Also known as RAF Cammeringham
The story of RAF Ingham
On 20 June 1941 the Polish Nos. 301 and 305 Squadrons arrived from Hemswell with Wellingtons. No. 300 Polish Squadron joined in May 1942. Losses were heavy. In mid-1943 No. 301 Squadron lost crews over Cologne, Essen and Bremen, and three more on one night in July. Lacking experienced crews, the Polish headquarters disbanded the squadron. No. 305 Squadron stayed until August 1943. Stirlings of No. 199 Squadron trained here for minelaying in early 1943. In all, 35 Wellingtons and their crews were lost on operations from Ingham.
In November 1944 the station was renamed RAF Cammeringham. Spares had been sent to Ingham in Norfolk and Ingham in Suffolk by mistake. The grass runways wore out, and flying stopped in early 1945. A ground training school stayed until the station closed in December 1946. The Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre remembers the four Polish squadrons based here.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron | 1941–1943 | Vickers Wellington |
| No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron | 1941–1943 | Vickers Wellington |
| No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron | 1942–1943 | Vickers Wellington |
| No. 199 Squadron | 1943–1943 | Short Stirling |
What survives
- The brick control tower
- Several Quonset huts and the northern stretch of perimeter track
- Cliffe House, the wartime officers' mess, now private
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre, RAF InghamGainsborough, Lincolnshire | £8 | 1 | RAF Ingham's Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre honours the four Polish squadrons of 1 Group with bilingual displays, a restored Nissen… |