RAF Ingham (Cammeringham)
Words and images by Richard Hall unless otherwise stated.
The village of Ingham in Lincolnshire is situated approximately seven miles north-northwest of Lincoln. Just over a mile to the northeast of here lies a patch of land that, in the late 1930s, was selected for the construction of an airfield.
RAF Ingham was built as an all-grass airfield and acted as a satellite to RAF Hemswell. Runways were orientated north-south, southwest–northwest both at 1,600 yards and east-west at 1,200 yards. Initially, twenty-four pan-type dispersals were provided, but a further twelve came into use after the laying of a concrete perimeter track in the spring of 1942. To give a degree of shelter for maintenance crews in what could be harsh Lincolnshire weather, two T2 hangars and a B1 were provided. Accommodation was provided for 107 officers and 1,295 other ranks.
The village of Ingham in Lincolnshire is situated approximately seven miles north-northwest of Lincoln. Just over a mile to the northeast of here lies a patch of land that, in the late 1930s, was selected for the construction of an airfield.
RAF Ingham was built as an all-grass airfield and acted as a satellite to RAF Hemswell. Runways were orientated north-south, southwest–northwest both at 1,600 yards and east-west at 1,200 yards. Initially, twenty-four pan-type dispersals were provided, but a further twelve came into use after the laying of a concrete perimeter track in the spring of 1942. To give a degree of shelter for maintenance crews in what could be harsh Lincolnshire weather, two T2 hangars and a B1 were provided. Accommodation was provided for 107 officers and 1,295 other ranks.
Airspeed Oxford I MP425, similar to the type flown by No. 11 Service Flying Training School.
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Around ninety-five miles southwest of Ingham, the airfield at Shawbury was home to No. 11 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), and in the autumn of 1941, major works were being undertaken to lay concrete runways. This presented a problem as the work was disrupting training, culminating in the need to find alternative arrangements. To this end, Course No. 37, with seven instructors and twenty pupils, moved to Ingham on 17 October of the same year to undertake night flying training with its Airspeed Oxfords. In doing so, the unit became the first users of the new site, which, at the time, was still under construction.
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Five days later, while flying from the airfield, No. 11 SFTS suffered a fatal accident, as described in the ORB:
Fatal Night Flying Accident. Oxford II V3632. The pilot, Pilot Officer M. A. Bunn, was giving dual instruction at night to 1114456 L.A.C. Zarraga P. He made one satisfactory circuit, but after taking off for the second time, the aircraft was observed to climb hardly at all, and it crashed into a belt of trees about half a mile beyond the windward boundary, becoming a total wreck. It did not catch fire, but both instructor and pupil were killed outright. An investigation was called for, and the accident was reported by Signal T.126 from RAF Hemswell.
The unit's stay was brief, and a return to Shawbury came on 24 October of the same year. A lull in activities then occurred but, in May 1942, a Polish bomber squadron arrived.
Fatal Night Flying Accident. Oxford II V3632. The pilot, Pilot Officer M. A. Bunn, was giving dual instruction at night to 1114456 L.A.C. Zarraga P. He made one satisfactory circuit, but after taking off for the second time, the aircraft was observed to climb hardly at all, and it crashed into a belt of trees about half a mile beyond the windward boundary, becoming a total wreck. It did not catch fire, but both instructor and pupil were killed outright. An investigation was called for, and the accident was reported by Signal T.126 from RAF Hemswell.
The unit's stay was brief, and a return to Shawbury came on 24 October of the same year. A lull in activities then occurred but, in May 1942, a Polish bomber squadron arrived.
To give some background, the Germans invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, followed by the Soviet Union seventeen days later. The treatment of the Indigenous population by the invaders was horrific, with the military and civilians suffering alike. The Polish Air Force put up a determined defence but could not prevail, and many of its airmen escaped the country to continue the fight, initially within France, but after its fall in June 1940, to Britain. By the end of July of the same year, over 6,000 Polish airmen had escaped to fight another day. After what they had witnessed during the invasion of their homeland and the appalling treatment meted out, the Poles had a ruthless determination to hit back at the aggressors, something they did with great courage, determination and utmost skill. This was borne out during the Battle of Britain when No. 303 Squadron achieved the highest number of air-to-air kills of any unit participating. Along with flying fighters, the Poles also went on to operate bombers with the first two squadrons, Nos. 300 (Masovian) and 301 (Pomeranian) both formed in July 1940 at Bramcote with the Fairey Battle before converting to the Vickers Wellington in October of the same year.
On 17 May 1942, the Wright Cyclone-powered Wellington IVs coded BH of No. 300 (Masovian) Squadron flew into Ingham from Hemswell. The unit undertook its first operation on 18/19 May, with seven aircraft attacking Mannheim and two St Nazaire. All returned safely.
Loss figures are listed as those within Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, W. R. Chorley.
With No. 1 Group deciding to base all Polish bomber squadrons at Hemswell, No. 300 returned there on 31 January 1943, with No. 199 Squadron coded EX arriving from Blyton with its Bristol Hercules-powered Wellington IIIs on 3 February of the same year. The unit stayed until 20 June before departing to Lakenheath to convert to the Short Stirling with No. 3 Group. During No. 199's tenure at Ingham, it lost eleven Wellingtons on operations and one due to an accident, with fifty-four crew killed and three becoming POWs.
Loss figures are listed as those within Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, W. R. Chorley.
With No. 1 Group deciding to base all Polish bomber squadrons at Hemswell, No. 300 returned there on 31 January 1943, with No. 199 Squadron coded EX arriving from Blyton with its Bristol Hercules-powered Wellington IIIs on 3 February of the same year. The unit stayed until 20 June before departing to Lakenheath to convert to the Short Stirling with No. 3 Group. During No. 199's tenure at Ingham, it lost eleven Wellingtons on operations and one due to an accident, with fifty-four crew killed and three becoming POWs.
Vickers Wellington X HF598 of No. 300 (Masovian) Squadron. Author's collection.
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Two days after the departure of No. 199 Squadron, No. 300 returned (by this time, both units had converted to the Wellington X), accompanied by No. 305 (Ziemia Wielkopolska) Squadron (Wellington X) coded SM, arrived due to runway construction at Hemswell. The two units operated together until No. 305 was withdrawn and transferred to No. 2 Group and the 2nd Tactical Air Force on 5 September 1943, where it converted at RAF Swanton Morley to the North American Mitchell.
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Due to problems with the landing ground at RAF Newton, it was necessary to reduce traffic at the Nottinghamshire airfield. To this end, on 24 December 1943, Ingham briefly became home to No.1 Squadron of No. 16 (Polish) Service Flying Training School, which brought fourteen Oxfords to carry out day flying training. The unit returned to Newton on 2 February 1944.
While flying from Ingham, No. 300 Squadron lost thirty-two Wellingtons, with 108 crew killed and thirty becoming POWs or evading. The loss by the unit of Wellington X JA117 with all crew on a Gardening operation to St Nazaire on 20/21 February 1944 marked the type's last operational failure to return in Bomber Command service.
While flying from Ingham, No. 300 Squadron lost thirty-two Wellingtons, with 108 crew killed and thirty becoming POWs or evading. The loss by the unit of Wellington X JA117 with all crew on a Gardening operation to St Nazaire on 20/21 February 1944 marked the type's last operational failure to return in Bomber Command service.
Crew members of No. 305 (Ziemia Wielkopolska) Squadron sit astride a 4,000Ib high capacity bomb, with Vickers Wellington X MS495 to the rear. Author's collection.
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For No. 305, two Wellingtons were lost on operations, with five crew killed. A further aircraft crashed during a training flight, with no fatalities, but injuries were sustained.
No. 300 Squadron continued to operate but, in December 1943, reduced its strength to eight Wellingtons and twelve crews while others from the unit were attached to No. 11 Base to convert to the Avro Lancaster, which, when complete, necessitated the squadron moving to RAF Faldingworth in March 1944. The lack of hard runways precluded the use of the airfield for four-engine heavy bombers. |
Following the departure of No. 300 Squadron, Ingham's operational days were over, and the station became home to No. 1687 Bomber (Defence) Training Flight and No. 1481 (Bomber) Gunnery Flight, which operated a variety of aircraft, including the Miles Master, Martinet, Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Wellington. The two units' role was to provide target towing and bomber interception practice.
On 24 November 1944, the airfield was renamed Cammeringham to avoid confusion with villages of the same name in Norfolk and Suffolk, which often received supplies of aircraft parts they really had no use for. The following day, No. 1481 Flight was disbanded, and its aircraft and personnel were absorbed by No. 1687.
The station became a sub-station of No. 15 Base Scampton on 1 December and was placed under Care and Maintenance. Two days later, No. 1687 moved to Scampton, with the Night Bomber Training School moving in and staying until 20 January 1945 before relocating to RAF Worksop.
In April 1945, the station's hangars were brought into use to store food for Operation Manna, which was dropped by RAF aircraft to the starving population of the German-occupied Netherlands. On 18 June of the same year, Cammeringham was handed over to No. 24 Group Technical Training Command, and all flying ceased. No. 16 School of Technical Training (Polish) arrived in the same month from RAF Locking, followed in November by No. 4 Personnel Holding Unit (Polish), which took over the station. Also coming were the Polish Air Force Film Unit, and to help with the resettlement of the many Polish airmen that were in the area, No. 1 Polish Resettlement Unit was formed on 1 November 1946 and disbanded on 7 December of the same year. After this date, the station was closed and returned to the original landowners.
RAF Ingham Today
In April 2013, I paid a visit with the Airfield Research Group to Ingham at a time when restoration works of the former airmen's mess by volunteers from the RAF Ingham Heritage Centre were in their infancy.
In April 2013, I paid a visit with the Airfield Research Group to Ingham at a time when restoration works of the former airmen's mess by volunteers from the RAF Ingham Heritage Centre were in their infancy.
The Airmen's Mess under restoration in 2013.
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This dilapidated building seen in 2013 is now the newly refurbished Airmen's Rest cafe. Well worth a visit, great food and hot drinks.
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This was an ambitious project tackled with a determination to succeed. Fast forward to 17 April 2024, and the official opening of the now-named Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre took place, with public access available three days later.
In the grip of Storm Darragh on 7 December 2024, I made a return journey to view the newly opened Centre, and the transformation from 2013 was truly stunning.
In the grip of Storm Darragh on 7 December 2024, I made a return journey to view the newly opened Centre, and the transformation from 2013 was truly stunning.
The newly restored and opened Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre in December 2024.
A mock up of an Avro Lancaster cockpit made from cardboard on display within the centre.
RAF Ingham Memorial - December 2024.
The superbly restored Polish Families Nissen Hut adorned for Christmas.
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Information with regards to opening times, etc, can be found by following the link: RAF Ingham Heritage Centre
Information with regards to opening times, etc, can be found by following the link: RAF Ingham Heritage Centre