Fairey Battles, they undertook their first operation on the night of September 14/15 when three aircraft from each squadron bombed barges in Boulogne harbour. The Battle was quite unsuited for night operations and in October No. 300 Squadron began to re-equip with Wellingtons. No. 301 followed suit the following month.

Twenty-four pan hardstandings and a concrete perimeter track were constructed during the winter of 1940-41, three spurs with three pans each being positioned on the far side of the A46. Consequently, traffic had to be halted when aircraft crossed the road to and from these dispersal points.

The two Polish squadrons continued to operate from Swinderby until July 1941 at which time the station had been passed to No. 5 Group in a general re-allocation of airfields in Bomber Command. No. 50 Squadron was moved in from Lindholme, resuming operations with its Hampdens on July 20 but personnel and equipment for No. 455 Squadron (an RAAF unit which was being re-established in the UK to fly Hampdens) were so long in arriving that its first raid - a single sortie - did not take place until August 29/30.

Swinderby had been waterlogged the previous winter and was badly rutted from taxying Wellingtons. As a result, the airfield had a priority for the installation of hard runways and in November 1941 the two resident squadrons took their Hampdens to Skellingthorpe so that construction could commence.

The main runway, 07-25, ran parallel with the A46, and was 1,450 yards long while the 11-29 and 02-20 runways were both 1,230 yards, terminating at the main to allow clearance over the A46. The runways were completed by April 1942 but then lengthened to comply with revised specifications, the main being extended to 2,000 yards across the Swinderby-Norton Disney road which was closed. There were also small extensions to 02-20 and 11-29 at the 20 and 29 ends making both 1,370 yards long, the former causing the closure of Norton Lane. At the time the runways were laid down, the number of pan hardstadings was increased to 36 and three Type T2 hangars were erected on the north side of the technical site during 1941- 42. Bomb stores were situated beyond the south side of the airfield between the heads of runways 02 and 29. Three additional domestic sites were dispersed in countryside towards Thurlby raising the total accommodation to 2,127 males and 349 females.

The airfield was ready for use by June 1942 so No. 50 Squadron returned to convert to Manchesters while runways were being put down at Skellingthorpe. This lasted until October when the squadron returned to its former base. A No. 50 Squadron Lancaster failing to return on the night of September 23/24, 1942 is believed to be the last Bomber Command aircraft lost in operations from Swinderby, bringing the total wartime losses to 84. These were two Battles, 54 Hampdens, 12 Wellingtons, two Manchesters and seven Lancasters.

Swinderby was then selected to become an operational training station for No. 5 Group with the formation of No. 1660 Heavy Conversion Unit using Manchesters and Lancasters. However, a shortage of Lancasters in the autumn of 1943 caused most to be withdrawn from the HCU and Stirlings were employed instead until the position improved. Some form of training activity was henceforth to be Swinderby's lot. No. 1660 HCU came under the control of No. 7 Training Group in November 1944 and remained for two more years before moving to Lindholme. It was replaced at Swinderby by No. 17 OTU - initially with Wellingtons - later redesignated No. 201 Advanced Flying School being joined by No. 204 AFS using Mosquitos. In following years, further changes of unit and equipment occurred with Swinderby remaining a flying training establishment until March 1964. During the fifties there was ongoing construction work at the station with the addition of a new apron while improvements were made to the taxiways and several buildings including the control tower.

In 1964 Swinderby embraced a new role, that of recruit training. A flying unit was added to the ground school in 1979 for the express purpose of prospective pilot assessment. For over 30 years the station was the RAF's major establishment for recruit assessment and basic training, the airfield remaining open for flying visitors but this activity ceased in the early `nineties. The 629 acres were put up for sale in 1995 with permission to develop the site for new homes and a business park.

now for some pictures 



raf swinderby 004 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 003 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 012 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 015 by urban phantom, on Flickr



raf swinderby 030 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 026 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 028 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 029 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 040 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 038 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 042 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 047 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 050 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 052 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 058 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 057 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 060 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 063 by urban phantom, on Flickr




hanger no1  by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 061 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 076 by urban phantom, on Flickr
BHQ bunker no ladder into first landing i didt want to risk getting stuck 




raf swinderby 078 by urban phantom, on Flickr
second ladder looked ok thats a mootch for another day 




raf swinderby 088 by urban phantom, on Flickr




raf swinderby 090 by urban phantom, on Flickr
some ww2 barbwire ( would be nice if it was )

thanks for looking all comments welcome


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## The Cat Crept In (Aug 29, 2011)

Some great pics bud


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## urban phantom (Aug 29, 2011)

thanks mate


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## night crawler (Aug 29, 2011)

Good stuff that, nice to see the hangers.


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## johno23 (Aug 30, 2011)

Brilliant write up and report,good to see the old place again,oh memories of recruit training in the 80`s.

Just added this to my to do list for old times sake


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## urban phantom (Aug 30, 2011)

Thanks lads the hangers were a realy good mootch lots bigger than thay look


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## Walrus75 (Aug 30, 2011)

johno23 said:


> ...good to see the old place again,oh memories of recruit training in the 80`s.


Yep, same here, the run out to the BHQ on a cold february day was no fun... 'specially when you had Swinditz Flu!


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## Pincheck (Aug 30, 2011)

nice stuff well done mate


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## urban phantom (Aug 30, 2011)

Thanks mate


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## urban phantom (Aug 30, 2011)

Walrus75 said:


> Yep, same here, the run out to the BHQ on a cold february day was no fun... 'specially when you had Swinditz Flu!



I should say it looked a bit better than it does now and some one stole the ladder


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## historymadd (Aug 31, 2011)

*control tower demolition*

hi there

here are some of the reasons for demolition


Like us all if anyone gets hurt good old liability mod does not have insurance they just payout the claim

These places are usually full of asbestos!!

they are not needed anymore and cost to keep up ie boarding etc so long term cheaper to demolish!

if needed in future cheaper to rebuild to a newer standard 

cheers


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## urban phantom (Aug 31, 2011)

historymadd said:


> hi there
> 
> here are some of the reasons for demolition
> 
> ...



Ok i realise this but it would be nice to have hertiage left thanks


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## johno23 (Aug 31, 2011)

urban phantom said:


> Ok i realise this but it would be nice to have hertiage left thanks



I agree wholeheartedly UP,far too much demolition going on,only to be replaced with tin,glass and plastic crap and clonezone dolls houses


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## urban phantom (Sep 1, 2011)

Well said thanks mate


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