Report - RAF Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire - May 2024

GRONK · May 20, 2024

May 2024

The Visit
@Mr Budge and I visited on an extremely hot day, and it turned out to be the perfect day for some exploring. We managed to avoid the CCTV cameras and entered the first building. It was clear right away that we had free rein of the entire site, as we slowly made our way through most of the buildings without any obstacles. The highlight of our adventure was discovering that the central water tower was wide open, the views of the Lincolnshire countryside from the top were breathtaking. We even got to watch some gliders take off from the nearby active airfield that borders the site.

The History
During the First World War, the Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force airfield known as Kirton in Lindsey was in operation from December 1916 to June 1919. No.33 Squadron from nearby Gainsborough used the airfield until June 1918 when they relocated. This squadron was equipped with Bristol Fighters and Avro 504s for home defence. After the war, the airfield was converted back to agricultural use. In May 1940, Kirton in Lindsey was reopened as a Fighter Command Station during World War II, covering the NE of England. No.71 Squadron, made up mostly of Americans, was based here and was part of the "Eagle Squadrons" of American volunteers. They were assigned the squadron code XR and were declared combat ready by January 1941. The squadron flew convoy escort missions over the North Sea until they were moved to RAF Martlesham Heath in April 1941. No.452 Squadron and No.457 Squadron, RAAF, also spent some time at Kirton in Lindsey before departing for Australia in the summer of 1942.

 Kirton in Lindsey was designated as USAAF Station number 349, code "KL", and was assigned to the United States Army Air Force 8th Air Force in 1942. The 94th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group trained with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings at the station from June to October. Following that, the 91st Fighter Squadron of the 81st Fighter Group used the station for training, arriving from Muroc AAF, California flying Bell P-39 Airacobras. They stayed until December before departing for French Morocco as part of the 12th Air Force.  In May 1943, the RAF took control of the station again and used it as a training unit for Fighter Operations. They had Spitfires from RAF Llandow, RAF Caistor, and RAF Hibaldstow. Kirton in Lindsey remained an active RAF base during the Cold War and beyond. During World War II, it housed a Fighter Command Sector Operations Room, which performed similar functions to RAF Digby's Lima Sector Ops Room.  From 1948 to 1952, the station became home to various non-flying training schools of the RAF. These were later replaced by No.2 ITS (later renamed No.1 ITS) until 1957, where they trained with the Tiger Moth aircraft. From 1960 until December 1965, Kirton in Lindsey was the location for No.7 School of Technical Training and a Gliding School.

 In 1966, Kirton in Lindsey was handed over to the Royal Artillery and was given the new name "Rapier Barracks". This change meant that the Army Cadet Force detachment based there now proudly wears the Royal Artillery cap badge. For the next 38 years, the station operated as "Rapier Barracks" under Army jurisdiction until it was returned to the RAF in 2004. No.1 Air Control Centre (1ACC) moved to Kirton from RAF Boulmer in 2004-05. The base also offers housing and dining facilities for RAF Scampton personnel, who are also in charge of its administration. However, things took a different turn in late 2013 when the airfield was put up for sale by the MoD, resulting in only Scampton personnel using the accommodations.