# RAF Saltby, Leicestershire, February 2013



## HughieD (Mar 3, 2013)

OK, let’s start with the history.

RAF Saltby is an ex-World War II airfield in Leicestershire, located in-between Melton Mowbray and Grantham. It opened in 1941 as a grass strip and surrounding support buildings until a year later when it was up-graded to Class A airfield standards with three converging concrete runways. It was used by both the RAF and the US Army Air Forces with RAF Vickers Wellingtons first to fly out of it. It was used primarily as a transport airfield and closed after the war and kept in reserve until 1955. The ground support station was constructed largely of Nissen huts and included mess facilities, a chapel, hospital and armoury and bombsite storage amongst other buildings. An ammunition dump was located outside of the perimeter track and surrounded by large dirt mounds and concrete storage pens. At its peak it accommodated up to 2100 staff members and boasted five hangars which were used to store 32 Horse gliders in 1943. 

On its release from military use in 1955, much of the airfield was returned to agriculture. Today, a large amount of the airfield is intact, including almost the entire main runway remains, utilised by the Buckminster Gliding Club for gliding, motor gliding and glider aerobatics.

The remains of the former RAF base are dispersed over quite a large area. A lot of key buildings have been demolished (such a the old control tower) but there’s still enough to hold your attention for a couple of hours or so. As a child I remember cycling out to the base and there being more buildings still standing than there currently is. The most striking thing about the site today is perhaps the number of intact stanton shelters untouched by the hand of chav. Let’s hope they stay this way…

Not too much to see at the airfield itself now apart from this monument to the fallen airmen:




img7270_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Nearby, though, is the first of many large stanton shelters. Here's the entrance to one:




img7273_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The inside is perfect and untouched by the hand of chav:




img7275_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

You have to move further away to find other buildings of interest. Not too sure what this was (my only guess is a spigot mortar plinth):




img7261_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Many of the buildings are close to the Wyville-Saltby road, including this stanton shelter:




img7246_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This time viewed with slightly more illumination:




img7245_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This building wasn't quite so lucky:




img7254_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...nor was this one:




img7253_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Not too sure what this was is:




img7258_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

But these are definitely slit trenches:




img7255_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

....slowly being reclaimed by nature:




img7259_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img7256_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A right turn off the Wyville-Saltby Road skirts a wooded area with a number of other remains, including more slit trenches:




img7079_2 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...and yet more perfectly preserved air-raid shelters:




img7263_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img7266_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The second one...




img7267_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...is as clean as whistle on the inside:




img7268_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...and finally there's an old water tower:




img7262_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Finally, just down the road at Skillington is this wonderful pillbox. Here's an external:




img5352_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

An external close up on the embrasure:




img5355_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...and the same embrasure from the inside:




img5359_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## night crawler (Mar 4, 2013)

They are some of the best Stantons I have seen yet, great condition, Pillbox is similar to the ines I've seen round where I live.


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## shatners (Mar 4, 2013)

Superb as always Hughie, the detail you provide really helps get the gist of the site and the photo of the underground shelter with the light casting in is stunning!

I think the unknown item in picture four is a bird bath


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## flyboys90 (Mar 4, 2013)

Great report.


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## HughieD (Mar 4, 2013)

shatners said:


> Superb as always Hughie, the detail you provide really helps get the gist of the site and the photo of the underground shelter with the light casting in is stunning!
> 
> I think the unknown item in picture four is a bird bath



Cheers mate. Think you maybe right about picture 4, just wishful thinking on my part!

Been having issues with my 18-135 lense not focussing properly so they are not pin-sharp as they should be. Also think I need to invest in one of those 8-16mm's that you use so effectively...


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## leftorium (Mar 4, 2013)

your slit trenches look like RAF pattern blast shelters to me, slit trenches for close defence were more often seagull trenches.


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## HughieD (Mar 4, 2013)

leftorium said:


> your slit trenches look like RAF pattern blast shelters to me, slit trenches for close defence were more often seagull trenches.



Oops, sorry, showing my ignorance there. I bow to your superior knowledge Leftorium :embarrassed:


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## Black Shuck (Mar 4, 2013)

Hughie that's one of the best Stantons I ever seen. Brilliant mooch and thanks for sharing. Shuck.


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## RichCooper (Mar 4, 2013)

Nice set of pics mate  have to agree those stantons are in superb condition


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## HughieD (Mar 5, 2013)

RichCooper said:


> Nice set of pics mate  have to agree those stantons are in superb condition



Cheers Rich. That last one is completely mint. Be nice to see one done up like it would have been in the war time wouldn't it?


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## cptpies (Mar 5, 2013)

Nice job Hughie. If you have accurate locations for those stantons could you PM me please so I can add them to the edob overlay?


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## RichCooper (Mar 5, 2013)

Theres one restored at Duxford but its only a few sections long


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## HughieD (Mar 5, 2013)

cptpies said:


> Nice job Hughie. If you have accurate locations for those stantons could you PM me please so I can add them to the edob overlay?



Yeah of course mate...will get on it...


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## HughieD (Mar 17, 2013)

POSTSCRIPT: OK, so on my last visit I missed out the base's water purification plant. GoogleEarth helped me spot my omission. Off I popped back to document this quite interesting and unique part of the site:




img8090_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8100_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8098_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8097_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8095_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8094_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## steve2109 (Mar 18, 2013)

Good stuff, looks a good mooch


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## Harry (Mar 20, 2013)

Great way to spend a few hours - definitely my type of site, good report 'HughieD'.


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## Bigdavey2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Great place my grandad took me there couple of times as a boy thanks for the share and history


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## HughieD (Mar 20, 2013)

Harry said:


> Great way to spend a few hours - definitely my type of site, good report 'HughieD'.



Cheers Harry. if you venture there hope the weather is better than on the 3 times I went there!


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## HughieD (Apr 5, 2013)

OK, little up-date on Saltby. Firstly, new residents have moved into the first Stanton shelter pictured in the original post;




img8620_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Plus another Stanton shelter discovered after further scrutiny:




img8625_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8624_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr




img8631_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## Runner (Apr 20, 2013)

Some Stanton loveliness there Hugie - very nice indeed.


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## HughieD (Apr 20, 2013)

Runner said:


> Some Stanton loveliness there Hugie - very nice indeed.



My pleasure mate. Can't beat a bit of Stanton action can ya?


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## outkast (Apr 20, 2013)

possibly the remains of a rare ruck pillbox in one of the pics?


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## HughieD (Apr 22, 2013)

outkast said:


> possibly the remains of a rare ruck pillbox in one of the pics?



Which pic mate?


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