RAF Metheringham

RAF Metheringham
The original southwest/northeast 4,200 ft (1,280 m) runway at RAF Metheringham photographed in 2006. Now in use as a minor access road across the fen.
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Metheringham (sited in the parish of Martin), Lincolnshire
Elevation AMSL	200 ft / 61 m
Coordinates	53°08′15″N 00°20′47″W / 53.13750°N 0.34639°W / 53.13750; -0.34639Coordinates: 53°08′15″N 00°20′47″W / 53.13750°N 0.34639°W / 53.13750; -0.34639
Website	www.metheringhamairfield.co.uk
Map
RAF Metheringham Location in Lincolnshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 02/20 6,000 1,829 Tarmac 13/31 4,200 1,280 Tarmac 07/25 4,200 1,280 Tarmac
The stations ID during operations was MN. Decommissioned and closed in early 1946 Operated as a bomber station during the Second World War. The airfield was returned to agriculture when decommissioned. The site now contains a memorial and visitor centre.

RAF Metheringham was a Royal Air Force station situated between the villages of Metheringham and Martin and 12.1 mi (19.5 km) south east of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.

Operated as a bomber airfield during the Second World War the station opened in October 1943 and was decommissioned in the spring of 1946.

Although now mostly returned to agricultural and commercial uses the site retains one original runway, the eastern perimeter track and some contemporary buildings together with a No. 106 Squadron RAF memorial garden and a visitor centre.

The airfield was constructed during 1942 and 1943, when approximately 600 acres (2.4 km²) of farmland and woods were cleared to create the new airfield for No. 5 Group RAF, Bomber Command in Grantham. The station was planned as a Class A airfield standard layout and, although it was named Metheringham, was located largely in the adjoining parish of Martin. The runways were to the standard layout and specification with the main 02/20 runway at 2,000 yd (1,829 m) long and with the 13/31 and 07/25 runways at 1,400 yd (1,280 m).

One of the standard T2 hangars was placed on the technical site located alongside the B1189 road, near Linwood Grange and between runway heads 02 and 07. The second T2 hangar stood just off the east perimeter track between runway heads 25 and 31. A B1 type hangar lay north of runway head 13, near Barff Farm. The bomb dump was built around Blackthorn Holt and Fox Holt woodlands between runway heads 13 and 20.

The administration and accommodation sites were built in the south western corner of the airfield on both sides of the B1189 and consisted of an operations block, ration store, a single officers' mess, one communal other-ranks dining room, one WAAF mess, a gymnasium, four domestic accommodation blocks and a station sick quarters. Living accommodation was designed and scaled to house 1,685 males and 345 females. Many of the buildings were of the quickly erected Nissen (or Quonset) temporary hutting type.

Although the airfield building programme was far from complete, the station was soon home to No. 106 Squadron RAF. Despite having only a single week to settle in, the Squadron was still operational in time for the opening of the Battle of Berlin, and RAF Metheringham's aircrews went to war on 18 November 1943. No. 106 Squadron and No. 110 Squadron RAF were the initial residents at Metheringham both arriving during November 1943, although No. 110 Squadron remained at Metheringham only a few weeks before relocating to RAF Waddington and before they flew any operational missions. In 1945 when hostilities ceased No. 106 Squadron had lost 65 Lancaster bombers and 995 aircrew in operations flown from the airfield and other bases.