RAF Kirmington

RAF Kirmington
Humberside International Airport
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Kirmington, Lincolnshire
Elevation AMSL	72 ft / 22 m
Coordinates	53°34′40″N 000°20′39″W / 53.57778°N 0.34417°WCoordinates: 53°34′40″N 000°20′39″W / 53.57778°N 0.34417°W
Map
RAF Kirmington Location in Lincolnshire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 00/00 0 0 Concrete 00/00 0 0 Concrete 00/00 0 0 Concrete

Stained glass war memorial window in the church of St. Helen, Kirmington.

The station bell dating from 1942 is preserved in the lobby of the modern Humberside Airport, with this little plaque below it.

Royal Air Force Station Kirmington or more simply RAF Kirmington was a Royal Air Force station located 6.2 miles (10.0 km) north east of Brigg, Lincolnshire and 11 miles (18 km) north west of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England.

History

Second World War

It took its name from the village of Kirmington nearby; the most notable squadron posted there was No. 166 Squadron RAF^[1] and a memorial plaque to the members of that unit is in the parish church.

Squadron	Equipment	From	To	To	Notes
No. 142 Squadron RAF	Vickers Wellington III/X	19 December 1942	19 December 1942	Disbanded	[2]
No. 150 Squadron RAF	Wellington IC and III	October 1942	19 December 1942	Blida, Algeria	[3]
No. 153 Squadron RAF	Avro Lancaster BI/BIII	7 October 1944	15 October 1944	RAF Scampton	Reformed here.[4]
No. 166 Squadron RAF	Wellington III/X	27 January 1943	February 1943	Disbanded	[5]
	Lancaster BI/BIII	September 1943	18 November 1945	Disbanded	[5]

Post 1945

From February 1946 the station was put on care and maintenance until relinquished by the Air Ministry to the Ministry of Agriculture in 1953.^[6]

Current use

In 1970, after changing hands several times, Kirmington was selected as the best location for a regional airport serving the Hull, Grimsby and Scunthorpe localities and has become Humberside International Airport.^[6]

References

Citations

1. Halpenny 1981, p. 120.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 61.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 62.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 63.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
6. Halpenny 1981, p. 121.

Bibliography

• Halpenny, B.B. Action Stations: Wartime Military Airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands v. 2. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1981. ISBN 0-85059-484-7.
• Jefford, C.G, MBE,BA ,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.

External links

• Royal Air Force - Official RAF history
• Air Scene UK - Memories of Sergeant Roy Keen