The Scampton Story

RAF Scampton historical notes from bases of Bomber Command

Probably most well-known of all Bomber Command stations, Scampton is located partly on the site of a First World War landing ground known as Brattleby or Brattleby Cliff. Located four miles north of Lincoln, the first of several airfields built on the rise known as the Lincoln Cliff running north on the west side of the A15, the original station opened in 1916. A number of timber administration and barrack huts were erected and six large wooden hangars. Reserve squadrons were the first residents, soon joined by a flight of No. 33 Squadron's FE2bs for home defence.

By the spring of 1917 Brattleby, then known as Scampton, had become a training establishment supporting No. 60 Training Squadron. No. 81 Training Squadron was formed at the station in the summer and a third Training Squadron, No. 11, arrived from Grantham in September. In July 1918 these squadrons were incorporated in No. 34 training Depot Station which endured until April 1919, although its activities were severely reduced during the last four months of its existence. The landing ground was relinquished in January 1920 and within the next five years all buildings, including six hangars, were removed leaving little trace of wartime usage.

With the expansion of the RAF to meet developments in Germany during the 1930's, the Air Ministry turned first to abandoned First World War landing grounds when looking to build the required new airfields. The Scampton aerodrome site proved suitable although a larger acreage was required taking in farmland to the south in the parish of Scampton, a village to the west of the B1398. Compulsorily purchased in 1935, work took the best part of two years and the RAF appeared before completion. The camp area was placed in the south-east corner and accessed from the A15 which formed the eastern border of the station. Substantial flat-roofed brick buildings and four Type C hangars were erected. The weapons stores were further north on the eastern side of the airfield.

By October 1936, No. 9 Squadron and its Heyfords and No. 214 Squadron with Virginias arrived from Northern Ireland with No. 3 Group administering the station. No. 214 converted to Harrows early in 1937 only to be transferred south to Feltwell in April. In June, 'C' Flight of No. 9 Squadron became the reformed No. 148 Squadron, flying Audax biplanes for two months while awaiting Wellesley monoplanes. In March 1938, the recently-formed No. 5 Group was given bomber stations in Lincolnshire so Nos. 9 and 148 Squadrons moved south to No. 3 Group's new station at Stradishall. Their place was taken by Nos. 49 and 83 Squadrons, ex-Worthy Down and Turnhouse respectively. Both surrendered their Hawker Hinds for Handley Page Hampdens later in the year.

P1333, a Handley Page Hampden B Mk I of 49 Squadron

P2125, a Handley Page Hampden B Mk I of 83 Squadron

With the outbreak of war, the most frequent operational commitment of the Hampdens was minelaying approaches to the enemy's ports. The first two Bomber Command VCs went to men form the Scampton squadrons. On August 12, 1940, Flight Lieutenant Roderick Learoyd's No. 49 Squadron Hampden was badly damaged by ground fire when he pressed home a low-level attack on the Dortmund-Ems canal.

The award was made for his conduct in this action and bringing the badly mauled bomber safely back to base. Sergeant John Hannah was a wireless operator/air gunner in a No. 83 Squadron Hampden which was set on fire from a direct flak hit in the bomb-bay while attacking invasion barges on September 15th, 1940.

Sergeant Hannah could have baled out but he stayed and fought the fire which enabled his Canadian pilot to fly the crippled machine back to Scampton. Sergeant Hannah was the youngest recipient of the VC for aerial operations during the war.

In December 1941, No. 83 Squadron began to receive Avro Manchesters with No. 49 using the type the following April.

L7453, an Avro Manchester B Mk I of 49 Squadron

R5833, an Avro Manchester B Mk IA of 83 Squadron

This troublesome aircraft had a limited operational use before it was gradually phased out (starting in May 1942) in favour of its four-engined successor, the Lancaster. No sooner had No. 83 converted to the Lancaster than it was selected as one of the squadrons for the new Pathfinder Force and departed to Wyton.

ED441, an Avro Lancaster B Mk I of 49 Squadron

R5852, an Avro Lancaster B Mk I of 83 Squadron

LM624, an Avro Lancaster B Mk III of 57 Squadron

Its replacement was No. 57 Squadron from Feltwell. In fact, this former No. 3 Group Wellington squadron was re-built with Lancaster crews and aircraft, becoming operational in October.

Early the following month, No. 467 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force-manned unit, was formed at Scampton to fly Lancasters in No. 5 Group. As was current practice, once in being it was transferred to another station, in this instance Bottesford. Then in January 1943, No. 49 Squadron was moved from its home of nearly five years to the new Scampton satellite at Fiskerton, apparently to allow both Squadrons to expand to three flights and 30 Lancasters each.

On March 15, 1943, a bomb accidentally released from a No. 57 Squadron Lancaster detonated and destroyed this and four visiting No. 50 Squadron aircraft parked nearby. Six days later No. 617 Squadron was formed at Scampton for the task of attacking the Ruhr dams with Barnes Wallis's rotating mine.

ED912, an Avro Lancaster B Mk III Special of 617 Squadron with the Dams mine in the bomb bay

The raid, carried out on the night of May 16/17, 1943, brought No. 617's leader, the legendary Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the station's third Victoria Cross.

At the end of August 1943, No. 57 Squadron moved to East Kirkby and No. 617 to Coningsby so that Scampton could be upgraded with concrete runways. In the early war years, 36 asphalt hardstandings had been built around the airfield and several of these were lost when the hard runways were added. These were 05-23 at 2000yds, 01-19 at 1500yds and 11-29 at 1400yds. A total of 11 loop hardstandings were laid down among the perimeter track to replace those lost or isolated by the construction. New bomb stores were fashioned on land north of the north-west corner of the airfield and a T2 erected nearby. Total accommodation available at Scampton at this time was for 1844 males and 268 females.

Work was not completed until the summer when a fighter affiliation unit, No 1690 Flight, moved in to conduct exercises for bomber defence training. As of October 1944, Scampton passed to No. 1 Group which immediately moved in the newly re-formed No. 153 Squadron with its Lancasters. No. 1687 Bomber Defence Training Flight took up station in December 1944 to perform much the same duties for No. 1 Group as No. 1960 BDT Flt had done for No. 5 Group.

At the end of March this unit moved to Hemswell and Scampton once again had two operational bomber squadrons when No. 625 arrived from Kelstern. The two Lancaster squadrons undertook their last bombing raids from Scampton on April 25, 1945 when they mounted an attack on Hitler's mountain retreat at Obersalzberg. During the war the total losses of all squadrons operating from Scampton was 266 aircraft. Of these 155 were Hampdens, 15 Manchesters and 95 Lancasters.

In the weeks following the last bombing raid, Nos. 153 and 625 participated in food drops and the ferrying of POWs and displaced persons before the units were disbanded in the early autumn. Within a month, however, No. 57 Squadron returned and No. 100 Squadron joined it in early December.

Both units were flying Lancasters but No. 57 prepared to convert to Lincolns and had just done so when both were transferred to Lindholme in May 1946. As with many other former bomber stations, Scampton then became host to training organizations, Bomber Command Instructors' School appearing in January 1947 and remaining for the next six years. From July 1947 to April the following year, runway strengthening and other upgrading was carried out.

Between July 1948 and February 1949 Scampton played host to 30 B-29 Superfortresses of the 28th Bomb Group of the US Strategic Air Command, being relieved by the 301st Bomb Group with a similar strength. This was because Scampton was one of the few stations with runways long enough and strong enough to sustain these large aircraft. When Strategic Air Command had no further use for Scampton, it became the home of No. 230 Operation Conversion Unit, specialising in Lincolns. In 1953 the station once again supported regular bomber squadrons, Nos. 10, 18, 21 and 27, all Canberra equipped, but by June 1955 all had been moved elsewhere so that Scampton could be redeveloped for heavy jet bomber use.

WH667, an English Electric Canberra B Mk 2 of 10 Squadron

The main runway was re-laid to Class 1 standard and extended to 3000yds necessitating a diversion of the A15. On completion of this work, No. 617 Squadron was re-formed at Scampton in May 1958 to fly Vulcans, joined in 1960 by another former resident, No. 83 Squadron, also on Vulcans.

XL321, an Avro Vulcan B Mk 2 of 617 Squadron

The latter squadron was disbanded in 1969. No. 230 OCU appeared again that year, its task being the preparation of Vulcan crews, and in 1973 a second regular Vulcan squadron was again added to the station complement when No. 27 was re-formed. Two years later a third Vulcan squadron appeared - No. 35.

The V-Force remained in being until 1982 from when Scampton again reverted to a training role, the Central Flying School taking up station in September 1984 and remaining until 1996 when the station was closed. During this period Central Flying School operated Bulldog, Jet Provost, Tucano and Hawk aircraft.

The Red Arrows who had moved to Cranwell in 1996, however, returned to Scampton on 21 December 2000, when the station was re-activated. The RAF Aerobatic Team, to give the Team it's proper title, is the only Service user of the airfield.

XX260, a BAE SYSTEMS Hawk of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows

A civilian company carry out servicing of Tucano aircraft and the Old Flying Machine Company have various aircraft, including Hunters and a Buccaneer, in various stages of restoration in No 3 Hangar.

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