RAF Syerston, Nottinghamshire

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston opened in 1940, a second phase expansion scheme airfield. It would have had a full grass landing ground. Closed in December 1941 to allow three concrete runways with two 1400yds and the main runway 1950yds. 150 feet wide with a 50ft perimeter track running right around. It started with just two J type hangars but they were increased with three T2's and three Glider T2's (un shore of what they were). Last a B1 repair shed.

J type.

 

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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The yellow arrows are the route that I took.
CT : Control Tower
SQ : Squash Court.
Red circle : a dispersed camp in the woodland.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Main Gate.
A quick history:
Initially a bomber station when it opened in 1940 as an expansion period airfield with a grass field,
Vickers Wellingtons, Avro Manchesters and then Avro Lancasters. as the war started to end Syerston became a training airfield and continued on with piston Provosts and then
Jet Provosts of 2 Flying Training School (FTS). until it closed as an operational station in 1976. Syerston is currently home to the RAF's Air Cadets Central Gliding School, responsible for the allocation and maintenance of gliders, and No 643 and 644 Volunteer Gliding Schools.

Vickers Wellington.

Avro Manchester.

Avro Lancaster.

Jet Provost.

from RAF 644 volunteer Gliding Squadron Facebook page..

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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The control tower is a Watch Office with Met Section, 5845/39 (brick) and was an Operational Bomber Station.

 

RAF Bomber Command.

Officers Mess.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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The control tower is a Watch Office with Met Section, 5845/39 (brick) and was an Operational Bomber Station.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Two J type hangars are now left here, one B1 & six T2's have been removed. Being a pre 1939 planed bomber station the 'J' type hangar was the preferred choice. It was large enough to take the heaviest bombers to date. They had six large doors giving full width opening.

J type hangar inside.

T2 hangar.

B1 repair shed.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Accommodation
Most of the buildings were removed in 1997 but one H block still remains.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Two of the heavy bomber runways.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Hangars
Another view of the 'J' type hangars showing offices running the full length on both sides.

RAF Syerston Hanger Demolition.
The sheets of steel are 6mm thick and fully welded together.

J type.

J type.

RAF Dakota's trained here with RAF Transport Command..

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Bomber frying pan dispersal
Tie downs dug up from other dispersal's and used to stop entry to this one.

On the south side of the A46 road I thought I saw a squash court as well.

Lancaster ZN-S of No. 106 Sqn RAF,

Bomber frying pan dispersal.

Halifax on a dispersal.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Roadway to dispersed camp.

 

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Dispersed Camp in Woodland
Circled in red on the map is the woodland of a large house where several buildings were placed. Here arrowed is a large Nissen hut (inset) 24ft span and roadways.
Although this was a pre war laid out airfield, as the war progressed and the bombing of airfields became an issue, dispersal of accommodation was needed. So sites were set up off the airfield itself. This is one of them.

Some of the dispersed accommodation would be in Nissen huts.

Temporary Brick structures would have been around here.

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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Wooden Hutting
Just beside the Nissen hut is this wooden hut of RAF type. Windows are typical Air Ministry types and painted white..

Wooden hutting.

 

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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A Large Concrete Base
Main picture is of a large concrete area which would have had several huts around it and inset are three pictures from inside the Nissen hut.

There were more tracks off into the wood and some more remains just above ground level but not much more.

 

 

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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24ft Nissen hut. Unknown.

This is a Sergeants Mess 24ft Nissen hut.

 

 

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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24ft Nissen hut.

Coat hook rail.

 

 

 

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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24ft Nissen hut.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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The air & ground crew of Avro Lancaster B Mk1, W4236 'QR-K of 'A' Flight, No. 61 Squadron RAF, grouped by the nose of the aircraft at Syerston, Nottinghamshire, after its had completed 70 operational flights.

Air crew, (standing) left to right:
F.O. FL Hewish. air bomber; P.O. WH Eager RCAF, pilot & captain; Sergeant FR Stone, wireless operator; Sergeant LS Vanner, rear gunner; Sergeant HT Petts, navigator; Sergeant FR Sharrard. mid-upper gunner; Sergeant L Lawrence, flight engineer.
Ground crew (sitting) left to right:
L. A. W A Long, F M (engines); Corp. C Bowyer, fitter; (airframe); L. A. J Blackwood, F.M. (air frames).

Ranks:
F.O. Flying Officer.
P.O. Pilot Officer.
L.A. Leading Aircraftsman.
Corp. Corporal.
F.M. Flight Mechanic.

WAAF and other ground crew members wave off Pilot Officer W H Eager RCAF and his crew in Avro Lancaster B Mark I, W4236 'QR-K', of No. 61 Squadron RAF, as they begin their take-off run from Syerston, Nottinghamshire, for a night raid on Hamburg, Germany. This was W4236's 74th mission, from which it returned safely: it was lost, however, during a raid on Mannheim on 10 August 1943.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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49 Squadron Royal Air Force
    Syerston. May, 1945.

RAF Syerston

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RAF Syerston

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© 2013 Richard Drew