Wymeswold
WYMESWOLD: Military later civil aerodrome
Note: This picture (2011) was obtained from Google Earth ©
Note: Pictures by the author unless specified.
Military users: WW2: RAF Bomber, Training and Transport Commands
7, 33, 44, 92 and 93 Groups
28 OTU & 108 OTU (Douglas C-47 Dakotas)
16 (Polish) SFTS
1521 & 1523 BAT Flights (Airspeed Oxfords)
Post 1945: RAF Fighter and Transport Commands
4, 12, 38 and 64 Groups
56, 257 and 263 Squadrons (I could well be mistaken, but it seems these Squadrons were at WYMESWOLD for various reasons whilst operating Hawker Hunters - but not based here.
1382 TCU
504 Squadron RAuxAF
1969: AOP Flight
Operated by: Post 1945: Field Aircraft Services
Activities: Post 1945: Maintenance, repairs and conversion
Other users: 1956: Temporary base for the Rolls-Royce test fleet from Hucknall
Location: N of B676 & Burton on the Wolds, E of B675, A60 and ESE of Horton, (named as Hoton on some recent maps), SW of Wymeswold, 3nm ENE of Loughborough
Period of operation: Military 1942 to 1947 then 1949 to 1958. Civil/military satellite from 1958 to 1975?
Runways: WW2: 01/19 1143x46 hard 07/25 1829x46 hard
13/31 1143x46 hard
NOTES: During WW2 especially WYMESWOLD in common with many other RAF aerodromes had a large number of visitors unexpectedly dropping in. There were various reasons, being lost possibly the favourite, but engine problems or another kind of emergency perhaps as a result of battle damage would obviously cause a crew to divert. Fog at the planned destination or en route bad weather where also popular reasons for diverting, (some things never change!), and even enemy activity in the vicinity could be a good reason for getting down on the deck - especially if you were flying an un-armed type at the time!
To cater for this as the war progressed many RAF stations, WYMESWOLD included, had a special facility open 24/7 to provide diverting crews with a meal and accomodation. Take the 5th August 1944 for a rather extreme example when twenty eight Lancasters and one Halifax diverted into here.
Note: This picture of a Douglas C-54A, a Vickers Viscount and a Mooney light aircaft was kindly provided by Mr Graham Frost.
The Douglas C-54A Skymaster TN-AAD, of Air Congo, had an interesting life. It first served with the USAAF as 42-72293 before being sold for civilian use. One of the first countries it served in was Indonesia as PK-DSA. It then seems that KLM acquired it as PH-TSA before serving with Air France as F-BELF until circa 1963. A search on the interweb will reveal a lovely picture of it on the apron at Templehof (Berlin) in 1961. It then went to the Republic of Congo in 1963 as TN-AAD until 1967. Ending it days here fairly shortly after. The Vickers V-707 Viscount is VP-BCF of Bahamas Airways.
EAST-WEST AVIATION
In the autumn of 1995 after a twenty five year lapse in flying activity East-West Aviation used the site for maintaining their Czech built LET L-410 and Polish built Antonov An-2 but as far as I know this is the last record of any ‘full-scale’ flying activity as aero-modellers have used the site for many years and this activity may still go on?
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