RAF Skellingthorpe

Also from Motor Books, “Aeronautical Pubs & Inns Of Britain” by D Smith and K Ellis. Wonder if it is our Ken? That’s the sort of book research I want to do 😀

Thanks for the link. Am tempted by the Baginton plan, sad I know but it is my local airfield and where I am studying. Actaully perhaps not that sad in present company :p

Motor Books – Airfield histories and plans

The plans are the ones previously produced by ‘After The Battle’ and now by Red Lion in the Plaistow Pictorial Series.

redlionposters.com

I believe you can also get copies from the RAF Museum as well, although they have to be ordered.

Hi Steve
No idea how to post a link but the company is called Motor books. If you have any problems finding it a link can be found on the RAF Lincolnshire.info w
ebsite on the Skellingthorpe page.

Andy

yokel, what are the contact details for aquiring the maps? I wouldnt mind a few maps myself and any help would be appreciated. Are there different versions for different periods available?

steve

Got the plans to the airfield through the post yesterday and we have a winner – Moggy c was right it is an air raid shelter. It is one of several dotted around the Peri track between the Pans. On the plan there would have been a Radar workshop behind it at right angles but that is long gone. With the houses creeping closer to it I have a feeling the air raid shelter will soon go the same way. It would be a shame to see one of the few remaining buildings being built over.
Andy

Thanks, I will E mail them. There is a plan of the airfield on the wall of the Skellingthorpe Heritige room but I went there and the museum at the Birchwood leisure centre first By the time I had finished wandering around the airfield it was too late to go back. Here’s a few more all from the bomb store side of the A46.
Andy.

Dunno if they still do, but a few years ago Hendon would send you copies of the map for the relevant airfield for the cost of photocopying plus postage – that should give you a definitive answer WABOL!

Adrian

Thanks for the reply
It is on the airfield side of the A46 closer to the runways than the bomb store but there is so little left its hard to know exactly where you are on the site 🙁

I agree with 1 Group. If it’s in the western area then either a fuze stor or incendiary store springs to mind.

Chris

If it’s in the woods to the west that was where the bomb dump was, which you probably know. I’ve seen similar structures in other bomb dumps, it’s possibly a fuze store.

Could be. But I’ve always thought of air raid shelters as wide and low. This building is tall and thin but could be missing an earth bank ? Also why the pointed concreate top ?

Andy

Lack of windows suggests its an air raid shelter.

Moggy

I have been doing indepth reaserch on this subject and here is what I have found out.

It would seem that the final landing was in 1958 however it was not planned, what happend was a Vampire or Venom from Swinderby developed engine problems on a training flight and made an emergeny landing on the old Skellingthorpe runway.

A fuel truck and repair crew were sent to Skellingthorpe and the plane later flew back to Swinderby without further incident.

sorry to veer off topic regards the original question. There is an old dispersal pan and two brick buildings in Birchwood Nature Park to the east of the bypass plus a few bits and bobs at Birchwood Leisure Centre (plus the museum which moved from the Lawn in Lincoln). Does anyone know of further buildings to the west of the bypass?

best regards, Steve

Thanks for the reply’s, your post about crop spraying is certainly intresting AgCat, I’m gonna have to look into this further when I have the time.

Military or Civil

I seem to remember some old crop sprayers telling me that they flew from Skellingthorpe – Tiger Moths, Austers and Pawnees probably.

I seem to recall the last flight was in either late 1945 or early 1946 (not sure what it was) I think it closed shortly afterwards as it was deemed to be far too close to the circuit at Waddington and apparently also at Swinderby.

I believe the airfield survived mostly intact until the late sixties but its now mostly a housing estate, though there are a few bits left in the woods the other side of the Lincoln bypass.

Tim