RAF Swinderby

During World War II, RAF Swinderby operated under RAF Bomber Command and was home to several bomber squadrons, including No. 300 and No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadrons, which initially flew Fairey Battles before transitioning to Vickers Wellingtons. Other squadrons stationed at Swinderby operated aircraft such as the Handley Page Hampden.

On 16 July 1941, RAF Swinderby hosted a historic ceremony in which General Władysław Sikorski, the Polish Commander-in-Chief, was presented with the newly created Polish Air Force Colour. It was first entrusted to No. 300 Squadron, the senior Polish unit in Britain, before being rotated among Polish squadrons every three months.

RAF Swinderby also played a logistical role in Operation Chastise, supporting the preparations and deployment of aircraft involved in the Dambusters Raid of 16–17 May 1943.

Following the war, RAF Swinderby transitioned into a training facility, eventually becoming the RAF School of Recruit Training in 1964, responsible for the basic training of enlisted personnel. It remained in operation until 17 December 1993, after which the Joint Elementary Flying Training Squadron moved to RAF Topcliffe.

Only 2 Hangars and a view partly demolished building remain. Most of the WW2 buildings were demolished in 2012.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: TracesOfWar.nl