RAF Cammeringham

RAF Cammeringham lies between the A15 and B1398 roads, ten miles north of Lincoln. The airfield opened in 1940 as an overflow for nearby RAF Hemswell during the Second World War bomber offensive. Heavy bombers never flew from its grass runways, but a concrete perimeter track and three hangars were built. Polish bomber squadrons arrived in 1941 and 1942, flying Vickers Wellingtons on raids over Germany. No 301 Squadron lost crews on operations to Cologne, Essen and Bremen before being disbanded in July 1943. The station became a training base in 1943, hosting 1687 Flight with Hurricanes and 1481 Flight with Martinets for gunnery practice. In November 1944 it was renamed RAF Cammeringham to avoid confusion with other Inghams. By early 1945 flying stopped because the grass runways had deteriorated. The airfield closed in December 1946 after serving as a ground training school and holding unit for Polish aircrew awaiting repatriation. Today Cliffe House, once the officers’ mess, and the brick control tower still stand. Several Quonset huts remain from the WAAF billets, and part of the concrete perimeter track is used by farm vehicles. A heritage group has placed a memorial to the four Polish squadrons that served here. The Windmill Pub on the B1398 shows a print of Wellington Z1407, damaged during a raid from Ingham in September 1942.