RAF Melton Mowbray explained

RAF Melton Mowbray
Ensign:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Ensign Size:90px
Location:Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
Country:England
Type:Royal Air Force station
Coordinates:52.7336°N -0.8964°W
Pushpin Map:Leicestershire#UK
Pushpin Map Caption:Shown within Leicestershire
Pushpin Label:RAF Melton Mowbray
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Operator:Royal Air Force
Controlledby:RAF Transport Command
Used:1942 -
Battles:European theatre of World War II
Elevation:114m (374feet)
R1-Number:00/00
R2-Number:00/00
R2-Surface:Asphalt
R3-Number:00/00
R3-Surface:Asphalt

Royal Air Force Melton Mowbray or more simply RAF Melton Mowbray is a former Royal Air Force station located south of the centre of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and south east of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England.

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 Corsair, Vultee Vengeance, Grumman Hellcat, Douglas Dakota and Handley Page Halifax aircraft, plus Airspeed Horsa and Waco Hadrian gliders.

Units

Post war

Between 1946 and 1958 the site was used as a Polish Resettlement Corps camp housing Polish Air Force personnel and their relations.[2]

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.[3]

Current use

The airfield now houses a small industrial estate including padstore self storage, terminal 1, lounds pallets and JCR commercial Ltd. Little of the original infrastructure has Survived (2 Runways, 3 Access Road and A Small Brick House)

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RAF Melton Mowbrey. Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. 5 October 2012.
  2. Web site: Memoirs of a Polish airforce veteran. Leicestershire Villages.com. 5 October 2012.
  3. Web site: John Pike . RAF Melton Mowbray . Globalsecurity.org . 2 May 2011.