© Crown Copyright/MOD 2010

RAF Waddington

(Map edited to show runways)

Airfield Code: EGXW

Google Earth Co-ordinates: 53°10'4.38"N        0°31'21.38"W

Wartime Runways: 03/21 = 6000ft x 150ft        07/25 & 17/35  = 4200ft x 150ft

Current Runway: 02/20 = 9000ft x 200ft

One of the oldest military airfields in Lincolnshire, Waddington came into use for flying units of the Royal Flying Corps back m 1916. In that year a grazing area some five miles due south of Lincoln, and to the east of Waddington village and south of the road to Potter Hanworth, was prepared for use by training squadrons under No.27 Training Wing which was succeeded by No.48 Training Depot Station in July 1918. A variety of aircraft types were used until the Armistice reduced activity. There were two camp areas with a number of wooden buildings including Belfast truss airplane sheds, seven on the main site and three on the second site. Closed in 1919, the station was in use again for flying from October 1926 when an RAF reserve unit, No.503 Squadron, was formed to fly Fairey Fawn light bombers, later changing to Hyderabad's. Expansion of the RAF saw extensive building with permanent barracks and substantial administrative and technical site development, including five Type C hangars. The airfield was then bounded by Ermine Street in the west, the B1178 to the south and the A15 to the east. Three of the First World War hangars still remained on the west side of the airfield but were not used for aircraft.

On completion of this work RAF Waddington came under Bomber Command and two squadrons were re-formed there in 1937. In May No.50 and No.110 Squadrons were brought into existence equipped with Hinds and the following month part of No.110 Squadrons complement were used to re-form No.88 Squadron, also to fly Hinds. That same month a fourth Hind-equipped squadron arrived from RAF Wyton, No.44 Squadron. At the time, No.503 Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force unit with part-time personnel flying Harts; thus for a few weeks five squadrons occupied RAF Waddington although No.50 and No.88 Squadrons still had some way to go to reach full strength. No.88 Squadron, however, was moved out to Boscombe Down in July.

In December 1937 No.44 Squadron received Blenheim's and No. 110 Squadron likewise the following month. No.503 Squadron received some of the cast-off Hinds but in October 1938 it was moved to RAF Doncaster to be reincarnated as a fighter squadron under a different designation. No.5 Group was destined to be an all Hampden formation and in December 1938 No.50 Squadron traded its Hinds for Hampden's with No.44 Squadron giving up the Blenheim's for the Handley Page 'pan handle' bomber two months later. No.110 Squadron was to retain its Blenheim's and, when RAF Wattisham was ready to receive it in May 1939, the squadron moved south to No.2 Group. RAF Waddington Hampden's were in action from the first day of the war, nine setting out to reconnoiter the Heligoland area for enemy naval activity, sea searches being the main occupation in the months that followed. After the fall of France, the remnants of No.142 Squadron were given sanctuary at Waddington for a few weeks before moving to the No.1 Group station at RAF Binbrook in July. The same month No.50 Squadron was moved to the recently opened Hatfield Woodhouse (later re-named RAF Lindholme), but No.44 Squadron's association with RAF Waddington was to continue until May 1943 when the airfield was closed to permit the construction of runways.

RAF Waddington - the premier No.5 Group station - was to receive the first Avro Manchester heavy bombers and to take them into battle, No.207 Squadron being re-formed at RAF Waddington specially for the task in November 1940. The first operational use of the Manchester took place on the night of February 24/25, 1941 when six aircraft were detailed to attack the docks at Brest. The following day a nucleus from No.207 Squadron became the third reformation of No.97 Squadron. The fledgling unit took a few Manchester's to RAF Coningsby to expand in March 1941 while No.207 Squadron struggled on with the type. Waddington received attention from the Luftwaffe on a number of occasions, usually with little harm, but on May 9th, 1941 bombing took the lives of 11 station personnel. In November 1941, No.207 Squadron moved to the new station at RAF Bottesford and in December No.420 Squadron, an RCAF unit, was formed at Waddington to fly Hampden's. Later the same month No.44 Squadron became the first to receive the new Lancaster, which was taken into action for the first time on March 10/11, 1942 when two No.44 Squadron aircraft attacked Essen. In April the Avro Lancaster made its grand entry into the bombing war when No.44 Squadron was one of elements from two squadrons attempting to destroy the MAN diesel works at Augsburg in a rare daylight raid. Squadron Leader John Nettleton, who led the formation of six, received the Victoria Cross for his conduct that day.

The other RAF Waddington squadron, No.420, flying its first raid on the night of January 21/22 1942, continued to operate Hampden's, one of the last units in Bomber Command to do so. In August the same year it was transferred to No.4 Group at RAF Skipton-on Swale preparatory to joining the planned all-Canadian group. No.420 Squadron was replaced by No.9 Squadron from No.3 Group at RAF Honington, a station which was to be taken over by the USAAF. On its arrival in August, conversion to Lancaster's commenced. No.9 and No.44 Squadrons continued to mount raids from Waddington until May 1943 when hard runways were due to be laid by George Wimpey & Co. Ltd. In April No.9 Squadron moved to RAF Bardney and No.44 Squadron to RAF Dunholme Lodge in May.

Waddington's new occupants were Australian. No.463 Squadron brought its 30 Lancaster's from RAF Bottesford in November 1943 as that station was to be taken over by the USAAF and, soon after its arrival, the squadron's 'C' Flight was transformed into the new No.467 Squadron. The squadron's strength of ten aircraft enabled it to become operational immediately and it participated in the raid on Berlin on November 23/24, just a few hours after it was formed. Both No.463 and No.467 Squadrons were based at Waddington until after VE-Day. In June 1945, No.467 Squadron was moved to RAF Metheringham and the following month No.463 Squadron went to RAF Skellingthorpe. One of the Waddington hangars was used by A. V. Roe during the last three years of the war to rebuild Lancaster's with components received from their RAF Bracebridge Heath reclamation works. Altogether, Waddington lost more bombers on operations than any other Bomber Command station, a total of 345. Of these 103 were Hampden's, 15 were Manchester's and 227 Lancaster's.

Post war, Waddington hosted a variety of Lancaster and Avro Lincoln squadrons, and, later, Washington’s. The station was put into care and maintenance again in 1953 to prepare it for the V-bomber force. In June 1954 the Queen approved the RAF Waddington badge, incorporating the towers of Lincoln cathedral, and on 25th April 1959 the station was granted the Freedom of the City of Lincoln. Since then all Waddington aircraft have carried the City Crest. The station re-opened in June 1955. Two Canberra squadrons moved in and the first Avro Vulcan’s arrived in May 1957. By August 1961 three squadrons of Vulcan’s were based at RAF Waddington, No.83, No.44 and No.101 Squadrons, and the type remained there until March 1984, its planned retirement having been postponed because of the Falklands conflict. Waddington provided the Vulcan’s that bombed Port Stanley and also those hastily modified for air-to-air refueling duties. They were later joined by another three squadrons of Vulcan's, including No.50 Squadron. They were to become the last Vulcan squadron, before the aircraft was retired in 1984.

RAF Waddington is currently the home of the UK Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR). Consisting of Sentinel R1, E-3D. RAF Waddington is also home to three operational flying Squadrons, No.5, No.8, and No.51 Squadrons. The recently re-formed No.54 (R) Squadron provides training for all 3 platforms. The Red Arrows are expected to relocate to RAF Waddington in 2012, from there present home at RAF Scampton. A new hanger with office’s is currently in the planning to house them when they arrive.

The first RAF Waddington International Air Show was staged at RAF Waddington in 1995, after the event was moved down from RAF Finningley (an RAF station located near Doncaster which was closed down in 1995). Since then the RAF Waddington International Air Show has developed into the largest of all RAF's air shows. It regularly takes place on the first weekend in July, attracting over 120,000 visitors and representatives of Air Forces from all round the world.

Aircraft & Squadron's