ELSHAM WOLDS
The wide expanse of grazing pasture on Elsham Wolds, lying some nine
miles south of Hull on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber, was first
utilised as an airfield in 1916 when No. 33 Squadron, RFC, with its
FE2b and FE2d biplanes was deployed between Hull and Lincoln to counter
the Zeppelins coming in over the Lincolnshire coast during their night
raids on the Midlands. While Gainsborough served as a headquarters,
the limited endurance of the FE2s necessitated No.33's complement
being split into three flights and placed at suitable locations roughly
12 miles apart in a line between the two cities. Elsham Wolds served
C' Flight which arrived in December 1916 and stayed until June 1918,
flying many sorties to try to counter the Zeppelin raids but without
success. Wooden huts and a small aircraft shed were erected but had
been demolished by 1919 when the wold was returned to cattle and sheep.
In the late 1930s, with the threat of another war, there was a requirement
to find new airfield sites for RAF expansion. The 1914-1918 locations
were some of the first reviewed but at Elsham Wolds an area to the
west of the earlier site was found more suitable. Preparations did
not begin until the winter of 1939-1940 and were not completed until
the summer of 1941 owing to the decision to put down hard runways
before the station was opened and these were then extended: the main
14-32 at 2,000 yards and subsidiaries 02-20 to 1,400 yards and 08-26
to 1,600 yards. Initially 27 hardstandings were provided, later increased
to 36, which comprised three loops and the rest pans. The technical
site with one Type J hangar and two T2s was built on the east side
of the airfield. Three Type T2s were erected early in 1944 to serve
No. 13 Base Maintenance. These were on a spur that ran to the edge
of the First World War aerodrome site, south of runway head 28. Domestic
sites for up to 2,068 males and 493 females were dispersed in adjoining
farmland to the southeast. Bomb stores were located off the northeast
side of the airfield.
In July 1941 No. 103 Squadron and its Wellingtons arrived from Newton
for operations, the first sorties from Elsham Wolds being flown on
the night of the 24th. In the following spring the squadron began
conversion to Halifaxes. However, this association was brief for no
sooner had No. 103 taken the Halifax to battle in July 1942, than
No. 1 Group embarked on all-Lancaster re-equipment and by October
the Halifaxes had been withdrawn. In November 1943, No. 103 shed its
C" Flight which expanded to become No.576 Squadron. The new squadron
and its Lancaster's remained until October 1944 when they moved to
Fiskerton, that station being transferred from No. 5 Group. No. 100
Squadron's Lancaster's were moved in from Grimsby during the last
month of the war, supposedly due to deterioration of that airfield's
runways.
Only one other Bomber Command squadron had a longer association with
one airfield during wartime than No. 103 for it remained at Elsham
Wolds until six months after VE-Day. No. 103 is credited with more
operational sorties than any other No. 1 Group squadron but consequently
it suffered the group's highest losses and of the 248 bombers lost
on operations while flying from Elsham Wolds, 198 were from No. 103
Squadron. Of the 248 total, 28 comprised Wellingtons, 12 Halifaxes
and 208 Lancaster's. One Elsham Wolds Lancaster, ED888, which served
with both Nos.103 and 576, held the Bomber Command record for operational
sorties having completed 140 between May 1943 and December 1944.
The Lancaster squadrons departed for Scampton's permanent and more
comfortable camp in December 1945, No.l03 having been re-numbered
No.57 in one of those insensitive number-juggling exercises in which
the Air Ministry frequently indulged. Their place at Elsham was taken
by No. 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit of Transport Command which
exercised with Halifax and Albemarle tugs and Horsa gliders for nearly
a year, before its personnel too were given superior accommodation
at North Luffenham. This marked the end of Elsham Wolds as a military
airfield, the land soon being returned to agriculture and many of
the buildings employed for commercial enterprises. In 1970s, the new
A15 dual carriageway road linking the M180 with the Humber Bridge
was taken across the old airfield site. During the same period a water
treatment works was built near the A15. The control tower, visible
from this road for many years, was reputed to be haunted!
