UK Mega 2021: Lincolnshire
LLL: RAF Spilsby Memorial
A brief history
RAF Spilsby was built in 1943 as a Class A bomber station and was named after the nearest market town to the west. The airfield opened in September 1943 as part of the RAF's No.5 Group. It had three concrete runways, of which two were six thousand feet (1830m) long and a standard width of 150 feet (45.7m).
The arrival of 207 Squadron
The first unit to take up residence was 207 Squadron, whose Lancaster's arrived from Langer, the unit's former home, on the 11th October 1943. The first operation flown from Spilsby was to Hanover on the night of 18th/19th October, which resulted in the squadron's first losses, when two Lancaster's failed to return.
The airfield remained busy throughout the winter of 1943-44 as Bomber Command intensified its operations against Germany's major cities and industrial areas. This same period saw the German Nightfighter Force enjoy a high degree of success towards the heavy bombers: Spilsby crews were not exempt from this destruction, losing 28 aircraft.
A former WAFF intelligence officer wrote that: "life on a bomber station was made of moments of feverish activity and breathless excitement, followed by suspense, all too often, heartbreak." On Easter Monday, 10th April 1944, a major accident occurred on the bomb dump at Spilsby when the explosion of a delayed action 1000lb bomb, which was being disarmed, killed ten armourers, three of whom were never found.
In December 1946 RAF Spilsby was abandoned and placed on care and maintenance until June 1955, during which time it was used for storing overflow supplies for RAF East Kirkby.
