Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

RAF Melton Mowbray

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Airport type
  
Military

In use
  
1942-1964 (1964)

00/00
  
0

Owner
  
Air Ministry

Operator
  
Royal Air Force

Elevation AMSL
  
374 ft / 114 m

Year built
  
1941

RAF Melton Mowbray httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Location
  
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

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.

Contents

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

    • Post war

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

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

    Current use

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

    References

    RAF Melton Mowbray Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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