Digby Airfield History

RAF Digby initially opened as RAF Scopwick on 28th March 1918, three days before the formation of the RAF. It had been active since late 1917 as a satellite airfield for RNAS Cranwell. RAF Scopwick was re-named RAF Digby in April 1920. The tale is related that this was due to aircraft parts being lost in the system while RAF Shotwick in Flintshire having a surplus of very similar parts. RAF Scopwick became RAF Digby and RAF Shotwick became RAF Sealand.

After the Great War Digby specialised in flying training from 1920-1937, except for a period of care and maintenance from 1922 to 1924. No.2 Flying Training School and No.3 Flying Training School were based here. Digby took on an operational role in the ramp-up to war becoming Sector Fighter Airfield of No.12 Group Fighter Command on 13th August 1937. The first squadrons to arrive were No.46 Squadron and No.73 Squadron equipped with Gloster Gauntlet Mk II and Gloster Gladiator Mk I. They converted to the Hawker Hurricane Mk.I in November 1938.

The first operational war sortie scrambled at 2134 hrs on 3rd September 1939, only 34 minutes after Digby was ordered by 12 Group to take on the responsibility for defending its sector area. After war broke Digby was augmented by a third Hurricane squadron, No.504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Later, Digby day and night fighters operated from RAF Wellingore and RAF Coleby Grange satellite airfields. The Digby fighter sector stretched from the Midlands to beyond the coast and operations were generally mounted by 2 day fighter squadrons and a night fighter squadron coordinated by a fighter controller. No.73 Squadron was virtually wiped out during the evacuation from Saint Nazaire on 17th June 1940 aboard HMS Lancastria.

Digby was a very Canadian station. The first RCAF squadrons arrived in December 1940, No.112 Squadron and later, No.402 Winnipeg Squadron RCAF. In September 1942 RAF Digby became Royal Canadian Air Force Station Digby, to reflect the special nature of units based there. The station also had an RCAF Group Captain Ernie McNab as station commander. Throughout the remainder of the war 13 RCAF Squadrons would operate from Digby and its satellites at RAF Coleby Grange and RAF Wellingore. No's.402 Squadron and No.416 Squadron formed Digby Wing in 1943 and February 1944 saw No.144 Wing formed at Digby from No.441 Squadron, No.442 Squadron and No.443 Squadron. It was commanded by Wg Cdr J E "Johnnie" Johnson, the highest scoring RAF ace of the war.

After the war the station became a training unit and part of the RAF College Cranwell, with its Station Commanders also serving as Assistant Commandants with flying training (No.19 Flying Training and No.1 and 2 Initial Training Schools) up to 1953 before beginning its specialistion in the signals role. In 1955 No.399 Signals Unit arrived, to be joined by No.591 Signals Unit and the Aerial Erectors School. No.399 SU became the Joint Service Signals Unit on 15th September 1998.

Digby is also the home to the Sector Ops Room Museum, which has been restored to its wartime state and is open to visitors. There is no need to book, just arrive at the Sports Ground Car Park opposite RAF Digby main gate, and await the guides. More recently, the station has hosted a new annual event open to the public. Party In The Park (established by the RAF itself in 2004) is now a regular fixture in late July or early August.

Date	Squadron	Notes
February 1919	No.209 Sqn	Operating the Sopwith Camel. Left Digby in June 1919.
February 1919	No.210 Sqn	Operating the Sopwith Camel. Left Digby in June 1919.
March 1919	No.213 Sqn	Operating the Sopwith Camel. Left Digby in December 1919.
March 1919	No.11 Sqn	Operating the Airco DH.4. Left Digby in December 1919.
December 1919	No.203 Sqn	Operating the Sopwith Camel. Left Digby in January 1920.
December 1919	No.25 Sqn	Operating the Airco DH.4/DH.9. Left Digby in January 1920.
April 1920		Station re-named RAF Digby.
April 1920	No.3 FTS	Operating the Avro 504. Left Digby in April 1922.
April 1922		Station put on care and maintenance. Activated again in June 1924.
June 1924	No.2 FTS	Operating the Airco DH.9. Left Digby in December 1933.
October 1934	No.2 FTS	Operating the Hyderbad Hart. Left Digby in September 1937.
November 1937	No.46 Sqn	Operating the Gloster Gauntlet and Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in December 1939.
November 1937	No.73 Sqn	Operating the Gloster Gauntlet and Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in September 1939.
August 1939	No.504 Sqn	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in October 1939.
October 1939	No.229 Sqn	Operating the Bristol Blenheim and Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in June 1940.
October 1939	No.611 Sqn	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in July 1940.
January 1940	No.46 Sqn	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in May 1940.
June 1940	No.29 Sqn	Operating the Bristol Blenheim/Beaufighter. Left Digby in July 1940.
September 1940	No.151 Sqn	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in November 1940.
December 1940	No.46 Sqn	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in February 1941.
March 1941	No.401 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in October 1941.>
March 1941	No.402 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Squadron left Digby in May 1941.
June 1941	No.409 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Boulton Paul Defiant. Left Digby in July 1941.
June 1941	No.411 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in November 1941.
June 1941	No.412 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in October 1941.
November 1941	No.92 Sqn	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in February 1942.
November 1941	No.288 Sqn	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Bristol Blenheim and Westland Lysander. Left Digby in December 1942.
November 1941	No.609 Sqn	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in March 1942.
March 1942	No.411 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in March 1943.
April 1942	No. 421 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in May 1942.
March 1942	No.411 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in March 1943.
December 1942	No.198 Sqn	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in January 1943.
January 1943	No.288 Sqn	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Bristol Blenheim and Westland Lysander. Left Digby in November 1943.
February 1943	No.302 Sqn Polish AF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in February 1943.
March 1943	No.402 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in August 1943.
June 1943	No.416 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in August 1943.
August 1943	No.350 Sqn Belgian AF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Squadron left Digby in October 1943.
October 1943	No.416 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in February 1944.
November 1943	No.438 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Hawker Hurricane. Left Digby in December 1943.
February 1944	No.441 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in March 1944.
February 1944	No.442 Sqn RCAF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in March 1944.
February 1944	No.443 Sqn RCAF<	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in March 1944.
June 1944	No.116 Sqn	Operating the Avro Anson and Airspeed Oxford. Left Digby in May 1945.
April 1944	No.527 Sqn	Operating the Vickers Wellington, Airspeed Oxford and Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in November 1945.
May 1944	No.528 Sqn	Operating the Bristol Blenheim. Left Digby in September 1944.
July 1944	No.310 Sqn Czech AF	Operating the Supermarine Spitfire. Left Digby in August 1944.
May 1945	No.441 Sqn RCAF	Operating North American Aviation P-51 Mustang. Left Digby in July 1945.
May 1945	No.442 Sqn RCAF	Operating North American Aviation P-51 Mustang. Left Digby in June 1945.
1953		RAF Digby closed to aircraft.