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(copyright Tony Cunnane)
Part One
There has been an airfield at Scampton for over 80 years. By the time the 1st World War broke out in August 1914 it appears that the Government had only very rudimentary plans for the protection of Britain from aerial attack. There was, of course, no RAF at that time but there was both a Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and it was obvious to all military men that it was only a matter of time before the new-fangled flying machines would be used to attack each others territory. After much jostling for position between the Generals and the Admirals, the task of what was called Home Defence was eventually entrusted to the Admiralty in September 1914. But not for long! The Royal Naval Air Service apparently failed to suppress the Zeppelin raids of 1915 and so Home Defence duties passed to the Royal Flying Corps early in 1916 to see if that body of men could do any better.
In March 1916 ten new squadrons were formed specifically for Home Defence purposes and by July a barrage line of searchlights, anti-aircraft guns and aerodromes had been established throughout the Eastern Counties of England. The Home Defence squadrons were initially equipped mainly with the ubiquitous BE2 and Avro 504G aircraft which were already obsolescent and which were no longer suitable for further service in France.
The Zeppelins were slow, unwieldy, and highly flammable. They often flew over England for as long as eight or nine hours at a time dropping their bombs apparently at random and, no doubt, causing terror amongst the inhabitants below. Navigation was a serious problem in those early flying days but Lincolnshire, being clearly defined by the Wash to the south and the Humber estuary to the north, was a favourite entry point because the two large water features were excellent landmarks (or watermarks!). Since the Zeppelins most often came by night, the Home Defence squadrons had to be capable of operating in the dark. In those days, the aircraft had no radio or radar aids and only the most primitive of flying instruments. The pilots must have been extremely courageous, flying in almost complete darkness with virtually no visual aids; truly flying by the seat of the pants. It is recorded that pilots used to gain as much height as possible and then throttle their engine back to idle so that there was a greater chance of hearing the distinctive drone of approaching airships. These operations were obviously very successful because the Zeppelins were eventually withdrawn from raids over Britain; the last one recorded was on August 5th 1918.
| The diagrams show how the base grew and developed before the outbreak of World War 2. More of that in later episodes of the Scampton story. | |
By the middle of 1916 the need for front-line aircrews to man the Home Defence squadrons had grown to such an extent that training aerodromes began to spring up throughout the country. Lincolnshire’s vast expanses of flat, open countryside, the sparse population and the lack of industrial haze made it eminently suitable for aerodromes. Furthermore, the Lincoln escarpment to the north of Lincoln was most useful even though it is never rises much more than 100 feet above the surrounding countryside. The prevailing south-westerly winds enabled aircraft to take off into wind from the high ground at the top of the cliff and then, if necessary, descend gently towards the lower ground whilst picking up sufficient flying speed to climb away normally. The Lincoln Cliff became even more important during World War 2 when heavily-laden bombers used the same trick.
Scampton’s association with flying began in the latter part of 1916, even before there was an airfield at the site; it was known then as Brattleby, after one of the other Cliff villages. Initially it was a base for searchlights used to support the night flying activities of No 33 (Home Defence) Squadron. Scampton aerodrome proper came into being at the beginning of 1917. It was built on land belonging to Aisthorpe Farm and occupied the area which is now the middle of the present RAF Station. As it was intended for use as a training airfield, and expected to be needed only for the duration of the war, the buildings were mostly temporary wooden huts although the six hangars were rather more substantial structures.
| This picture was taken in 1917. The Station identification circle can be clearly seen with the name Scampton painted onto the road surface. That road is actually what today is called Polyplatt Lane and is now within the RAF station boundary but still a main road through the base. The A15 trunk road can just be seen at the top of the picture. |
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