RAF Dunholme Lodge

RAF Dunholme Lodge was a Royal Air Force station during the Second World War. Located between the parishes of Welton and Dunholme in Lincolnshire, England.

History

The grass airfield was first used by the Royal Air Force during 1941 and 1942 for use by Handley Page Hampden aircraft from nearby RAF Scampton, and was officially opened as a RAF Station in September 1942 as part of Bomber Command with the building of three hard runways.

The main occupier of the station was 44 Squadron, with the Avro Lancaster four-engined heavy bomber, which moved in from RAF Waddington in May 1943 and stayed until it moved to RAF Spilsby in September 1944.

In November 1944 flying operations ceased due the proximity of other stations which did not allow night flying. At the end of the war 120 Lancasters had been lost on operations from Dunholme Lodge.

The William Farr School was opened in 1952 on part of the disused domestic site.

In 1959 the airfield became a site for Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles with 141 Squadron until it was disbanded and the station finally closed in 1964.

RAF units and aircraft

[Jefford 1985, page 159]

References

*

External Links

* [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s3.html Offical History]
* [http://raf-lincolnshire.info/dunholmelodge/dunholmelodge.htm RAF-Lincolnshire info]