Also known as Lancaster Way Business Park
The story of RAF Witchford
No. 115 Squadron arrived on 26 November 1943 with the Lancaster II. It changed to Lancaster Is and IIIs in March 1944 and stayed until September 1945. No. 195 Squadron re-formed at Witchford on 1 October 1944 with Lancasters, before moving to Wratting Common in November. Part of No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School also used the field in 1944. In all, 99 bombers sent on operations from Witchford were lost: 8 Stirlings and 91 Lancasters.
After the war an aircrew holding unit stayed until March 1946. In 1958 Witchford was first listed as a site for American Thor ballistic missiles. The Church Commissioners owned the land, so nearby RAF Mepal was chosen instead. Most of the airfield is now the Lancaster Way Business Park, with the rest farmed. The RAF Witchford Collection is displayed on the business park.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 196 Squadron | 1943–1943 | Vickers Wellington X, Short Stirling III |
| No. 513 Squadron | 1943–1943 | Short Stirling III |
| No. 115 Squadron | 1943–1945 | Avro Lancaster |
| No. 195 Squadron | 1944–1944 | Avro Lancaster |
What survives
- Lancaster Way Business Park, built on the airfield
- The rest of the site returned to farmland
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Witchford CollectionEly, Cambridgeshire | Check website | — | The RAF Witchford Collection: a foyer display at a business park with an outsized emotional payload — the only memorial collection to the… |