The story of RAF Winthorpe
In early 1942 Winthorpe gained three hard runways. It became a training station for Manchester and Lancaster crews, and No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit trained crews here for the rest of the war. The perimeter track was rebuilt in 1943 to stop aircraft sinking into the ground. Halifaxes and then Stirlings joined the unit, before Lancasters returned in late 1944. By 1945 Hurricanes and Spitfires flew fighter affiliation training. The unit disbanded on 10 September 1945.
Transport Command then used Winthorpe as a satellite of Syerston. Maintenance and servicing units followed in the 1950s. The station was declared inactive in July 1959. The Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society bought 200 acres in 1964 for its showground. Newark Air Museum opened on part of the site in 1978.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron | 1940–1941 | Fairey Battle, Vickers Wellington |
| No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron | 1940–1941 | Fairey Battle, Vickers Wellington |
| No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit | 1942–1945 | Avro Manchester, Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Short Stirling |
What survives
- Part of the airfield, now Newark Air Museum
- Newark Showground, on 200 acres of the former station
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Air MuseumNewark, Nottinghamshire | £12.50 | 95 | Vulcan XM594, with cockpit tours occasionally given by former Vulcan aircrew, which reviewers describe with the reverence normally… |