RAF Melton Mowbray

Royal Air Force Melton Mowbray or more simply RAF Melton Mowbray is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) south of the centre of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and 13.6 miles (21.9 km) south east of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England.

RAF Melton Mowbray

RAF Buildings on the old technical site.
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
LocationMelton Mowbray, Leicestershire
Built1941 (1941)
In use1942-1964 (1964)
Elevation AMSL374 ft / 114 m
Coordinates52°44′01″N 000°53′47″W
Map
RAF Melton Mowbray
Location in Leicestershire
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
00/00 0 0 Asphalt
00/00 0 0 Asphalt
00/00 0 0 Asphalt

History

The Class A airfield was originally intended for aircraft maintenance but was taken over by RAF Transport Command. Many types of aircraft were flown from the airfield, including Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Mosquito, Vought F4U Corsair, Vultee A-31 Vengeance, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Douglas C-47 Dakota and Handley Page Halifax aircraft, plus Airspeed Horsa and Waco Hadrian gliders.

Units
  • No. 4 Aircraft Preparation Unit between 5 July 1944 and 9 October 1944.[1]
  • Mk X AI Conversion Flt between 29 August 1944 and 8 September 1944.[1]
  • No. 306 Ferry Training Unit between 13 October 1943 and 15 January 1944.[1]
  • No. 307 Ferry Training Unit between 14 October 1943 and 15 January 1944.[1]
  • No. 304 Ferry Training Unit between 3 January 1944 and 9 October 1944.[1]
  • No. 1 Ferry Pilot Pool between 14 January 1944 and 16 March 1944.[1]
  • No. 1341 Special Duties Flt during 1944.[1]
  • 'J' Flt between 28 September 1945 and 5 October 1945.[1]
  • No. 12 Ferry Unit between 9 October 1944 and 7 November 1945.[1]

Post war

Between 1946 and 1958 the site was used as a Polish Resettlement Corps camp housing Polish Air Force personnel and their relations.[2]

Melton Mowbray served as a Thor Strategic missile site between 1959 and 1963, when 254(SM) Squadron[3] operated a flight of three missiles from the base.[4]

Current use
One of the runways is now used for parking HGV vehicles and the storage of soil and rubble.

The airfield now houses a small industrial estate and little of the original infrastructure has survived. The airfield regularly hosts large "bank holiday" markets.

See also

References

Citations
  1. "RAF Melton Mowbrey". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  2. "Memoirs of a Polish airforce veteran". Leicestershire Villages.com. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  3. Jefford 1988, p. 79.
  4. John Pike. "RAF Melton Mowbray". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2 May 2011.

Bibliography
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
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