RAF Methwold

Royal Air Force Station Methwold
Active	1938 – June 1958
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying station
Role	Bomber Command
Based near	Norwich, Norfolk, England
Royal Air Force Ensign
March	Royal Air Force March Past
Equipment	Vickers Wellington Lockheed Ventura Short Stirling Avro Lancaster

RAF Methwold was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom which operated during and after World War II.

History

RAF Methwold opened as a dispersal airfield for RAF Feltwell in the Winter of 1938. Wellington bombers from Feltwell continued to use the site as a satellite base until the grass airfield was transferred to No. 2 Group in the exchange of bases with No. 3 Group, in the summer of 1942. Several asphalt hardstandings were put down for aircraft during 1940-1941.

In August 1943 the airfield was closed to flying while it was upgraded to A standard. Three concrete runways were built, the main aligned on 06-24 (2000 yards), 11-29 (1,600 yards) and 17-35 (1,500 yards). 36 hardstandings were built, 35 of the loop type and a single pan. The original asphalt pans were not retained.

Following this work, RAF Methwold was a higher standard base than its parent at Feltwell. The airfield was returned to No. 3 Group and became a sub-station of RAF Mildenhall.

43 aircraft either failed to return or crashed during the operations from RAF Methwold; 25 Venturas, 6 Stirlings, and 12 Lancasters.

Current use

After closure as an operational airfield in April 1946, the airfield remained under care and maintenance until it was finally sold in the 1960s. Today the majority of the site has been returned to agriculture, with two hangars remaining in use as agricultural grain stores and two others used for salad preparation and packing for supermarkets.

Methwold aircraft

Squadron NCOs at RAF Methwold early 1943

Several types of aircraft have operated out of Methwold, among these:

• Vickers Wellington
• Lockheed Ventura
• Short Stirling
• Avro Lancaster
• Airspeed Horsa
• North American Harvard

Methwold squadrons

• No. 37 Squadron RAF
• No. 214 Squadron RAF
• No. 21 Squadron RAF
• No. 464 Squadron RAF
• No. 487 Squadron RAF
• No. 149 Squadron RAF
• No. 218 Squadron RAF
• No. 207 Squadron RAF

External links

• RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary
• Airfields and Aviation Memorials - Methwold

See also

• Norfolk Airfields
• Royal Air Force station
• List of RAF stations
• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons