No 14 Base RAF Faldingworth

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by archivist, Jul 6, 2019.

  1. archivist

    archivist Well-Known Member

    Can anyone please help with an explanation of an item I have recently uncovered. It refers to the transfer of a ground crew mechanic out of 304 Polish Squadron in July 1945 to No 14 Base (it is bad handwriting and might just be 17 Base) at RAF Faldingworth. At the time, the only Polish unit there was 300 Squadron and the airman was Polish - not an RAF man.
     
  2. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    No, not No. 14 Base. That was RAF Ludford Magna. (Nos 101, 12 and 626 Squadrons)

    But it did have a subordinate airfield at RAF Faldingworth which will answer your question about No. 300 Squadron.

    RAF-lincolnshire.info :: Faldingworth
     
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  3. archivist

    archivist Well-Known Member

    Thank you, Alieneyes,
    So I take it that No 14 Base would just be a generic name for RAF Ludford Magna and its subsidiary. I had never heard them referred to as numbered bases
     
  4. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    It really wasn't generic, per se. In the postings of RCAF who were later killed it would state after a posting to an OTU, a posting to, let's say, No. 11 Base. No 11 Base was the home to No 1667 HCU....which is why they were there.

    The Station and Base ORBs are often better detailed that the squadron ones. All at Kew.

    LUDFORD MAGNA: formerly Holme-on-Spalding Moor | The National Archives
     
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  5. archivist

    archivist Well-Known Member

    Thank you again. It is worth a try, although it is doubtful whether ground crew would get much of a mention
     
  6. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    The RAF Bomber Command Base structure was established late in the war with a number of stations forming a Base.It applied to No 1 to 7 Groups,the latter being a HCU Group.The Bases had their HQs at a principal station within the Group and each Base had an Air Commodore as the Base Commander.Group Captains would be Commanding Officers of their own individual station within the Base structure.Stations within a base were main stations under their own right and not satellite stations.

    No 8 (PPF) Group stations based in the Huntingdon area did not adopt the Base structure

    Looking at No 1 Group,the one in question

    No 12 Base was Binbrook (No 460 RAAF Squadron) with the following stations within the Base structure.... Grimsby (No 100 Squadron).....Kelstern (No 625 Squadron)

    No 13 Base was Elsham Wolds (No 103 Squadron) with the following stations within the Base structure....Kirmington (No 166 Squadron)....North Killingholme (550 Squadron)....Hemswell (Night Bomber Tactical School but from November 1944 housed Nos 150 and 170 Squadrons) Cammeringham formerly known as RAF ingham and no front line squadrons.) Sturgate .(no front line squadrons)

    No 14 Base was Ludford Magna (No 101 Squadron) with the following stations within the Base structure... Wickenby (Nos 12 and 626 Squadrons).....Faldingworth No 300 (PAF) Squadron

    No 15 Base was Scampton (No 153 Squadron)) with the following stations with the Base structure...Dunholme Lodge (No 170 Squadron..posted to Hemswell from November 1944 when Dunholne reverted to C&M) Fiskerton (No 150 Squadron....posted to Hemswell November 1944.(No 576 Squadron)

    Faldingworth was a solely dedicated PAF airfield, the PAF's No 300 Squadron converted to the Lancaster at Faldingworth after leaving RAF Ingham and its Wellingtons in March 1944.

    Ludford was a single squadron station during the war with No 101 Squadron arriving from Holme on Spalding Moor on 15 June 1943 to the new Ludford airfield where it took up ECM duties.... being at Holme since 29 September 1942 when it soon converted to the Lancaster in October 1942.

    Cannot understand the title Ludford Magna formerly Holme on Spalding Moor.

    I think the No 304 Squadron member posting to Faldingworth,a station within No 14 Base structure, coincides with No 304 Squadron being posted from St Eval to North Weald on 9 July 1945.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2019
  7. archivist

    archivist Well-Known Member

    Thanks Harry,

    That has really taught me something! I had no idea that the system worked like that - but it does make sense. Your very last paragraph also makes a lot of sense and I had not picked up on the fact that his transfer was only 2 days after the move to RAF North Weald.
     

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