RAF Kirton in Lindsey
| RAF Kirton in Lindsey Rapier Barracks USAAF Station 349  .png) 
|
|
|---|---|
| Near Lincoln, Lincolnshire in England | |
 RAF Kirton in Lindsey
Shown within Lincolnshire
|
|
| Coordinates | 53°27′41″N 000°34′41″W / 53.46139°N 0.57806°WCoordinates: 53°27′41″N 000°34′41″W / 53.46139°N 0.57806°W |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Code | KL |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator |
Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1940–2013 |
| Battles/wars | Second World War, Cold War, War in Afghanistan (2001–present) |
Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey or more simply RAF Kirton in Lindsey was a Royal Air Force installation located 15 miles (24 km) north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.
From the historical point of view, there is some uncertainty about the correct name of the location. Kirton Lindsey or Kirton-in-Lindsey?
It appears to have been an RAF habit (inherited from the RFC) to name its bases after the nearest railway station, possibly to simplify the process of issuing Rail Warrants to personnel posted there. By that token, the site should be RAF Kirton Lindsey, Kirton Lindsey being the name of the nearby railway station constructed in 1849. No.255 Squadron's Operations Record Book (ORB) consistently uses that version of the name. So does the airfield's separate ORB, from the date of the site's WWII creation (15 May 1940) through to May 1941. After mid-1941 and the departure of No.255 Squadron, use of RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey begins to appear in the site's own records – eventually dominating.
On 25 March 2013 it was announced to dispose of the airfield and technical facilities with only accommodation remaining, which was emptied later that year. The airfield used to host No. 1 Air Control Centre (1ACC), the RAF’s only deployable ground-based early warning and air control radar unit, which was parented by RAF Scampton.
The Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force airfield at Kirton in Lindsey was used during the First World War from December 1916 to June 1919. The airfield was used by detachments of 33 Squadron from nearby Gainsborough until the squadron moved was based from June 1918, 33 Squadron was a home defence squadron equipped with the Bristol Fighters and Avro 504s.
With the end of the war, the airfield was returned to agricultural use.
The airfield was built on a new site by John Laing & Son in the late 1930s. It opened in May 1940 as a Fighter Command Station covering the NE of England during World War II. Many Defiant and Spitfire Squadrons rested here for a short time during the Battle of Britain.
...
Wikipedia