RAF Hemswell

RAF Hemswell
Name	RAF Hemswell
Location	Hemswell Cliff, Lincolnshire
Country	England
Type	Royal Air Force station
Used	1937–1967
Operator	Royal Air Force
Elevation	37m

RAF Hemswell was a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire that operated as a bomber station, a training establishment, and a missile site across its active life. The station hosted squadrons engaged in pre-war expansion, the Battle of Britain period, and the strategic bombing campaign of the Second World War, later becoming part of Cold War infrastructure before civilian redevelopment. Over decades Hemswell intersected with units, aircraft types, and organisations central to Royal Air Force Bomber Command, RAF Transport Command, and Cold War defence initiatives.

History

Hemswell opened during the interwar rearmament era connected to the expansion programmes of the Air Ministry and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, with construction reflecting standards set during the Ten Year Rule reversal and the 1930s modernisation. During the Second World War Hemswell accommodated units transferred from bases such as RAF Scampton and RAF Waddington as Bomber Command reorganised for the Strategic bombing campaign. Post-war, Hemswell hosted units reassigned from RAF Lindholme and RAF Binbrook while Cold War policy underpinned deployments involving Royal Air Force Regiment elements and missile operations influenced by Project Emily-era planning. The station closed to flying and was later sold in phases, its buildings adapted for civilian use and community housing amid local planning by West Lindsey District Council.

Location and layout

Located on the Lincolnshire Wolds near the village of Hemswell Cliff, the airfield sat between the towns of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire and Caistor. The layout featured a standard wartime triangular runway pattern with hard runways and perimeter tracks comparable to contemporary stations such as RAF Finningley and RAF Coleby Grange. Technical sites included a control tower influenced by Air Ministry modernisation designs, T2 hangars, blister hangars, dispersed technical accommodation, and Nissen huts similar to those at RAF Coningsby. The station’s proximity to the River Trent and the Great Northern Railway facilitated logistics and connections to maintenance centres like Stirling depots and supply chains involving depots used by Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers workshops.

Operational units and aircraft

Throughout its service Hemswell hosted squadrons from No. 1 Group RAF and No. 5 Group RAF, rotating units such as No. 101 Squadron RAF, No. 138 Squadron RAF, and No. 106 Squadron RAF. Aircraft types operated included the Handley Page Hampden, Avro Manchester, Avro Lancaster, and later transport types tied to RAF Transport Command like the Douglas Dakota. Post-war, jet types and jet-capable support units transited through Hemswell along with targets and support aircraft used by units affiliated with RAF Signals Command and radar calibration flights from RAF Digby. Maintenance and groundcrew training at Hemswell drew instructors seconded from Central Flying School and technicians trained under schemes operated by Ministry of Aircraft Production and later by Ministry of Supply programmes.

Role in World War II

During the Strategic bombing campaign of World War II Hemswell’s squadrons conducted night raids over occupied Europe as part of operational planning shaped by Sir Arthur Harris and Bomber Command headquarters. The station contributed crews to operations targeting industrial centres such as the Ruhr and port installations including Hamburg and Kiel, participating in large-scale raids coordinated with bases like RAF Waddington and RAF Scampton. Hemswell also supported clandestine operations by units linked to Special Operations Executive supply flights and squadrons involved in leaflet and diversionary missions associated with Operation Manna and various support sorties for allied ground campaigns including the Normandy landings. Aircrew losses from Hemswell were recorded in casualty lists compiled by Air Ministry casualty branches and commemorated by families across Lincolnshire parishes.

Post-war use and redevelopment

After 1945 Hemswell transitioned to peacetime roles hosting maintenance units and reserve squadrons as the RAF reorganised under RAF Transport Command and later United Kingdom strategic deterrent considerations. In the 1950s parts of the site were earmarked for missile-related readiness during Cold War tensions influenced by NATO policy and deployments in the UK. The station’s surplus buildings were gradually sold or leased; some accommodation blocks were converted into private dwellings leading to the establishment of the Hemswell Cliff community with amenities developed by Lincolnshire County Council and local housing associations. Industrial and business uses replaced hangar spaces with light industry, and aviation-related heritage groups collaborated with regional museums such as the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre to preserve artefacts and oral histories linked to the airfield.

Memorials and heritage preservation

Memorial efforts at the former station include plaques, memorial stones, and interpretive displays installed by local veterans’ associations, the Royal British Legion, and volunteer groups working with the Imperial War Museum network. Heritage preservation projects have catalogued wartime records, crew lists, and aircraft serial histories in collaboration with archives such as the National Archives (United Kingdom) and county record offices at Lincolnshire Archives. Community-led events, remembrance services, and guided heritage trails connect visitors to the station’s role during the Second World War and Cold War eras, while model collections and artefact conservation benefit from partnerships with organisations like Museum of Lincolnshire Life and aviation research bodies.

Category:Royal Air Force stations in Lincolnshire Category:Military history of Lincolnshire Category:World War II sites in England