RAF Syerston

RAF Syerston (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EGXY) is a Royal Air Force station near Newark, Nottinghamshire. It was used as a bomber base during World War II.

Syerston was built as part of the bomber expansion in the late thirties, but did not open until December 1940. The first aircraft were Vickers Wellingtons crewed by Polish flyers. In July 1941 they were replaced by members of the Royal Canadian Air Force flying Handley-Page Hampdens. In 1942 several squadrons of Avro Lancaster aircraft arrived. In 1943 Bill Reid won a Victoria Cross on a mission flown from Syerston.

In November 1943 the operational squadrons departed, and the station was used for bomber crew training. From November to July 1944 there was also a Bombing and Gunnery Defence Training Flight in attendance with several Wellingtons, Spitfires, Hurricanes, plus a few Martinet tug aircraft, all employed in brushing up the skills of air gunners on air to air exercises. Syerston was taken over by Flying Training Command on the 1 February 1948. The flying training school was disbanded in 1970, and the station lay vacant.

In 1975 the Air Cadet Central Gliding School and 644 Volunteer Glider Squadron moved to Syerston, and have been there since, temporarily joined by 643 VGS. 643 VGS have been at RAF Syerston since 10 Oct 1992. This has been their longest home yet, but it was only meant to be a short term stay.

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