RAF Syerston
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RAF Syerston was built as part of the Bomber expansion in the late 1930s, but did not open until December 1 1940. The first aircraft were Vickers Wellingtons crewed by Polish pilots.
In July 1941 they were replaced by members of the RCAF flying Handley-Page Hampdens. From December 1941 until May 5 1942, the base was closed whilst a concrete runway was built with two T2 hangars. When it re-opened, it became part of No. 5 Group. In 1942 several squadrons of Avro Lancaster aircraft arrived.
In 1943 Bill Reid of 61 Squadron won a Victoria Cross on a mission flown from Syerston.
In 1943 the operational squadrons departed, and the station was used for Bomber crew training, becoming known as the Lancaster Finishing School in January 1944.
From November 1943 to July 1944 there was also a Bombing and Gunnery Defence Training Flight in attendance with several Wellingtons, Spitfires, Hurricanes, plus a few Martinet Tug aircraft.
In 1945, the base became part of Transport Command with a Heavy Conversion Unit arriving from RAF Leicester East. Which stayed until January 5 1948 when it moved to RAF Dishforth.
RAF Syerston was taken over by Flying Training Command on the 1 February 1948 when No.22 Flying School arrived from RAF Ouston which trained pilots for the Fleet Air Arm.
In 1975 the Air Cadet Central Gliding School and 644 Volunteer Gliding Squadron moved to Syerston, later joined by 643 VGS who have been at RAF Syerston since 1992. This has been their longest home yet.
From 1990 Nottingham University Gliding Club, then affiliated with the Four Counties Gliding Club. Used the airfield until the late 1990s, when both moved to RAF Barkston Heath.
On 20 September 1958, an Avro Vulcan VX770 crashed during a fly past at RAF Syerston killing all the crew as well as four ground crew during a Battle Of Britain display.
Today the airfield is used by RAF Cranwell as a Glider Training School for air-cadets, but apart from this its not used for any other operational use.
The other half of the site now lays derilict and has done for quite some years. The majority of the buildings have now been demolished but the Sergeants Mess and a few other buildings remain. RAF Syerstons last use was as the Al-Jamia Al-Islamia school which closed not long ago.
