Winthorpe (Notts)
WINTHORPE: Military aerodrome later gliding site (Aka NEWARK)
Now known mostly as the Newark Air Museum
Notes: All four of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Note: Pictures by the author in June 2015, and both taken through perspex. Why do so many light aircraft not have opening windows?
Military users: WW2: RAF Bomber Command 7 Group
1661 HCU [Heavy Conversion Unit] (Short Stirlings later Avro Lancasters)
Museum: Newark Air Museum
Operated by: 1980s to 2005: Newark & Nottingham Gliding Club
Note: It appears that gliding had ceased by 2007?
Location: SE of and adjacent to the A46, SE of Winthorpe, 1.5nm NE of Newark on Trent
Period of operation: Military 1940 to 1959? Later civil use including gliding
Runways: WW2: 04/22 1829x46 hard 09/27 1280x46 hard
15/33 1280x46 hard
Later: 08/26 hard (are dimensions known?)
NOTES: As pointed out elsewhere, the HCUs, although ostensibly training units, were often called upon to ‘make up the numbers’ especially for the bigger raids. I suppose this can be justified on the grounds of getting ‘hands on’ experience but the possibility of a ‘rooky’ aircrew, even with two or three instructors on board clearly exposed the entire crew to greater risk. It now appears that in the bigger picture seen by the top brass in Bomber Command this wasn’t much of a consideration. Many, including myself, think this approach harked back to WW1 trench warfare thinking? (Don’t forget that WW1 had ended just over twenty years before.)
The principle being that if you throw enough bodies at the enemy, some will get through. A very brutal approach of course, but what was the alternative when the bombing offensive against Germany really commenced? Also, just look at the time frame. When the British government decided to declare war on Germany we had almost nothing worth mentioning in sheer numbers of crews and aircraft to oppose the threat in air warfare. The ‘Battle of Britain’ so called victory was as much luck than judgement - given the abysmal strategy devised by our great Ally (as it turned out), Hermann Goering and his 'Big Wing' approach. And, the only means the UK had to directly attack Germany was by unescorted bombers alone. Without any doubt it was a case of “all hands to the pumps” and even then the outcome was far from being assured. Indeed, it can now be seen as a ‘last ditch attempt’ to hopefully save the day. From what I have read in contemporary accounts, virtually everybody in the RAF, from airframe fitters to the top brass, saw the bombing campaign in these terms?
THE NEWARK AIR MUSEUM
By the mid 1970s the Newark Air Museum had become well established and at least one runway was still serviceable. In 1976 the Vickers Varsity WF369 was flown in from RAF FINNINGLEY (YORKSHIRE) and in June 1977 the Handley Page Hastings TG517 of 1066 Sqdn was flown in from the Strike Command Bombing School at RAF SCAMPTON in LINCOLNSHIRE.
On the 22nd & 23rd September 2001 this airfield, listed as NEWARK but presumably here (?) held a 50th Anniversary Fly-In.
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