Former RAF Witchford

 Second World War 1939-1945, abandoned / shut down, RAF - Royal Air Force, draw only border, former air force base

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Located south-south-west of Ely near the junction of the A10 and A142 highways, Witchford was built on a ten-foot rise of stable soil, part of the outcrop in the Fens known as the Isle of Ely. Construction began in 1942 and it was officially opened as a No. 3 Group station to Class A standard in June 1943. The three intersecting runways had lengths of 2,010 yards for 10-28, 1,408 yards for 16-34 and 1,418 yards for 04 22.

All 36 hardstandings were of loop type. A Bl and a T2 hangar were erected on the technical site on the north-west side of the airfield between runway heads 10 and 16, close to Witchford village. A second T2 lay between runways heads 04 and 34, close to the bomb stores near Bedwell Hey Lane. A total of 14 dispersed sites, north- west of the airfield and Witchford village catered for a maximum 1,502 males and 230 females.

Wellingtons of No. 196 Squadron posted in from No. 4 Group in July 1943 converted to Stirlings and took them into battle the following month. However, the increasing vulnerability of the type to the enemy's night defences reinforced No. 3 Group's plan to reequip with Lancasters.

In November 1943, No. 196 took its Stirlings to Leicester East for troop transport duties leaving Witchford for the Lancasters of No. 115 Squadron, which had been operating from Little Snoring. No. 115 remained in residence for the rest of hostilities, flying its last raid from the station on April 25, 1945. The squadron left in August 1945 for Graveley. A total of 99 bombers despatched on operations from Witchford were lost, 8 being Stirlings and 91 Lancasters.

The airfield, not used again for flying, closed in the spring of 1946. Runways were broken up during the 1960-70s and the south hangar removed. The technical site hangars were retained for some years for military storage and currently one T2 remains on the former technical site, which now forms Lancaster Way Business Park.

The modern offices of Grovemere Holdings house a foyer museum display in honour of the wartime occupants, from a No. 115 Squadron Lancaster shot down by an intruder on the night of April 19, 1944. Apart from an area of the runways used for poultry units, the landing ground area had been reclaimed for arable farming.

www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s50.html