RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL
COLLECTION
Newsletter
July 2012
Editor’s Briefing
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Gremlins & Good
Luck Charms
2
The Story of JB405
PH-H
3
New Publications
4
Exercise
French Fox
2012
5&6
More from 12(B)
Squadron
6
The Flying Farmer
7
Interesting Artefact
7
A few of our
Visitors
8
70 Years of
History
Memorial Service
9 & 10
11
Welcome to the July Newsletter.
Since launching the Newsletter in January of this year
its popularity has grown
enormously and I am
pleased to report that we
now have 94 members who
receive the Newsletter directly by either post or
email. If you know of anyone who would like receive
a copy directly, please let
me know and I will add their
names to the list. We do
prefer to send these electronically to keep costs to a
minimum but we are aware
that not everyone has email
and can post if necessary.
We are also encouraged by
the popularity of our website which receives an average of 13 new visitors each
day. Our Facebook Page
has 114 members and our
Twitter page has 198 followers. For those who haven’t
visited our Facebook and
Twitter pages yet, we do a
daily update, currently giving details of what was happening in the Squadrons in
1943.
The summer season has
started well with lots of
visitors, coming from Canada and Australia as well as
the UK. We have also had
visits from the local branch
of the National Service RAF
Association, the local Air
Crew Association, Lincoln
Soroptimists and a return
visit from the boys and girls
of Hillcrest School, Gainsborough, photographs from
some of these visits can be
seen on page 6. We look
forward to many more visitors during the coming
weeks. If you are planning
a visit to Wickenby, please
let us know in advance and
we will try to be there to
meet you.
By the time you read this
our annual Wickenby Wings
& Wheels Air Show will have
taken place hopefully under
clear blue skies. A full report
will be in the next issue.
Of course we are looking forward
to our Memorial Day on 9 September, this is an annual event,
although it is the first time that
we have organised it since the
disbanding of the Wickenby Register last year. You are all invited and a formal invitation can
be found on page 9.
A couple of highlights in this
issue, we have a treat for those
of you who are superstitious
with Tim Brett’s article on Gremlins & Good Luck Charms, and
the Crew Article for this edition
on JB405 has a particularly interesting ending. We also have
the latest news from 12(B)
Squadron.
Finally, as I am sitting writing
this on the weekend of the
Queen’s Golden Jubilee, I am
sure you would all want to join
me in wishing Her Majesty many
more years as our Queen, I believe she is an inspiration to us
all.
Did you know?
The Allied code name for the V1
Doodlebug was ‘Diver’
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 1
Gremlins & Good Luck Charms
and he went missing shortly after the
encounter. One pilot’s crew were aghast
when they learned that he had made a
date with this girl and told him in no
uncertain terms that he break the date
or else, he broke the date!
Another widely held belief amongst
crews was that it was bad luck to drink
the coffee carried on board until they
were at least a good way over the North
Sea on the return journey.
The aircrews of the US Eighth Air Force
were no exception to the rule, and one
pilot recalls that one of his crew always
placed his chewing gum alongside the
rear door of the aircraft before take off
and the day he didn’t they were shot
down.
S/L JCR Brown and crew who always
carried ‘Chunky’ the elephant on
board with them
It seems that aircrews are a superstitious lot and never more so than in
times of war, and the men of Bomber
Command were no exception to the
rule.
Some had rituals that had to be carried out before taking off on operations which included one or all of the
crew urinating on the tail wheel or in
one case a dog adopted by the crew
had to be seen carrying out the same
task on their aircraft’s tail wheel before take off. Another crew had a
fearsome demon painted on the rear
fuselage, the belly of which had to be
rubbed three times in a clockwise direction by the crew’s skipper and a
navigator had to perform a similar
ritual on a large horse shoe which was
fixed over his table. Some crews refused to be photographed as a group
and some refused to have their photograph taken at all. Other crews would
carry a mascot on board.
There was a belief in some RCAF
crews that having a high ranking officer on board was asking for trouble
and such an officer was regarded as a
jinx by the Squadron.
Some aircrews swore that their aircraft was inhabited by a creature
called a Gremlin who could, if so disposed, cause all manner of misfortune
and mechanical malfunctions and it
was a wise crew who took measures to
placate it.
Certain WAAFs on bomber stations
were regarded as jinxes if their aircrew boyfriend had been killed or shot
down. One such unfortunate lady it
seems had only to speak to an airman
The choice of fierce or protective names
on their aircraft would seem to be part
of the rituals practised by crews, but
occasionally one of these designations
either had or grew to have an unlucky
connotation and aircrew were known to
shun such an aeroplane and dreaded
having to fly in it. An example of this
being the 381st Bomb Group B17 named
Tinker Toy. This aircraft inflicted fresh
horrors on its crew in the form of battle
damage and dead or wounded crew
members on every single raid it flew.
Logic dictated that chance played a major part in a bomber crews survival on
operations but some crews felt that a
lack of control over their chances of survival was unacceptable and that practising rituals or some form of superstitious
behaviour might give
them good luck, but
as the war progressed and casualties mounted a fatalistic attitude developed amongst them.
Did you know?
The Azon (Azimuth Only) bomb developed by the Allies was one
of the worlds first ‘Smart’ bombs, capable of being guided by radio
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 2
The Story of JB405 PH-H
At around midnight, JB405 encountered
a German night fighter which attacked
from below and to the rear but in the
bright moonlight he missed. A second
attack caused some damage to the outer
edge of the port-side wing and the pilot
put the plane into the corkscrew manoeuvre in an attempt to get away. A
third attack caused much more damage
with fires in the engines followed by a
large explosion in the centre of the fuselage, two men were able to bail out before the burning Lancaster went into a
steep dive and crashed into the ground
at 0044hrs.
The Crew of JB405
PH-H
On the night of 3/4 May 1944 the RAF
sent 332 bombers from 28 Squadrons
to destroy the German 21st Panzer
Division at Mailly le Camp, 85 miles to
the East of Paris. The raid was planned
at 5 Group HQ near Grantham and
more than half of the force came from
Lincolnshire airfields. Whilst in the
target area in the space of just one
hour, 42 Lancasters, 1 Halifax and 1
Mosquito were shot down and more
than 300 airmen failed to return, 258
of whom were killed, most of these
airmen are buried in village cemeteries
in the area.
1,477 gallons of fuel, 180 bundles of
window and loaded with 1 x 4,000lb
and 16 x 500lb bombs.
Ground defences were greater than
expected with a lot of aircraft being
damaged by flak, but the main problem was from German night fighters.
It was also reported that VHF transmissions from the Master Bomber,
W/C Deane of 83 Squadron, were not
heard by most of the main force
Rolf Ebhardt who is now 88 years old
visited Wickenby on 2 April 2012 almost
exactly 68 years after the event, to place
a flower on the Icarus Memorial in memory of the crew he had shot down. He
also took a microlight flight over the
airfield from which they had taken off on
that fateful night.
Twenty seven Wickenby planes took
part in the raid with seven planes failing to return with the loss of 43 lives,
2 POWs and 5 evaders. Survivors described the raid as the most terrifying
night of their lives.
Seven of the crew members rest in the
cemetery at Beauchery. The eighth
member, the Rear Gunner, received
serious leg injuries when bailing out of
the burning plane, he was taken to a
French hospital where he was apprehended by the Germans and became a
Prisoner of War; he survived to return to
Britain after the war.
Each year on the Anniversary of the
raid, services and a military parade
are held to honour the dead airmen,
the local communities take a great
deal of care and pride in tending the
graves.
The crew of JB405 PH-H were posted
to Wickenby from 1656 Conversion
Unit at Lindholme on 28 January 1944
and completed sorties which included
Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Frankfurt
and Nuremburg. The 2nd pilot or 2nd
‘Dickie’ as he was known, was posted
in on 2 May and was assigned to this
crew for his first flight with 12 Squadron. On the night of 3 May 1944 they
took off at 2148hrs on what was to be
their 13th and final sortie carrying
Now for the final chapter of the story. In
2002 the pilot of that night fighter Oberleutnant Rolf Ebhardt, learned about the
fate of the Lancaster crew he had shot
down on the night of 3/4 May 1944. He
heard that the plane had been stationed
at Wickenby and that it crashed near the
village of Beauchery, 50 kms west of the
target. He said “although normally the
crew of a Lancaster consists of seven,
there was an additional young pilot on
board, a so called “Second Dicky”, in
order to fly with an experienced Pilot
first before doing his own first operational raid with his still inexperienced
crew. Also he died on this first mission.
A real tragedy, he was only 19!”
The crew of JB405 PH-H were:
Oberleutnant
Rolf Ebhardt
aircraft as the frequency selected
was the same as a powerful American Forces Network radio station.
Transmissions of instructions by
Morse were also reported to be useless due to many sets being tuned to
the wrong frequency.
P/O JD Carter—Pilot
W/O DE Close—2nd Pilot
F/O RJ Ward—Navigator
Sgt G Long—Wireless Operator
Sgt KN Read—Air Bomber
Sgt TS Hayhurst—Flight Engineer
Sgt AP Simpson—Mid Upper Gunner
Sgt S Johnson—Rear Gunner
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 3
New Publications
The Airco DH2 based at Wickenby Airfield, is an authentic replica of the WW1 fighter biplane
that rose to fame during the Battle of the Somme, between July and November 1916. Led by
Major Lanoe Hawker of 24 RFC Squadron, the DH2 reclaimed the skies of the Western Front,
and ended the reign of Germany’s Fokker Eindecker. Wickenby’s Replica is painted in the
military colours of Hawker’s aircraft, which inspired 24 RAF Squadron to invite the DH2 team
to fly over the unveiling of a new memorial to Hawker in France, on 11 November 2011.
This DVD documents the remarkable journey of the DH2 as it makes the slow transit across
the icy waters of the English Channel before returning this WW1 icon to the skies above the
Somme—the first time in nearly 100 years! The team also drop poppies at Thiepval Memorial, and fly over the crash site of Major Hawker, where he was shot down by Manfred von
Richthofen (The Red Baron) on 23 November 1916
DVD
Price £14.95
Features the highs and lows of flying a vintage aircraft, plus interviews with the team, historians and observers. WW1 archive photographs and onboard cameras bring this fascinating
adventure to life. This historic flight was the ultimate act of remembrance, returning the DH2
to its spiritual home, paying homage to all who sacrificed their lives during the War, and
remembering Britain’s first fighter ace.
Produced by Primetime Video Productions, PO Box 140, Boston PE22 0ZP
www.primetimevideo.co.uk Tel +44 (0) 1205750055
This book takes you through the author’s upbringing in pre-war Aberdeen to his eyewitness
account of a raid by a German bomber on the shipyards in the city on 12 July 1940. It describes how he came to join the RAF followed by his training in England, the USA and Canada before becoming operational. It then takes you, raid by raid, through the author’s tour
of operational duty over the period, September 1944—April 1945. This included an incident
on the night of 23 October 1944 during a raid on Essen when a ‘friendly’ bomb released
from another Lancaster tore away 28ft of the starboard wing including the aileron. For retaining control of the badly damaged aircraft and landing it at base he was commissioned ‘in
the field’ by the Commander of No 1 Group the following day.
It is primarily a bomber pilot’s story and includes his sober reflections on controversial issues in which he was involved such as the bombing of Dresden. However, it is also about
the shared experience of the author and his crew and the risks they had to face. It was this
experience that enabled them to assess each other’s worth and through this knowledge to
build up their mutual affection and respect. Accordingly when they eventually met up again
after a gap of 37 years it was an emotional and joyous occasion.
Book
Price £9.99
Published by DB Publishing
www.dbpublishing.co.uk
John Rowland made his first flight with the RAF Volunteer Reserve on 1 October 1938 from
Redhill in a DH60 Moth. He won a Prize Cadetship to the RAF College Cranwell and was then
posted to the School of Army Cooperation. He volunteered for 613 Squadron which had
been formed shortly before the war started. It was still not fully equipped with Lysanders
and half of its planes were still elderly Hectors. On 25 May 1940 came the news that six
Hectors were to be sent off on a ground strafing operation to relieve the pressure on the
garrison of Calais which was blocking the Germans from advancing up the coast towards
Dunkirk and encircled by German troops. Three Hectors flew on each side of Calais and created as much of a diversion as they could by dropping bombs and firing their guns at anything they could see. This was the only occasion on which such obsolete aircraft were used
in Europe in WW2.
Book
Price £19.99
He converted to heavy bombers and was posted to 12 Squadron at Wickenby flying Lancasters in June 1943. On 3 July he made his first trip to Germany, to Gelsenkirchen. After
he had flown 28 operations he was promoted to Squadron Leader as a flight Commander at
1656 HCU at Lindholme. He was next posted to 625 Squadron as a flight Commander on 12
May 1944. It was a two flight Lancaster Squadron. The last of his 50 bomber operations was
to Calais, the town to which he made his first operational flight in the Hector in 1940.
After the War John flew as an airline pilot with BOAC.
Published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 4
Exercise French Fox 2012
Members of 12(B)
Squadron with
Michael Pitt
The 2nd May saw 9 members of 12(B)
Squadron embark on Exercise French
Fox. This annual event allows serving
personnel to visit important sites from
12(B) Squadron’s history and to meet
and compare experiences with former
members. This years schedule also
incorporated 2 memorial parades.
The detachment started with a two day
road trip from Lossiemouth to the town
of Dronten in The Netherlands, via a
night stop at RAF High Wycombe.
Lunch was planned in Bruges only to be
thwarted by all the parking bays having
height restrictions around 3 feet lower
than our MT transits!
Dronten lies in the central Netherlands,
in an area of land that was reclaimed in
the 1960’s. During WW2 this area lay
on the route of the Allied bombers returning from raids over Germany. As
this area was under around 15 feet of
water at the time, it was deemed by
the crews of crippled aircraft safer to
ditch here than the North Sea. A large
number of aircraft and their crews were
lost in the region, including members
of 12(B) Squadron. Each year the citizens of Dronten hold a ceremony to
remember those who were lost and to
thank the RAF for the sacrifices made
in the liberation of their country. This
ceremony was started by a flypast by
the BBMF Lancaster and was attended
by surviving members of the Lancaster crews, as well as civil dignitaries
and around 2000 onlookers. It was
also televised live, a fact that we
were not expecting! Flt Lt Phil Kelly
laid a wreath on behalf of 12(B)
Squadron and then it was back to the
Meer Plaz for a few libations and a
talk with some of the old boys. The
life expectancy of the Lancaster crews
was around 7 sorties, so talking to a
DFC holder with over 60 sorties under
his belt was a real honour. After the
official duties were over, we visited a
bar where we were treated to drinks
by the locals and repeats of the parade on the TV. After a couple of Wiess Beers our marching didn’t look
too bad.....
Although Britain declared war on Germany on the 3rd September 1939,
hostilities did not begin in earnest
until November 1940 when Germany
invaded Norway, followed by the Low
Countries and then France. During
this quiet period, usually referred to
as the “Phony War” 12(B) Squadron,
equipped with Fairey Battle bombers
were based in the Somme region of
France. These Fairey Battles were
already out of date and no match for
the Luftwaffe’s modern air force. The
“Phony War” ended when the Germans
launched an attack against the Low
Countries. One of the main obstacles to
the German advance was the Albert
Canal, just outside Maastricht. Following a failed attempt to destroy the
bridges over the canal by the Belgian
Air Force, also equipped with Fairey
Battles, it was decided that 12(B)
Squadron, based at Amifontaine in
France, would launch a bombing raid
on these bridges in order to slow the
German advance. Five aircraft attacked the bridges meeting concentrated anti-aircraft fire and Luftwaffe
fighters. Only one aircraft made it back
to base, with Flying Officer Garland and
Sgt Gray being awarded posthumous
VCs for their actions, although it should
be noted that the gunner LAC Perrin
received no recognition, a fact that
raised a few questions and the comment “its not like he could just get out
and leave them to it” ...............
After being given a very interesting
tour of these sites and laying wreaths
at known crash sites of 12(B) Squadron’s aircraft we then visited a fort
used by the Dutch during the German
invasion, which was captured by Glider
troops landing on the fort. We then
drove south to Amiens in France, our
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 5
Exercise French Fox 2012
base for the next couple of days.
The aircraft which attacked the bridges
were based in the Somme region of
France, at Amifontaine. It was with
great pleasure that we had the opportunity to meet Mr Michael Pitt, an Airframes Mechanic, who was a member
of 12(B) Squadron at the time and
based at these airfields. Michael makes
the trip every year to take part in parades and services to remember friends
and colleagues who were lost in the
raid. Accompanied by his daughter and
son-in-law, he guided us around the
are pointing out the location of the old
airstrips and other points of interest. It
was fascinating for all of us to listen to
his recollections and to talk to someone
who provides a tangible link to 12(B)
Squadron’s history.
The next day saw us attend a remembrance parade at the village of Lamaronde. During a raid on Amiens in
1940, a 12(B) Squadron Battle was lost
and the crew killed. Thanks to the efforts of the villagers the propeller from
the aircraft has been salvaged and
takes pride of place mounted on the
wall of the village hall. After marching
from the village hall and laying a
wreath at a memorial erected by this
small community, speeches were
given by the local Mayor, Michael Pitt
and Flt Lt Kelly, whose efforts at
continued
giving his speech in French were much
appreciated by the villagers. We were
then invited to the hall for drinks and
an opportunity to practice our French
on the locals, with varying degrees of
success. Lamaronde lies in the Champagne region, a fact appreciated by all,
as the locals produced bottle after bottle for us to sample. After saying our
final goodbyes to everyone, especially
Michael and his family it was back to
Amiens for our final night before the
long drive back to Lossie.
All of the 12(B) Squadron members
had carried out research on various
aspects of the raids, and gave a presentation at locations throughout the
staff ride. The chance to talk to surviving members of the Lancaster crews in
Dronten, and to Michael Pitt in France
was humbling and made us realise the
debt we all owe to those extremely
brave people. So in summary, a European road trip, a good history lesson,
meeting some incredible people and a
few beers and glasses of Champagne.
Roll on French Fox 2013!
Flt Lt Phil Kelly in
Dronten
More from 12(B) Squadron
We would like to take this opportunity of welcoming W/C
Simon Strasdin, who is the new OC of 12 Squadron at RAF
Lossiemouth, as a Friend of the RAF Wickenby Memorial
Collection. W/C Strasdin says in his recent letter to us “I
look forward to forming an ever closer bond with the Collection”,something we would also like to encourage. Hopefully
we will see W/C Strasdin and other members of the Squadron at our Memorial Service on 9 September.
12(B) Squadron are currently undergoing a relocation into a
new Squadron hangar at RAF Lossiemouth. The new accommodation has the benefits of a relatively new engineering
and operations facility as well as housing the entire Squadron in a single building. We look forward to hearing more
about it soon.
A 12 Squadron
Tornado GR4
We would also like to report that 12(B) Squadron will be
“Leading the Field” at the Bomber Command Memorial
Ceremony at Green Park on 28 June. Some of the Squadron’s Tornedo GR4s will be taking part and will be the lead
aircraft of the multiple formation flypast which includes the
BBMF Lancaster.
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 6
The Flying Farmer
We would like to welcome a new addition to Wickenby Aerodrome, ‘The Flying Farmer Cafe’ which is situated in the
downstairs of the Watch Office.
The cafe, which is a satellite to ‘Sunnyside Up Farm’ of Market Rasen, is open from Tuesday through to Sunday. They
serve a range of hot and cold meals, sandwiches and
snacks throughout the day with a daily ‘specials’ board and
home made cakes, as well as hot and cold drinks including
a range of alcoholic beverages and REAL coffee.
For more information visit the Sunnyside Up Farm website
at sunnyside-up.co.uk
Kate & Rachel of
the Flying Farmer
Cafe
Interesting Artefacts
The Dalton Flight Computer, sometimes known as the ‘Whizz
Wheel’ is a form of circular slide rule used mostly in flight training and although created in the 1930s is still used by pilots today.
It was developed in the United States by Philip Dalton who was
a Cornell University graduate and a Naval reserve pilot, until he
transferred to the United States Army Air Corps. He was tragically killed whilst instructing a student practising spins.
Dalton made his first popular ‘computer’ in 1933, known as the
Model B. This was essentially a circular slide rule with the True
Air Speed (TAS) and altitude corrections pilots know so well. In
1936 he added a double drift diagram on its reverse to create
what the US Army Air Corps designated as the E-1 and later
models as the E-1A, E-1B and finally the E-6B, this model was
originally known as the Dalton Dead Reckoning Computer.
The Dalton Flight ‘Computer’ was used by RAF Navigators and is
the sole remaining example in production of the classic navigation slide rule.
Did you know?
Lincolnshire had some 99 RAF
establishments during WWII
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 7
A few of our Visitors
The children & staff from Hillcrest
Community School, Gainsborough
on their return visit on
23 May 2012
A few members of the
Air Crew Association
who visited us on
10 May 2012
Members of the Lincoln Branch of
the National Service (RAF) Association who visited us on
28 March 2012
Brian Binder (centre) and family who
visited us on 16 May 2012.
Brian’s father Hector was the Mid Upper
Gunner in LL797 UM-B2 which failed to
return from operations to Schweinfurt on
24 February 1944.
They are pictured next to a memorial tree
dedicated to the crew.
Whilst at Wickenby Brian took the opportunity to scatter the ashes of Ernest William Douglas “Jock” Cannon who was an
Air Bomber with 626 Squadron in 1944/45
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
PAGE 8
70 Years of History
Although we are marking Wickenby’s
70th Birthday this year the history of
the airfield actually goes back to 1941.
There was an ever increasing need for
land to build heavy bomber airfields
and Lincolnshire being so close to the
North Sea and also having mostly flat
land was ideally suited. The land
owner at that time was local farmer
Percy Bowser who received a visit from
the Ministry one morning to say that
his land was suitable, by 3pm that
same afternoon the bulldozers had
moved in to clear the site.
The airfield was built to the standard
Bomber Command ‘A’ configuration
with three runways and a perimeter
track. The main runway ran east/west
along the southern side with the other
two runways crossing towards the
north of the site and there were thirty
six aircraft dispersals around the perimeter track. Two hangars of the
steel T2 type were also built and a
further hangar of the B1 type was built
in 1943. The domestic and technical
sites were built on the eastern side of
the site and the WAAF quarters were to
the far north eastern corner. The bomb
storage area was constructed to the
south western corner.
An advance party from 12 Squadron
who were based at Binbrook arrived on
19 September 1942 with the rest of the
Squadron arriving six days later. The
first operational flight came the following day when six aircraft were detailed
on a mine laying exercise in the North
Sea, at that time the Squadron was
equipped with Wellington bombers.
On 28 September the announcement
came that 12 Squadron was to be
equipped with Lancasters and the first
of these was delivered on 4 November.
The final Wellington operation was on
21 November when Sgt Marshall & crew
flew on a mine laying exercise off the
coast of France. The Squadron was
stood down from operations at this
point for conversion to Lancasters. By
27 December 1942 twenty four crews
were ready of operations. The first operational sortie with Lancasters took
place on the night of 3/4 January 1942
with 10 aircraft taking part.
On 7 November 1943, 626 Squadron
was formed from ‘C’ Flight of 12 Squadron, they took up residence to the south
of the airfield close to the village of
Rand. Their first operation was on 10
November to Modane. At this point
each Squadron had 28 operational
crews.
The final operational flight from Wickenby took place on 25 April 1945
when the Bomber Command target
was the SS Barracks at Berchtesgaden, after which the two Squadrons
both took part in Operation Exodus to
repatriate POWs and Operation Manna
to drop food parcels in Holland.
On 24 September 1945, 12 Squadron
left Wickenby and returned to Binbrook and on 9 October 1945, 626
Squadron was disbanded. The next
occupants at Wickenby were 109
Squadron with Mosquitoes arriving on
19 October but leaving again on 13
December.
Next it was the turn of the Maintenance Units with 93 followed by 92
MUs collecting ordnance which was
stored on the now disused runways
awaiting disposal. The MUs were in
residence from 1949 to 1956 when
RAF Wickenby finally closed.
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
Continued ...
PAGE 9
70 Years of History
continued
140 Wickenby air crew were taken
POW
28 Wickenby air crew evaded capture
ME578 PH-N was 12 Squadron’s
longest serving Lancaster with a
total of 108 sorties and was
awarded with an honorary DSO &
DFC
LM113 UM-F2 was 626 Squadron’s
longest serving Lancaster with a
total of 92 sorties
There were 317 individual Lancaster bombers based at Wickenby
A few famous names:
Michael Bentine, member of the
Goons, was an Intelligence Officer
at Wickenby
ME758 PH-N
The next few years saw the clearance
of the airfield and a return to farming
for much of the land, a road crossing
the airfield which had been closed
when the airfield was built was finally
reopened linking the villages of Holton
cum Beckering and Snelland once
more. The northern part of the site
was opened as a private aerodrome in
1966 and was used for private flying
and crop spraying.
Today the airfield is a thriving aerodrome with flying school and home to
many light aircraft which include microlights, gyrocopters, vintage and
aerobatic aircraft to name but a few.
Wickenby is of course also home to the
RAF Wickenby Memorial Collection,
housed in the upstairs of the Watch
Office overlooking two of the original
runways which are still in use today. At
the gate to the airfield is the Icarus
Memorial built by the Wickenby Register
in 1981.
A few facts & figures:
1,125 Wickenby air crew were
killed in action
Dixie Dean, footballer who played
for Tranmere Rovers & Everton,
was a member of Wickenby’s
ground crew
Richard Dimbleby, broadcaster,
flew on an operational sortie with
W/C Stockdale and crew to Duisburg on 14 October 1944
Jack Currie, author of ‘Lancaster
Target’ and other books and TV
programmes, was a pilot with both
12 & 626 Squadrons.
A total of 1,143 personnel died
whilst serving at RAF Wickenby
Did you know?
H2S got its name after a senior government scientist , frustrated
by the delay in its development said ‘something stinks about this’
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
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RAF WCKENBY MEMORIAL
COLLECTION
Wickenby Aerodrome
Near Langworth
Lincoln
LN3 5AX
Memorial Service
9 September 2012
Invitation
Phone:
01673 885000
We would like to invite you to the
Annual Service of Remembrance
to be held at Wickenby Aerodrome
Email:
[email protected]
9 September 2012 at 3pm
The Service will be held at the Icarus Memorial
which is situated at the entrance to the Aerodrome
Website:
www.rafwmm.flyer.co.uk
Those attending should meet at the Memorial at 2.30pm ready to
commence the Service at 3pm prompt
The service will conclude at around 4.30pm
A Flypast by the BBMF Lancaster is expected weather permit-
Follow us:
ting (unfortunately we are unable to give a specific time for
Facebook:
Friends of RAF Wickenby
Memorial Collection
this)
Twitter:
@WickenbyMuseum
Medals and decorations will be worn by serving and
Curators:
Anne Law
Tim Brett
Refreshments are available before and after the event at the
ex-serving members of HM Armed Forces
‘Flying Farmer Cafe’ in the Control Tower
We hope you will also find time to visit us in the Museum
Editor
Anne Law
[email protected]
Did you know?
A total of 7,377 Lancasters were built by 7
different manufacturers
Our Summer opening hours are daily 9am to 5pm
Here’s hoping that the rain stops falling
and we have a glorious summer!
RAF WICKENBY MEMORIAL COLLECTION NEWSLETTER JULY 2012
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