RAF Methwold


Royal Air Force Methwold or more simply RAF Methwold is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Feltwell, Norfolk and north west of Thetford, Norfolk, England.

History

RAF Methwold opened as a dispersal airfield for RAF Feltwell in the winter of 1938. Vickers Wellington bombers from Feltwell continued to use the site as a satellite base until the grass airfield was transferred to No. 2 Group in the exchange of bases with No. 3 Group, in the summer of 1942. Several asphalt hardstandings were put down for aircraft during 1940–1941.
In August 1943, the airfield was closed to flying while it was upgraded to A standard. Three concrete runways were built, the main aligned on 06-24, 11-29 and 17-35. 36 hardstandings were built, 35 of the loop type and a single pan. The original asphalt pans were not retained.
Following this work, RAF Methwold was a higher standard base than its parent at Feltwell. The airfield was returned to No. 3 Group and became a sub-station of RAF Mildenhall.
43 aircraft either failed to return or crashed during the operations from RAF Methwold; 25 Venturas, 6 Stirlings, and 12 Lancasters.

Units

;Based units
  • No. 57 Squadron RAF
  • No. 214 Squadron RAF
  • No. 21 Squadron RAF
  • No. 464 Squadron RAAF
  • No. 487 Squadron RNZAF
  • No. 149 Squadron RAF
  • No. 218 Squadron RAF
  • No. 207 Squadron RAF
  • No. 320 Squadron RAF
  • No. 3 Flying Training School RAF
  • No. 3 Service Flying Training School RAF
  • No. 21 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section

    Current use

After closure as an operational airfield in April 1946, the airfield remained under care and maintenance until it was finally sold in the 1960s. Today the majority of the site has been returned to agriculture, with two hangars remaining in use as agricultural grain stores and two others used for packaging Quorn and Cauldron products for sale in supermarkets.
To the southern edge of the site a well-preserved battle headquarters and some gunpits along with a number of air raid shelters may be found.