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Royal Air Force Woolfox Lodge or more simply RAF Woolfox Lodge is a former Royal Air Force station next to the A1 road in Rutland, UK. The airfield is split between the parishes of Empingham and Greetham. It was open from 1940 until 1965.

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RAF Woolfox Lodge
Pickworth in England
RAF Woolfox Lodge Shown within Rutland
Coordinates	52°42′34″N 000°34′33″W
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1940 (1940)
In use	1940-1965 (1965)
Airfield information
Elevation	10 metres (33 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Concrete 00/00  Concrete 00/00  Concrete

History

Woolfox opened as a reserve landing ground for RAF Cottesmore then became a satellite to RAF North Luffenham in October 1941. Full station status was granted from June 1943. The wartime airfield comprised three tarmac runways and one Type B1 and four T2 aircraft hangars. There was temporary accommodation for 1,149 male and 252 female personnel.

RAF Woolfox Lodge was used in later years as a relief landing ground but the runways deteriorated to such a degree that the airfield had to be closed to flying by spring 1954. In 1960 a Bristol Bloodhound surface-to-air missile site under No. 62 Squadron RAF was positioned in a secure area adjacent to the A1 road near the former technical site.

RAF units and aircraft

[1]

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 61 Squadron RAF	1941-1942	Avro Manchester Avro Lancaster		Lancaster from April 1942
No. 62 Squadron RAF	1960-1964	Bristol Bloodhound	I
No. 218 Squadron RAF	1944	Short Stirling	III
No. 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF	1945	Avro Lancaster

The following units were here at some point:[2]

• No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School RAF
• No. 7 Flying Training School RAF
• No. 14 OTU (see List of Royal Air Force Operational Training Units)
• No. 29 OTU (see List of Royal Air Force Operational Training Units)
• No. 33 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section
• No. 61 Squadron Conversion Flight RAF
• No. 259 Maintenance Unit RAF
• No. 1429 (Czech Operational Training) Flight RAF
• No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF

Current use

The site is now used for agriculture and employment purposes.[3]

The Cold War-era Bloodhound missile site, while derelict, is well preserved. Hardstandings for 32 Bloodhound missiles are present. During the summer of 2018 the parch marks of various World War II-era buildings became visible on the former technical site within the boundaries of the missile site.^{[citation needed]}

The landowner in 2019 has proposed it as a site for a possible garden village.[4][5]

References

Bibliography

• Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20081207003349/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s85.html

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