RAF Syerston


Royal Air Force Syerston, commonly known simply as RAF Syerston, is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, England. Opened in 1940, it was used by the Royal Air Force as a bomber base during the Second World War, operating Vickers Wellingtons, Avro Manchesters, and the Avro Lancaster heavy bombers. Post-war, it became home to Jet Provosts of the 2 Flying Training School RAF|2 Flying Training School]. It is now home to the Royal Air Force Central Gliding School.

History

Bomber Command

RAF Syerston was built as part of the bomber expansion in the late 1930s, but did not open until 1 December 1940. The first aircraft were Vickers Wellingtons crewed by Polish flyers who had joined the RAF. In July 1941, they were replaced by members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, flying Handley-Page Hampdens. From December 1941 until 5 May 1942, the base was closed whilst a concrete runway was built with two T2 hangars. When it re-opened, it became part of No. 5 Group. In 1942, several squadrons of Avro Lancaster aircraft arrived. No. 61 Conversion Flight between May and August 1942 with Manchesters and Lancasters and No. 408 Conversion Flight between May and June 1942 used the airfield supporting their respective squadrons. The airfield was used as a Relief Landing Ground for No. 16 SFTS during Winter 1942/43
In March 1943, Wing Commander Guy Gibson was commanding officer of 106 Sqn at Syerston, before he was given the task of forming 617 Sqn – The Dambusters, at RAF Coningsby.
On 3/4 November 1943, Bill Reid of 61 Squadron RAF|61 Squadron] was awarded a Victoria Cross on a mission flown from Syerston.
On 17 November 1943, the operational squadrons departed, and the station was used for bomber crew training, led by Captain Robert White. No. 1668 Heavy Conversion Unit joined on 17 November 1943 and became No. 5 Lancaster Finishing School four days later. No. 1485 Gunnery Flight between November 1943 and February 1944. From November 1943 to July 1944, there was also No. 1690 Defence Training Flight in attendance with several Wellingtons, Spitfires, Hurricanes, plus a few Martinet tug aircraft; all employed in brushing up the skills of air gunners on air-to-air exercises. The LFS left on 1 April 1945, with No. 49 Squadron arriving from RAF Fulbeck later in the month who only had one operation before leaving to RAF Mepal in September. Bomber Command Film Flight Unit between April and October 1945 used the airfield.

Post-war use

On 25 October 1945, the station became part of Transport Command with No. 1668 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF arriving from RAF Leicester East, which stayed until 5 January 1948 when it moved to RAF Dishforth. No. 1331 Heavy Transport Conversion Unit reformed here on 15 December 1946 with the Halifax A.7, the unit was disbanded on 5 January 1948. No. 1333 Conversion Unit arrived October 1945, absorbing No. 1385 Heavy Transport Conversion Unit during July 1946, became No. 1333 Transport Support Training Unit during July 1946 then moved to North Luffenham during January 1948.
Syerston was taken over by Flying Training Command on 1 February 1948, when No. 22 Service [Flying Training School RAF|No. 22 Service Flying Training School] arrived from RAF Ouston, the unit was renamed to No. 22 FTS one day later, the unit trained pilots for the Fleet Air Arm. Other nearby RAF airfields used for flying circuits were RAF Newton and RAF Tollerton. The training school became No. 1 Flying Training School on 1 May 1955.
In late February 1965, the South Notts Hunt crossed the airfield, with jet aircraft taking off. Night flying stopped in September 1969. In June 1969 the station had 700 personnel, with 77 women in the WRAF.
The flying training school was disbanded on 16 January 1970 when the need for pilots had diminished, and the station lay vacant. Syerston was placed under care and maintenance from 1971 and used as a Relief Landing Ground for RAF College during 1972.
In 1975 part of the station was re-opened when the Air Cadets Central Gliding School moved from RAF Spitalgate to Syerston.

Role and operations

643 VGS joined in October 1992, followed by No. 645 VGS from April 1998 until 2005. Most of the original station buildings were demolished in 1997 except for two hangars, the air traffic control tower, and one H-block.
In January 2014, the Central Gliding School and No. 644 Volunteer Gliding Squadron have been based at Syerston.
2014 saw the reformation of No. 2 Flying Training School at Syerston, along with a permanent home for Headquarters No. 2 Flying Training School, the Royal Air Force Central Gliding School, and No. 644 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.

List of Station Commanders

  • 1948, Group Captain Edward Hugh Markham David CBE DFC, awarded the DFC in September 1941, awarded the CBE in the 1950 New Year Honours, he married Muriel Sanderson Robins, of Boston, Lincolnshire on 29 June 1937, had children Jeremy, Diana, Carol and Hilary; he died aged 56 in August 1957 in Billingshurst.
  • 1950, Group Captain George Francis Wheaton Heycock DFC, the son of Rev Francis Wheaton Heycock of Roehampton, becoming a test pilot in Hampshire
  • March 1955, Group Captain H T Bennett
  • 20 November 1957, Group Captain John Hubert Lempriere Blount DFC, Air Commodore Blount was killed aged 48 at 9.15am on Thursday 7 December 1967 in a red-coloured Westland Whirlwind, one of two, of the Queen's Flight, in a crash which killed four RAF officers, 35-year-old Queen's Flight engineering officer Squadron Leader Michael Hermon of Avon Road in Devizes, the pilot 49-year-old Squadron Leader Jack Liversedge DFC, and the navigator 36-year-old Flight Lieutenant Ronald Fisher. A rotor blade had sheared off, at a height of 500 feet.
  • February 1960, Group Captain Gerald Bernard Warner CBE DFC, aged 42, awarded the CBE in the 1962 Birthday Honours; he was born in 1917, from St Helens, and attended Cowley Grammar School, and was a nephew of the headmaster Gerald Dowse; he married on 2 March 1940 at Rainhill Parish Church
  • 1 August 1962, Group Captain James William Louw DFC, with a 19-year-old daughter, born 2 January 1943, who had joined the WRAF at RAF Jurby; he was born in Heidelberg, Gauteng in 1918, the son of Tobias Louw of Germiston, he had joined the RAF in 1938, when a Flight Lieutenant in 240 Squadron he was awarded the DFC and married Joan Barbara Grainger of Belfast on 25 July 1941 at Killadeas church, and flew Henri Giraud out of France in April 1942, and was the first person to fly the Consolidated PBY Catalina operationally
  • 5 August 1967, Group Captain Rex David Roe , later Air Chief Marshal, he had previously been three years stationed at RAF Pitreavie Castle

Based units

Notable units based at RAF Syerston.
;No. 22 Group (Training) RAF

Parented units

Royal Air Force Syerston is parent to four satellite airfields, namely RAF Kenley, RAF Kirknewton, RAF Topcliffe, and RAF Little Rissington.

Historical units

Incidents

On 20 September 1958, the prototype Avro Vulcan VX770 crashed during a fly past at RAF Syerston Battle of Britain At Home display. A Rolls-Royce test pilot was authorised to fly VX770 on an engine performance sortie with a fly past at the Battle of Britain display. The briefing was for the pilot to fly over the airfield twice at, flying at a speed of. The Vulcan flew along the main 07/25 runway, then started a roll to starboard and climbed slightly. Very shortly after, a kink appeared in the starboard mainplane leading edge, followed by a stripping of the leading edge of the wing. The starboard wingtip then broke, followed by a collapse of the main spar and wing structure. Subsequently, the Vulcan went into a dive, and began rolling with the starboard wing on fire, and struck the ground at the taxiway end of runway 07. Three occupants of a controllers' caravan were killed by debris, a fourth being injured. All the crew of the Vulcan were killed. Proposed causes of the accident have included pilot error, fatigue failure, and inadequate maintenance.