RAF Scampton

RAF Scampton
The Red Arrows at RAF Scampton
Code	IATA: SQZ, ICAO: EGXP
County	Lincolnshire
	Badge of the Royal Air Force
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	SK966799 53°18’28"N, -0°33’3"W
Runway(s)	8,990 feet (Asphalt)
Website	raf.mod.uk/rafscampton

RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, laid out close by the A15 road near to the village of Scampton from which it takes its name and six miles north-west of the city of Lincoln. It is the home station of the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatics team.

In July 2018, the MoD announced that Scampton would close by 2022 and be sold, with all units relocated elsewhere.

The topography of the station in relation to the road has been incorporated into the station badge, in which a longbow represents the A15 bent to accommodate the lengthened runway, and the arrow representing the runway itself. The site is owned by the Ministry of Defence and managed by the RAF.

RAF Scampton stands on the site of a First World War Royal Flying Corps landing field, which had been called Brattleby. The station was closed and returned to agriculture following the First World War, and reactivated in the 1930s. It provided an airfield for fighters in the First World War, bombers during the Second World War and V-force Avro Vulcans during the Cold War.

Since the temporary closure of RAF Scampton in 1996, and subsequent reactivation, the base has provided a home for the RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, and to private companies, temporarily, such as Hawker Hunter Aviation, for the maintenance and storage of aircraft.

The station was due to close in 2014 but in June 2012 the Ministry of Defence confirmed the Red Arrows would remain there until at least 2022.

History

First World War

Home Defence Flight Station Brattleby (also known as Brattleby Cliff) was opened on the site of the current RAF Scampton in late 1916. The airfield was bounded to the east by Ermine Street, to the south by Pollyplatt Lane, to the west by Middle Street, and to the north by Aisthorpe House. The form of the airfield was very similar to that of Hackthorn Park to the north east, which is likely to have been created in the same way. In addition to field boundaries, a number of other features were grubbed up, demolished or used for the airfield, including Aisthorpe House and a farm complex to the east of the site.

The aerodrome covered 287 acres consisting of a landing ground and six single-span end-opening General Service Flight Sheds arranged in pairs with their doors at 90-degrees to the landing ground. Technical buildings were set out behind these, followed by domestic accommodation close to Ermine Street. These were subdivided into smaller groups depending on rank. Accommodation for women was based around a Women's Hostel.

The first operational unit was A Flight, 33 Squadron RFC (33 Squadron), which flew FE2bs defending against the Zeppelin threat. The site then developed into a training aerodrome, supporting No. 60 Training Squadron, followed by No. 81 and No. 11 Training Squadrons, flying the Sopwith Camel, Pup and Dolphin. The station was renamed 'Scampton' in 1917 following which it was designated as '34 Training Depot Station' and continued with its operational programme until it was closed in April 1919.

Inter-war period

By 1936 the RAF Expansion Scheme had overseen a period of rapid increases both in terms of new squadrons and the development of new stations. The former Brattleby site was one of many earmarked under the expansion programme, situated between three villages; Aisthorpe, Brattleby and Scampton, with its main entrance situated on the A15 road heading north from Lincoln. The site was to be constructed to the latest specifications and on completion would form a fully equipped Bomber Station. From its reopening in August 1936, the station was to be known as Royal Air Force Station Scampton.

The station consisted of four large C Type hangars with permanent brick-built technical and domestic buildings. The remaining aerodrome buildings (for technical activities and accommodation) were built in a compact layout behind the hangars, in an arrangement replicated across all of the Expansion Period airfields: Technical Area, Station Offices, Officers' Mess, Sergeants' Mess, Airmen's' Quarters, Married Quarters, and Officers' Married Quarters. Roads were arranged either parallel or perpendicular to Ermine Street (the A15) with the Guardroom at 90-degrees to the main entrance and the Station Headquarters facing Ermine Street. This resulted in the base occupying an area of 360 acres.

As it developed, RAF Scampton made an increasingly dramatic imposition on the surrounding rural landscape such as to the Lincolnshire Edge, the Jurassic limestone ridge, which forms the distinctive backbone of the county from Whitton on the Humber Estuary in the north, down to Grantham in the south. Along the top of the Edge a series of airfields were developed, including RAF Waddington, RAF Cranwell and RAF Scampton.

The first units at the new station were IX(B) Squadron (9 Squadron) and 214 Squadron, arriving in October 1936, operating the Handley Page Heyford and Vickers Virginia. IX(B) Squadron stayed at Scampton until March 1938, 214 Squadron having departed for RAF Feltwell in April 1937. Another squadron which was stationed at the base was No. 148 Squadron RAF|148 Squadron (148 Squadron) formed from C Flt of IX(B) Squadron operating the Hawker Audax and later the Vickers Wellesley. The term of residence of 148 Squadron was brief being replaced by 49 Squadron (49 Squadron) and 83 Squadron (83 Squadron) in March 1938. At this time both 49 Squadron and 83 Squadron were operating the Hawker Hind before re-equipping with the Handley Page Hampden.

Second World War

An 83 Squadron Handley Page Hampden and crew at Scampton, October 1940

At the outbreak of the Second World War Scampton transferred to No. 5 Group RAF in Bomber Command, playing host to the Hampdens of 49 Squadron and 83 Squadron. On 3 September 1939, six hours after the declaration of war, RAF Scampton launched the first offensive by the Royal Air Force when six Hampdens of 83 Squadron under Flying Officer Guy Gibson and three 49 Squadron Hampdens, conducted a sweep off Wilhelmshaven. Further operations involving Scampton's squadrons concerned them with the hazardous task of low level minelaying.

For a short time 49 Squadron and 83 Squadron operated Manchester bombers from Scampton, subsequently converting to the Lancaster. A Lancaster Mk I received by 83 Squadron at this time stands at the gate today.

200The grave of Nigger, Guy Gibson's dog

Following the development of the Upkeep bouncing bomb, 617 Squadron, originally referred to as "Squadron X", was formed at Scampton in order to carry out the raid, codenamed Operation Chastise. More commonly referred to as the "Dambusters Raid", the raid would go down as the most famous and widely remembered in the history of the Royal Air Force. The raid took place on the night of 16–17 May 1943:, breaching the Eder and Möhne dams and causing immense destruction downriver. On the day of the raid, Wing Commander Gibson's dog, Nigger, was run over and killed on the road outside the entrance to the base, and his grave, situated outside Gibson's office at No. 3 Hangar, is there to this day, though the dog's name was erased from it in 2020.

Gibson and other officers of 617 Squadron at Scampton, 22 July 1943

In July 1943 617 Squadron was again involved in a precision operation, when twelve aircraft of the squadron took off from Scampton to attack targets in Northern Italy, following which the aircraft continued on without loss to Blida in North Africa.

In August 1943 Scampton was closed for operations so that its runways could be upgraded to bear the increased all-up weight of the Lancaster, re-opening in October 1944. Three concrete runways were laid out and new bomb stores were built on land north of the north-west corner of the airfield.

On completion of the required work the area of land which the base occupied had now increased to 580 acres.

From July to December 1944 the 1690 Bomber Defence Training Flight was based here, armed with Spitfires, Hurricanes and Martinets, the flight undertaking fighter affiliation against bombers. This unit stayed at the station until September 1944, when it moved to RAF Metheringham. Two Lancaster squadrons, 153 Squadron and later 625 Squadron joined those at Scampton in 1945.

The last bombing mission of the Second World War launched from RAF Scampton was on 25 April 1945, when aircraft from 153 Squadron and 625 Squadron were despatched as part of the Bombing of Obersalzberg.

After the War

Following the end of hostilities 153 Squadron disbanded, followed by 625 Squadron. The station continued to operate Lancasters when 100 Squadron arrived in December 1945, but they were to be the last Lancaster squadron on the station, departing for RAF Lindholme in May 1946.

From July 1948, Scampton housed Boeing B-29 Superfortresses of the USAF 28th Bombardment Group, as part of a network of Emergency War Plan Airfields. They left in January 1949 and Scampton was handed back to the Royal Air Force.

Cold War

In the 1950s RAF Scampton had four Canberra squadrons, until 1955 when the station was earmarked as a V-bomber base.

A Vulcan B.2 of 617 Squadron

In 1955, Vulcans were stationed at Scampton as part of the RAF V-force, which required extensive new ground facilities, including a high security area for the storage and maintenance of nuclear weapons and heavy-duty hardstandings for the aircraft. The first nuclear weapons to be delivered arrived during 1958: twenty-kiloton atomic bombs, later replaced by the smaller Yellow Sun Stage 1, which were the first of the United Kingdom's operational thermonuclear weapons. The development of the stand-off nuclear missile Blue Steel required the construction of new specialist buildings: the Missile Servicing and Storage Building which was erected between the main hangars and the airfield, and the highly volatile High Test Peroxide and kerosene fuel storage buildings which were located at some distance from the storage building.

Additional structures and parts of the layout were also altered. In particular the runway was rearranged. and extended to 9,000 feet, which caused the runway to project beyond the north east corner of the base and required the rerouting of the A15 road. The eastward bulge in the A15 road, diverting from the line of the Roman road, Ermine Street, can still be seen north of Lincoln.

During the Cold War period, the airfield developed its current form, imposing on the landscape in a much more spectacular way. The work undertaken increased the land area of the station to 920 acres and on completion 617 Squadron returned to their former home, re-forming in May 1958.

On 30 June 1968, Blue Steel operations at Scampton were terminated, as the Royal Navy, with the submarine launched Polaris missile, assumed responsibility for the UK nuclear deterrent. Scampton squadrons were assigned to the tactical nuclear and conventional bombing roles. This led to the disbandment of 83 Squadron in August 1969.

Avro 698 Vulcan B.2 XH534 of 230 Operational Conversion Unit

Individual unit allocations were re-introduced in 1971, and throughout the decade RAF Scampton continued to be home to 27 Squadron, 617 Squadron and 230 Operational Conversion Unit, with 35 Squadron joining them from RAF Akrotiri in 1975.

In 1981, 230 Operational Conversion Unit was disbanded and 617 Squadron ceased to use Vulcans, so Scampton transferred to RAF Support Command and became home to the Central Flying School in 1983. The Hawks of the Red Arrows were stationed here. In 1984, the Tornado Radar Repair Unit joined the base.

After the Cold War

Radar Tower RAF Scampton

1990s

In August 1990, RAF Scampton became home to the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group, a joint service organisation responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Control of Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Open Skys, and the Vienna Document.

In the mid 1990s, Scampton was mothballed under the Front Line First programme, with the CFS moving to RAF Cranwell. The decision was initially taken to close the base completely, and in response a group was formed called "Save our Scampton" (SOS), backed by the Lincolnshire Echo, the County Council and the local MP.

The Red Arrows continued to train in the restricted airspace surrounding the airfield and accommodation at Scampton continued to be used as overflow from RAF Waddington. During this intervening period 110 of the post-war NCO married quarters were sold to Roger Byron-Collins' Welbeck Estate Group who had previously acquired nearby RAF Hemswell tech and domestic site, RAF Faldingworth married quarters and Strike Command HQ at RAF Bawtry Hall.

In early 2000 it was decided to re-base the Red Arrows at Scampton.

In 2005 Scampton was again placed under the control of RAF Strike Command, becoming home to the UK Air Surveillance and Control System (ASACS) Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) and Mobile Met Unit (MMU). The No.1 Air Control Centre deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 as part of Operation Herrick, the deployment lasting until 2009.

In July 2018, the MoD announced that Scampton would close and then be sold off with all remaining units relocated to other RAF bases in the United Kingdom by 2022. In May 2020, it was announced that the Red Arrrows would move to RAF Waddington, and No. 1 ACC to RAF Boulmer in Northumberland.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about RAF Scampton)

• RAF Scampton
• A detailed historical record about RAF Scampton
• Equipment used by No. 1 ACC, reported by British Forces News - YouTube