Welcome to Episode 4 of Lost Airfields and Ted and I are at RAF Woolfox Lodge, which was once home to the Avro Manchester, Short Stirling Bombers, Avro Lancasters and the Bristol Bloodhound missiles. The airfield had a Class A layout which was a set of three converging concrete runway strips. This configuration meant 6 possible directions for take off and were even made to a 60 degree angles of each other.

RAF Woolfox Lodge was built in 1939 and was in use from 1940. Although homing various Operational Training Units (OTUs) and Heavy Conversion Units (HCUs), it was also once home to Bomber Squadrons. The OTUs and HCUs were like today’s OCU’s like 29 Squadron of RAF CONINGSBY, training the pilots and crew on a specific aircraft. During World War 2, training units suffered many casualties and losses of aircraft. Not all loses were in combat but training meant that going into battle was imminent.

61 Squadron arrived in September 1941 with their Avro Manchester’s and converted to the Avro Lancaster in 1942. Four of its Lancasters; ED860 "N-Nan", EE176, JB138, and LL483, each became veterans of more than 100 operational sorties but not all sorties were flown from RAF Woolfox Lodge as the Squadron moved to RAF Syerston in late 1942.

218 (Gold Coast) Squadron left Downham Market with their “HA” marked Short Stirling bombers and arrived at Woolfox Lodge in March 1944 and on the night of their arrival set off for a raid at Le Mans. During their time at Woolfox, they carried out several mining and bombing sorties. In one month they carried out over 70 missions with no losses with their Short Stirlings and were later equipped with Avro Lancasters.

1651 HCU moved to RAF Woolfox Lodge in November 1944 from RAF RAF Wratting Common. They were once equipped with Stirling Bombers but were re-equipped with Avro Lancasters. Their markings on their Lancasters were Bravo Sierra.

In 1960 Woolfox Lodge became a site for the Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missile under No. 62 Squadron RAF. The Bristol Bloodhound was a British ramjet powered surface-to-air missile developed during the 1950s. It served as the UK's main air defence weapon.

Useful links and more info
61 SQUADRON WIKI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._61_...
218 SQUADRON
https://218squadron.wordpress.com
218 SQUADRON WIKI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._218...
RAF WOOLFOX LODGE WIKI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Woo...
1651 HCU
http://www.wcnhistory.org.uk/sqn1651....
DRONE FOOTAGE by Air Frame Media
https://airframemedia.co.uk

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