RAF Grimsby was initially opened as a satellite station for RAF Binbrook in November 1941. The station was officially named RAF Grimsby although the name of the nearby village Waltham was used by locals and servicemen.
Contents |
Throughout the war the station was under 1 Group Bomber Command. Three squadrons served at RAF Grimsby during its operation: 142 Squadron, 100 Squadron and 550 Squadron.
The station was closed some weeks prior to the surrender of Germany and the hangars were used by No.35 MU for storage and the flying field reverted to back to agricultural use. Years later the A16 was being improved and a bypass for the village of Holton-le-Clay cut into a large proportion of the station.[1]
Currently a memorial to 100 Squadron stands near the B1 Hangar, next to the northern entrance to Holton-le-Clay.[1] There is a memorial for 550 Squadron at the now disused station RAF North Killingholme and 142 Squadron is said to have a memorial in North Africa.
Many of the airfield buildings still survive and are currently in use by a Haulage firm and mechanics. Most of the runways have been ripped up and much of it was used to build the road that leads up to the Humber Bridge. Out of the 30+ dispersals built only one remains to this day. It is still quite possible to see the outlines of some from the air however the vast majority have gone.
Notable surviving buildings include the Control Tower, Crew Locker and Dryer Rooms, the Pre-War, B1 and T2 hangars, however much of the station is in a state of disrepair and is also victim to fly-tipping. Old unused farm equipment also litters the station along with various weeds and rubble, and phantoms are also said to dwell there including the body of a headless airman.[2]
A Golf Course, Golf Driving Range and a Go-Karting track have been built on the station and a coal merchants stands on what was once the Fuel Dump. The Bomb Dump has totally disappeared and various buildings in the village of Waltham, Lincolnshire such as accommodation huts no longer exist. The only remaining building in the village is the W.A.A.F. canteen and Kitchen which currently house the Museum of Rural Life and RAF Grimsby Exhibition at the Waltham Windmill. This building has been extended.