View attachment 17 view attachment 18 view attachment 19 view attachment 20. Detailing his flying training, instructor duties and duties with 35 squadron. Royal air force swinderby or more simply raf swinderby was a royal air force station airfield opened in 1940, one of the last of the stations completed under the raf s expansion plans started in the 1930s. Raf norton disney was a heavily camouflaged bomb storage and supply station 93 mu. Members who served with raf swinderby forces reunited. According to the local newspaper, the lincolnite, around half a dozen planes crashed while making approaches to raf swinderby during the war many in norton big wood just off wood lane. Aviation classics issue 5 english electric lightning. He was stationed at raf ballarat, raf west sale, raf lichfield, raf church broughton, raf. This memorial and bench remembers the former raf airfield swinderby here. Raf swinderby, witham st hughs, lincolnshire, england. Raf swinderby watch office with met section 584539 demolished july 2009 2002 robert truman postwar local control tower 7378a55 demolished april 2010 2002 robert truman.
Raf skellingthorpe, like many of the other stations the squadron had. Raf hemswell was also the headquarters for the no 5 lincolnshire missile dispersal sites located at raf bardney, raf caistor, raf coleby grange and raf ludford magna. It is built near the village of swinderby, lincolnshire just off the south east side of the a46 near lincolnshire, england. Raf swinderby in witham st hughs, lincolnshire, england at grid reference sk883617. Swinderby lies within a rural agricultural community and covers an area of 2,200 acres 9 km 2. I also forget the group captains name, but recall he was a harrier pilot, famously decorated for his service in the falklands 6 years earlier. All photographs 2002 robert truman raf swinderby airfield 2002. I loved this book and cant wait for the next installment. Raf swinderby s creation caused the existing swinderby bomb dump, home to 93 mu, to be renamed to raf norton disney. Village population is 773, reducing to 648 including morton hall at. Pilots flying log book for flight lieutenant john chatterton 30 march 1942 to 15 april 1954 detailing training schedule, instructional duties and operations flown.
At times when waterlogging made operations impossible, activity was transferred to. I was at swinderby janfeb 1989, dont remember many names, there was a big scottish wo, spent 9 weeks there as i hurt myself at luffenham, my 2nd corporal was a female and so was my flying officer, and remember cpl bastard levy, he was a little black raf regt corporal, he was unpopular even with his colleagues, i wish i could meet him again and get my own back. Raf swinderby was a royal air force station airfield opened in 1940, one of the last of the stations completed under the raf s expansion plans started in the 1930s. It continued in this role until 1984 when the last vulcan squadron, no. Raf swinderby bhq this is supposed to be to drawing 1100841 but its far from standard. Pls contact pearl rogers x biggin hill p dickson via face book, melbourne. Attended no 238 course, cfs raf little rissington xx aug 1967. Pilot, no 14 sqn canberra bi 8 raf wildenrath xx mar 1967. Last flight to pass out graduate from raf swinderby. Introducing a whole new way to enjoy specialist book titles written by wellrespected authors allmyreads is a book subscription service which allows you to have unlimited access to more than 150 digital book titles and the number is rising.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those. Autumn 1939 saw 80 fields between thurlby and swinderby established into bomber base raf swinderby. P j wilkinson royal air force organisational history. It was built near the village of swinderby, lincolnshire just off the south east side of the a46 between newarkontrent, nottinghamshire. These were the first polish manned bomber squadrons in the raf and had only been formed a few weeks earlier. Report raf swinderby control towers, battle bunker. Served at raf dunholme lodge, raf syerston, raf east kirkby and raf swinderby. It was used as a school of recruit training from 1964, and was closed as an raf base in the 1990s. See patrick otters book, lincolnshire airfields in the second world war. Royal air force swinderby or more simply raf swinderby was a royal air force station. Raf swinderby now closed used to be a royal air force bomber command airfield, one of the last of the stations completed under the raf s expansion plans which started in the 1930s.
Raf swinderby 1984 1984 raf honington 1985 1986 a mech w. Home book a flight about us shop history faq contact terms and conditions. Fifty squadrons stay at swinderby was to be short however, and by 26 november 1941 orders had been received to move to raf skellingthorpe also located in lincolnshire. Please send a pm to one of the admins to let us know when and for how long you were at. Raf waddington project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The former airfield raf swinderby was used by several squadrons, mostly by polish bomber squadrons.
Royal air force swinderby recruits kindle edition by johnson, glenn. Raf swinderby control towers, battle bunker report yeah, it was an interesting little place. In the cold war, raf waddington became an avro vulcan vbomber bomber base, with 83 sqn being the first in the raf to receive the vulcan in may 1957. You would need a car to get around to historical lincoln, nottingham and sheffield.
Welcome to forces reunited the place where you can find information and friends from raf swinderby we are the largest and fastest growing community of uk forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members. The main entrance has been bricked up and backfilled to the right of the barbed wire. Swinderby dates back to roman times and is steeped in history and is close to the closed raf swinderby which holds a regular antiques fair. Raf swinderby project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. It was used as bomber airfield, and wellingtons and lancasters flew from here during and after the war. A flight with the red arrows sparks in ron powell a desire to tell the story of his early life and 32years in the royal air force, from engineering apprentice to group captain full colonel pilot. I was stationed at raf swinderby 1959 to 1962,from training at sutton on hull. Raf swinderby was a royal air force station airfield opened in 1940, one of the last of the stations completed under the rafs expansion plans started in the 1930s. Swinderby parish council lincolnshire county council. It was built near the village of swinderby, lincolnshire just off the south east side of the a46 the fosse way between newarkontrent. The new men 19626508 royal air force nostalgia duration. Mar 15, 2015 3 sqn 16,17,18 and 19 flight passing out parade raf swinderby. A wesleyan methodist chapel was built in the village and civil parish, which was also home to raf swinderby. This photo shows the derelict control tower in the centre of the disused airfield.
The information we have found is from his discharge book. Royal air force station hemswell or more simply raf hemswell is a former royal air force station located 7. The 1st of september 2019 is the wartime memories projects 20th birthday. The raf pulled out a lot of the stops for this passingout parade, didnt they. Join facebook to connect with kev blackery and others you may know. Originally it was intended to have c type hangars but due to austerity measures introduced, swinderby was provided with three j type hangars. Raf swinderby was for nearly 30 years, the airmans school of recruit training, training moved to halton in buckinghamshire, after the closing of swinderby in 1993, the site later being sold off in lots, in 96. Swinderby is a village and civil parish in the north kesteven district of lincolnshire, england. I am in the front squad, 5 from front in the middle of the 3 rows. The cuban missile crisis brought the entire uk based thor missile force to maximum strategic alert and readiness for a tenday period during october and november 1962.
Pilots flying log book for ronald mathers covering the period from 1 october 1944 to 24 february 1948. Several of the originals of this series are exhibited in the art gallery of the raf. Raf swinderby browse items ibcc digital archive university of. We enjoy walking up to 5km a day so did not need a car and got a taxi from the train station to the accommodation. Raf hemswell project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Theres no account of airmen having the cpl nose to nose screaming into their faces or having their shins kicked raw.
Dean crook, raf passing out parade 16th july, 1993 youtube. The site was prepared somewhat hastily in the late 1930s, and the airfield surface was not really suitable for heavy bomber operations. Royal air force swinderby recruits kindle edition by glenn johnson. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading royal air force swinderby recruits.
I did my service in the german navy so i guess the guy who made the vid is from my age. Raf swinderby was built just before wwii and came under the control of bomber command, but in 1964, the year after i was born, it turned its attention to recruit training. Royal air force passing out parade 1986 geoff cooper. This has been demolished since my visit circa 2005. Mr hunt joined the raf in 1984 as a weapons mechanic at the age of 16. Taking off from raf swinderby in lincolnshire on a night exercise, the crew, including pupil pilot and two flight engineers. Royal air force swinderby or more simply raf swinderby was a royal air force station airfield opened in 1940, one of the last of the stations completed under the rafs expansion plans started in the 1930s.
Feb 02, 2009 a full and complete tour around raf swinderby, including the cinema. May 1942 saw the first of the 1 000bomber raids, target cologne, and 5 group contributed 162 aircraft and 286 tons of bombs. Pilot officers at the alter in a hangar at raf swinderby. The village is situated just north of the a46 road, 8 miles km southwest from lincoln and 6 miles 10 km northeast from newark. August 1988 raf swinderby ac spangenbergbakker aged 20. The last course was in early 1993 and i could check my logbook to see who was the last taildragger trained student. During the war, the base was home to two squads of the raf bomber command. The course had reduced to 54 hours and the students went on to any of the three ftss, but still doing the short course. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It was formed during the first world war as a home defence fighter squadron, and operated as a bomber squadron during the second world war and the cold war. Explosive ordnance disposal eod has been a feature of. Raf swinderby memorial places of historical interest.
It was built near the village of swinderby, lincolnshire just off the south east side of the a46 the fosse way between newarkontrent, nottinghamshire and lincoln, lincolnshire, england. Wing commander dick barton mbe bsc, raf retd, served as a helicopter. Senior man of 1 flight receiving a trophy i forget what it was called. Popular raf squadron books showing 2 of 33 the greatest squadron of them all. Royal air force swinderby passout parade 16 mp 91 duration. Fss flying selection squadron archive pprune forums. Raf swinderby was located to the south of swinderby village, adjacent to the a46. Chapter 4 raf recruit training, november and december 1973 i joined the raf at shrewsbury careers information office on monday 5th november 1973.
Raf swinderby in the second world war 19391945 the wartime. Davids first book spitfires reborn, published in 1991,was an interesting and. Royal air force swinderby recruits kindle edition by glenn. Swinderby, close to the newarklincoln road, was a bomber command station during world war ii. Detailing his flying training and operations flown. But i can confirm that i was the last qfi in the raf to train on a taildragger. The squadron reformed again at raf waddington on 1 august 1962 equipped with the avro vulcan v bomber, using ex617 squadron aircraft made surplus after 617 squadron reequipped with vulcan b. Clem harrison decides to make a life changing decision and joins the royal air force at age of 17, but first he must endure the hardship of the recruit training at raf swinderby, with the drill instructors sergeant winner and corporal cherry taking them through the drill, with the target of getting through the passing out parade in six weeks time, but its not all plain sailing as the. I managed to dig out some old pictures of raf swinderby showing the old domestic site e. Glenn johnson author and proofreader and editor and. Forgotten world war ii heroes the lincolnshire bombers. Swinderby, lincolnshire genealogy familysearch wiki. Royal air force swinderby recruits kindle edition by. At the end of the cold war in 1989 the royal air force structure was as follows.
The three injured airmen succumbed to their injuries on the following day. Raf swinderby basic training from 29 june 1964 july 1993. During the second world war, this airfield was the home of several polish forces. Raf swinderby on the opposite side of the fosse way, was first operational on the 14th september 1940 when polish airmen flew to attack a target at boulogne harbour. In a process called attestation, i filled in forms, swore allegiance to the queen, her heirs and successors, agreed to obey the orders of those put in charge of me and filled in more forms. He was stationed at raf swinderby, raf finningley, raf hullavington. Regrettably several items have had to be held over to the next issue, including book. The former site of raf swinderby is now occupied by the village of witham st hughs. Also naafi colleagues from the families shop and naafi club 19821984. Completed in october 1941 as a satellite airfield to raf swinderby. I never realy liked it there,it was nearly always cold bleak and miserable,and some of those instructers were right bads,i know they had to have discipline but it seemed tto me they enjoyed it to much,mind i did make a few bob there,as one of the few blokes who could sew,iron,and bull boots,i did feel sorry for the poor beggar from rosson. If you would like to send us a present, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. Attended no 230 long bomber course, no 231 canberra ocu.
Disappointing i was at swinderby dec jan 197879 it was like reading an enid blyton, rose coloured, recruitment booklet. Flying log book for air gunner for m r barry, covering the period from february 1943 to 10 june 1944. During 1940, the squadrons flew 97 missions for a total of 368 hours. Raf swinderby is located in united kingdom, using icao code egxs. The base also stored ammunition and oxygen for aircraft. Pilots flying log book for john derek bolton, covering the period from 18 october 1940 to 11 december 1945. Chapter 4 raf recruit training, november and december 1973. It was immortalised in film in 1987 when several scenes from full metal jacket were filmed there, but sadly it was closed and put up for sale in 1995. Royal air force swinderby recruits by glenn johnson. Raf norton disney was opened in august 1939 as raf swinderby due to the fact that it was close to the swinderby railway station. Like every airman of his generation, basic training was completed at raf swinderby before trade training at raf cosford. In 1942 raf swinderby started to focus on training recruits and by march 1943 there were over 3,000 personnel based at the station. Royal air force officers 19391945 m unit histories. Popular raf squadron books meet your next favorite book.
Taking off from raf swinderby in lincolnshire at 21. Lincolnshire was the home of swinderby, the raf base just off the a46. He was a member of the chiefs of staff committee, the defence council, and the air force board, which administered the royal air force. Structure of the royal air force in 1989 wikipedia. On 27th january 1941 the monotony was broken by a long awaited visit of h. Hi, i am michaela micky cooley formerly known as foster, i went to acle high school then onto gt yarmouth college and in 1984 joined the raf, was stationed at raf swinderby, raf digby and raf finningley then joined 2623 sqn at raf barnham in 1990. Although the airfield was opened shortly after the outbreak of wwii, it was unfinished and still grass surfaced. I did my service in the german navy so i guess the guy who made the vid is.
England genweb project lincolnshire, norton disney. In the 1984 the late jeffrey quill suggested that the society should build a full. The chief of the air staff was an air chief marshal, who commanded the royal air force. Raf swinderby passing out parade 28th nov 1990 youtube. It was built near the village of swinderby, lincolnshire just off the south east side of the a. The definitive history of 603 city of edinburgh squadron, rauxaf volume ii. The events happened in that basic order, but the sncos and ncos were neither that polite or well behaved. Royal air force swinderby recruits amazon december 1, 2017 a true story of the training of raf recruits at raf swinderby set in 1976 and full of spirit grit determination and diligence as the story follows one air recruit in his six weeks of sheer hell as he comes to terms with the tough discipline of the armed forces at the tender age of 17. Raf wittering bomb squad warrant officer retires after 35. Only 2 hangars and a view partly demolished building remain.