RAF Kirton in Lindsey

RAF Kirton in Lindsey Rapier Barracks USAAF Station 349
Located Near Lincoln, UK
Coordinates	53°27′41″N 000°34′41″W
Type	Military airfield
Code	KL
Site information
Controlled by	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1940
In use	1940--present
Battles/wars	European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 Map showing the location of RAF Kirton in Lindsey within Lincolnshire.
Garrison information
Garrison	RAF Fighter Command Eighth Air Force

Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey or more simply RAF Kirton in Lindsey is a Royal Air Force airfield 15 miles (24 km) north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.

On 25 March 2013 it was announced to dispose of the airfield and technical facilities with only accommodation remaining. The airfield used to host No. 1 Air Control Centre (1ACC), the RAF’s only deployable ground-based early warning and air control radar unit, which was parented by RAF Scampton.

First World War

The Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force airfield at Kirton in Lindsey was used during the First World War from December 1916 to June 1919. The airfield was used by detachments of 33 Squadron from nearby Gainsborough until the squadron moved was based from June 1918, 33 Squadron was a home defence squadron equipped with the Bristol Fighters and Avro 504s.

With the end of the war, the airfield was returned to agricultural use.

RAF Fighter Command use

Kirton in Lindsey was opened on a new site in May 1940 as a Fighter Command Station covering the NE of England during World War II. Many Defiant and Spitfire Squadrons rested here for a short time during the Battle of Britain.

The first pilot casualty during the Battle of Britain, when Sgt Ian Clenshaw flew a dawn patrol from here on July 10, 1940, and was killed in what is generally regarded as a disorientation accident.

The airfield was home of Number 71 Squadron of the RAF's Fighter Command. 71 Squadron was composed of mostly Americans and was one of the "Eagle Squadrons" of American volunteers who fought in World War II prior to the American entry into the war. 71 Squadron was assigned the squadron code XR.

The squadron arrived at the station in November 1940. By January the squadron was declared combat ready and began flying convoy escort over the North Sea. On 9 April No. 71 was moved to RAF Martlesham Heath.

RAF units and aircraft

Dates	Unit	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
1942	No. 43 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hurricane	I	Short stay in September before the squadron moved to North Africa
1941	No. 65 Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	IIA	February to September operating coastal patrols before moving south
1940–1941	No. 71 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hurricane	I	Eagle Squadron
1940	No. 74 Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	IIA	Short stay August/September 1940
1940	No. 85 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hurricane	I	Short stay October/November 1940
1941	No. 121 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hurricane	I and IIB	Eagle Squadron formed May 1941 before moving to RAF North Weald
1941–1942	No. 133 Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	IIA then VA and VB
1941	No. 136 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hurricane	IIA and IIB	Squadron formed August 1941 before moving to the Far East
1942	No. 169 Squadron RAF	North American Mustang	I	Detachments from Doncaster
1940	No. 222 Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	I	Two short stays
1940	No. 253 Squadron RAF	Hawker Hurricane	I	May to July
1940–1941	No. 255 Squadron RAF	Boulton Paul Defiant Hawker Hurricane	I I
1940	No. 264 Squadron RAF	Boulton Paul Defiant	I
1943	No. 302 (Polish) Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	VB
1942 1942-1943	No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	VB
1942	No. 306 (Polish) Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	VB
1940	No. 307 (Polish) RAF	Boulton Paul Defiant	I	Formed September 1940
1941–1942	No. 409 Squadron RCAF	Bristol Beaufighter	IIF	Detachment from Coleby Grange
1941	No. 452 Squadron RAAF	Supermarine Spitfire	I and IIA
1942	No. 457 Squadron RAAF	Supermarine Spitfire	VB	Short stay before move to Australia.
1942	No. 486 Squadron RNZAF	Hawker Hurricane	II	Formed March 1942
1940–1941	No. 616 Squadron RAF	Supermarine Spitfire	I

USAAF use

Kirton in Lindsey was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force in 1942. It was assigned USAAF Station number 349, code "KL"

1st Fighter Group

Beginning in June 1942, the 94th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group at RAF Goxhill used the station for training with Lockheed P-38 Lightings. The squadron remained until October.

81st Fighter Group

In October 1942, the 91st Fighter Squadron of the 81st Fighter Group used the station for training. The squadron arrived in Europe from Muroc AAF California flying Bell P-39 Airacobras. The squadron remained until December then departed for French Morocco as part of Twelfth Air Force.

RAF Flying Training Command use

In May 1943, the station was transferred back to RAF control for use as a Fighter Operational Training Unit with Spitfires of 53 OTU from Llandow, Caistor and Hibaldstow used as satellite airfields. Kirton in Lindsey remained a front-line RAF base during the Cold War and afterwards, with the following units assigned:

• 05/46 to /48, No.7 Service Flying Training School with Oxfords from Sutton Bridge, moved to Cottesmore.
• 48 to /52, Used by non-flying RAF Training Schools.
• 52 to /57, No.2 ITS (later renamed No.1 ITS) with Tiger Moths.
• 57 to /60, Airfield closed and on Care and Maintenance.
• 60 to 12/65, Reopened with 7 School of Technical Training and a Gliding School.

British Army use

In 1966, control of Kirton in Lindsey was transferred to the Royal Artillery and was renamed "Rapier Barracks".

Due to the Royal Artillery association, the Army Cadet Force detachment which is housed there has the Royal Artillery cap badge. The former RAF camp was taken over by the army in 1966 and the 1st btn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers were there for 3–4 years ( going to Aden for about nine months) and then were amalgamated into the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 1969/70 and left for Gibraltar in 1971 after a few tours of Northern Ireland

Return to RAF control

In 2004, the station was returned to RAF control and became the home of No. 1 Air Control Centre (1ACC), a deployable ground-based early warning and air control radar unit having relocated from RAF Boulmer in 2004-05.

Kirton also provides accommodation and messing for personnel based at, and is administered by, RAF Scampton.

In 2011-12, the technical site was vacated and No 1 ACC moved all personnel and equipment to RAF Scampton. During the same period the Junior Ranks Mess, accommodation blocks and dental centre were all closed. The Officers' Mess, Gym and a number of Service Families Accommodation remain open as a satellite of RAF Scampton, but it was announced on 25 March 2013 that a decision had been taken to dispose of the former airfield and technical facilities.

See also

• List of Royal Air Force stations

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Bibliography

• Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0-900913-09-6
• Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35708-1
• Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore Action Stations: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2 (ISBN 978-0850594843)
• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

• www.controltowers.co.uk Kirton in Lindsey