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 Metheringham
Airfield – Then & Now
Metheringham Airfield was a WWII bomber base, one
of many located in Lincolnshire. It occupied a site at the Junction
of the B1192 and the B1189, near Martin, and was operational during
the years 1943 to 1946 when it was home to 106 Squadron, Bomber
Command. Although of modest size compared to some, the airfield
had three runways, arranged in the typical triangle formation,
perimeter tracks, dispersal areas where aircraft were stored and
serviced, hangars for major repairs and all the other paraphernalia
of a wartime station. The airfield was equipped with FIDO (Fog,
Intensive Dispersal Operation), which involved the rather crude
technique of igniting petrol burners alongside the runway to burn
off the fog. Although expensive to operate it saved the lives of
many airmen. Guy Gibson flew with 106 Squadron before he left to
lead 617 Dambusters Squadron.
In all, about two thousand five hundred people worked
at the site. Living quarters, stores, social areas, chapels etc.
were located apart from the airfield proper for security reasons
and scores of buildings of all sizes were erected. They were built
to last ten years and, not surprisingly, very few remain today.
Since the area has been returned to farming most have been dismantled.
At the present time all that remains of the airfield
is one runway, which has been reduced in width and is used as a
public road, and part of the perimeter track. The outline of the
other runways is, however, still visible from the air. Across the
road, there are still some service buildings and two of these are
used by the Friends of Metheringham Airfield (FOMA). One, originally
a Rations Store, has been converted to house our museum and shop,
a ‘Dutch Crash Site’ tableau furnished with excavated
Lancaster bomber parts The Friends have strong links with Holland
as many aircraft which did not make it home crashed in that country)
and a station office with period furniture and equipment. The other
building was the gymnasium. It has a number of rooms off the main
hall and two annexes which were originally the C of E and RC chapels.
This building is now used by the Friends for larger gatherings,
particularly lectures, squadron reunions, 1940s dances etc. It
is also used to house larger artifacts which cannot be accommodated
in the museum and is a vital part of our annual open weekends.
We have recently acquired the largest model Lancaster Bomber in
the world, which, at one-quarter scale, spans more than 25 feet!)
The gymnasium restoration is now complete and the interior has been redecorated with a new resin floor. Plans are in hand to update the museum/shop area for which, funding applications have been submitted.
The Visitor Centre is open to the general public
from Easter to the end of October, Saturdays, Sundays and bank
holidays from 11am to 5pm and on Wednesdays, from 11am to
4 pm. Our well-attended lectures on aviation topics are also open
to the public and are held monthly throughout the season, and a little beyond as we are extending the program.
 Contact
Information:
Friends of Metheringham Airfield, Westmoor Farm, Martin Moor, Metheringham,
Lincoln LN4 3BQ.
Tel: 01526 378604.
Fax: 01526 378604.
E-mail: foma_lincs@hotmail.com
Website:
www.metheringhamairfield.org
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