RAF Melton Mowbray

Royal Air Force Melton Mowbray or more simply RAF Melton Mowbray is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) south of the centre of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and 13.6 miles (21.9 km) south east of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England.

RAF Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire in England
RAF Buildings on the old technical site.
Site information
Type	Royal Air Force station
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Transport Command
Location
RAF Melton Mowbray Shown within Leicestershire Show map of Leicestershire RAF Melton Mowbray RAF Melton Mowbray (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	52°44′01″N 000°53′47″W
Site history
Built	1941 (1941)
In use	1942 - 1964 (1964)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	114 metres (374 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Asphalt 00/00  Asphalt 00/00  Asphalt

History

The Class A airfield was originally intended for aircraft maintenance but was taken over by RAF Transport Command. Many types of aircraft were flown from the airfield, including Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Mosquito, Vought Corsair, Vultee Vengeance, Grumman Hellcat, Douglas Dakota and Handley Page Halifax aircraft, plus Airspeed Horsa and Waco Hadrian gliders.^{[citation needed]}

Units

• No. 4 Aircraft Preparation Unit between 5 July 1944 and 9 October 1944.^[1]
• Mk X AI Conversion Flt between 29 August 1944 and 8 September 1944.^[1]
• No. 306 Ferry Training Unit between 13 October 1943 and 15 January 1944.^[1]
• No. 307 Ferry Training Unit between 14 October 1943 and 15 January 1944.^[1]
• No. 304 Ferry Training Unit between 3 January 1944 and 9 October 1944.^[1]
• No. 1 Ferry Pilot Pool between 14 January 1944 and 16 March 1944.^[1]
• No. 1341 Special Duties Flt during 1944.^[1]
• 'J' Flt between 28 September 1945 and 5 October 1945.^[1]
• No. 12 Ferry Unit between 9 October 1944 and 7 November 1945.^[1]

Post war

Between 1946 and 1958 the site was used as a Polish Resettlement Corps camp housing Polish Air Force personnel and their relations.^[2]

Melton Mowbray served as a Thor Strategic missile site between 1959 and 1963, when 254(SM) Squadron^[3] operated a flight of three missiles from the base.^[4]

Current use

The airfield now houses a small industrial estate including padstore self storage, terminal 1, lounds pallets and JCR commercial Ltd. Little of the original infrastructure has Survived (2 Runways, 3 Access Road and A Small Brick House)

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations