Squadrons and Units Based At RAF Hemswell
No. 542 Operating Canberras in the Nuclear Test (USSR's not ours) Sampling Role. 31 March 1957 from Weston Zoyland. 11 July 1958 TO Upwood
| Date of arrival | Unit | Notes | |
| 1916 | Several RFC Squadrons | Hemswell used as a night landing ground | |
| April 1918 | No. 99 (Depot Training) Squadron RFC | Renumbered from No 199 Sqn before arriving at Hemswell from Rochford it was tasked with the training of night bomber pilots destined for service in France. Disbanded on 13 June 1919. | |
| 1918 | No. 200 (Depot Training) Squadron RFC | Tasked with the training of night bomber pilots destined for service in France. Disbanded on 13 June 1919. | |
| 1935 - 1937 | Building programe constructed station buildings, hangars and married quarter housing | ||
| February 1937 | No. 144 Squadron RAF | Operating Avro Anson and Hawker Audax and later new Bristol Blenheims and Handley Page Hampdens. Mainly involved in maritime bombing raids on shipping. The squadron left Hemswell in July 1941 and moved to RAF North Luffenham. | |
| March 1937 | No. 61 Squadron RAF | 61 Sqn's Hemswell-based Handley Page Hampdens were the first Bomber Command aircraft to drop bombs on German soil during the Second World War, on 19 March 1940. The target was the Hörnum seaplane base. Re-equipped with Avro Manchesters the squadron left Hemswell in October 1941 and relocated to RAF North Luffenham. | |
| June 1941 | No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron | Operating Vickers Wellingtons. Left Hemswell / Ingham in August 1943 and relocated to RAF Swanton Morley. | |
| June 1941 | No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron | Operating Vickers Wellingtons. Squadron disbanded in April 1943 after major crew losses could not be restaffed. | |
| July 1942 | No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron | Operating Vickers Wellingtons. Left Hemswell / Ingham in March 1944 and relocated at RAF Faldingworth. | |
| February 1943 | No. 199 Squadron RAF | Operating Vickers Wellington. Training for maritime mine laying operations. Left Hemswell in July 1943 and relocated to RAF Lakenheath. | |
| July 1943 | Concrete runways laid | ||
| Autumn 1943 | No. 1 (Lancaster Finishing School) Squadron RAF | Operating Avro Lancasters. Squadron disbanded at Hemswell in November 1944 | |
| 1944 | No. 150 (Bomber) Squadron RAF equipped with the Avro Lancaster | No 1 Group RAF. The squadron was disbanded in November 1945. | |
| November 1944 | No. 170 Squadron RAF | Operating Avro Lancasters. The squadron was disbanded in 1945 | |
| March 1945 | No. 1687 (Bomber Defence Training) Flight RAF Regiment | No. 1687 Flight also maintained a Q decoy site on the far side of nearby Caenby village. | |
| July 1946 | No. 83 Squadron RAF | Operating Avro Lincolns. Disbanded at Hemswell in January 1956. Reformed at RAF Waddington in 1957, flying Avro Vulcans. | |
| 1946 and 1950 | No. 109 Squadron RAF | Operating de Havilland Mosquitos in a Pathfinder and Oboe role. Left Hemswell in 1947. Returned 1950 operating English Electric Canberras, departed January 1956. | |
| 1946 and 1950 | No 139 Squadron RAF | Operating de Havilland Mosquitos. Left Hemswell in 1947. Returned 1950 operating English Electric Canberras, departed January 1956. | |
| October 1946 | No. 97 Squadron RAF | Operating Avro Lancasters and later Avro Lincolns. The Squadron was disbanded in December 1955 | |
| 1946 | No. 100 Squadron RAF | Operating Avro Lancasters and later Avro Lincolns. Left Hemswell in 1950, relocating to Malaysia for Operation Firedog. | |
| April 1952 | No. 199 Squadron RAF | Operating at various times Avro Lincolns, de Havilland Mosquitos, English Electric Canberras. Left Hemswell in September 1957, bringing to an end Bomber Command flights from Hemswell. The squadron disbanded in 1958. | |
| December 1959 | No. 97 (Strategic Missile) Squadron RAF | Operating Thor IRBM missiles for RAF Bomber Command. Left Hemswell in May 1963 and its missiles were returned to America where they were used as launch vehicles in the early development of the space programme. No. 97 Sqn disbanded, with the personnel transferred to RAF Watton to join No. 151 Squadron RAF. | |
| 1963 | No.2 Wing of 7 School of Recruit Training RAF | Used for follow on training for senior recruits from the Recruit Training School at nearby RAF Swinderby. Closed in December 1967 | |
| 1967 Station on Care and Maintenance. Parented by RAF Scampton | 643 Gliding School Air Training Corps, | Cadet Mk 3, Sedbergh and Prefect winch launched gliders. Moved to Lindholme 1/4/74 | RAF Hemswell finally Closed 1/4/74 |
Read more about this topic: RAF Hemswell
Famous quotes containing the words squadrons, units and/or based:
“As you know, God is generally on the side of the big squadrons against the small ones.”
—Roger De Bussy-Rabutin (1618–1693)
“Even in harmonious families there is this double life: the group life, which is the one we can observe in our neighbour’s household, and, underneath, another—secret and passionate and intense—which is the real life that stamps the faces and gives character to the voices of our friends. Always in his mind each member of these social units is escaping, running away, trying to break the net which circumstances and his own affections have woven about him.”
—Willa Cather (1873–1947)
“That’s my problem, chaplain: I’m yellow. PFC Bernstein—plumb, fat coward. Hey, can you get a Section 8 for being yellow?”
—James Poe, U.S. screenwriter, and Based On Play. Robert Aldrich. Bernstein (Robert Strauss)