MartinTimberland Community Website

MartinTimberland

Martin

Timberland

Welcome to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre

Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre 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.

Metheringham Airfield Map

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