FISKERTON
Only 4.5 miles east of the city of Lincoln, this bomber airfield was constructed to Class A standard on the west side of Fiskerton Moor, south-east of the LNER line from Lincoln to Market Rasen. At the same time the road from Fiskerton village to Reepham had to be closed. The concrete runways were 08-26 at 2,000 yards and the subsidiaries, O5-23 and 13-31, both 1,400 yards in length. The normal 36 hardstandings were provided, all of the pan type, but one was lost with the erection of a T2 hangar on the north side between runway heads 23 and 26. Another T2 and a B1 were put up near the technical site on the east side between runway heads 26 and 31, the B 1 being the southernmost. The bomb stores were to the north between runway heads 13 and 23. Most of the domestic sites were dispersed in fields close to the Fiskerton village to Stainfield road, comprising seven domestic, two communal, one WAAF and sick quarters. Maximum accommodation was put at 2,016 males and 297 females. F. G. Mintee Ltd and Constable Hart & Co. Ltd were involved in the later stages of construction.
Built in 1942 and assigned to No. 5 Group, the airfield was ready for occupation by the end of the year and No. 49 Squadron brought its Lancaster's in from Scampton in January 1943. During runway repairs effected during September and October 1944, the opportunity was taken to install the fog dispersal system called FIDO. While this work was carried out No. 49's Lancasters operated from Dunholme Lodge. No. 49 remained in residence until October 1944 when a re-allocation of airfields in the area put Fiskerton into No. 1 Group's control and No. 49 moved to Fulbeck, recently vacated by the USAAF. At the end of the same month, No. 1 Group brought in No. 576 Squadron to give more space at Elsham Wolds. At around the same date C Flight of No. 550 Squadron was detached and sent to Fiskerton to become the nucleus of a re-formed No.150 Squadron but within a few days No. 1 Group had a change of plan and the emergent squadron was moved to Hemswell, which had also been acquired from No. 5 Group.
No.576 Squadron stayed at Fiskerton until the end of the war, thereafter gradually reducing in both personnel and equipment to being officially disbanded in September 1945. During hostilities, 117 Lancasters of the two squadrons were lost in the course of operations from this station. Before the end of the year the base was put on care and maintenance but as there was no further need for the flying field it was returned to agriculture. In the 1950s, a protected Royal Observer Corps group headquarters control room was built adjacent to the former technical site and it remained in use until the Corps was disbanded in September 1991. Only small areas of runway concrete and the odd building ruin remain in 2002. A memorial to Nos.49 and 576 Squadrons is on the roadside near the old main runway.
