RAF Methwold opened in Norfolk near Feltwell in 1938 and served through the war as a Bomber Command station, at different times in No. 2 and No. 3 Groups. A range of squadrons flew from it — including Australian, New Zealand and Dutch-manned units — equipped in turn with Vickers Wellingtons, Lockheed Venturas, Short Stirlings and finally Avro Lancasters. Given three concrete runways in 1943, it remained in use until 1958. The site has largely returned to agriculture, with two hangars used for grain storage and others for food production.
Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including
Methwold — Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust and RAF Methwold — Wikipedia.
The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.
Photographs
AWM caption : NORFOLK, ENGLAND. 1943-07-13. CREW OF "R" FOR ROBERT, A VENTURA AIRCRAFT OF NO. 464 SQUADRON RAAF AT RAF STATION METHWOLD. DAYLIGHT RAIDS BY VENTURA AIRCRAFT HAVE BEEN A FEATURE OF THE RAF'S ACTIVITIES OVER ENEMY TERRITORY. LEFT TO RIGHT: * 420546 FLIGHT SERGEANT (F SGT) A. D. CROWFOOT, GLOUCESTER, NSW * 420074 PILOT OFFICER E. G. SWEENEY, GLEN INNES, NSW * 412628 F SGT D. I. MACDONALD, WENTWORTHVILLE, NSW * 412314 F SGT T. W. HENNESSY, WEST KEMPSEY, NSW THESE FOUR MEN TRAINED TOGETHER IN CANADA, FORMED AS A CREW THERE AND HAVE BEEN TOGETHER EVER SINCE. ⓘ licence & creditnot stated / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:464_Squadron_RAAF_Ventura_aircrew_Methwold_Jul_1943_AWM_UK0315.jpgView source & full licence →AWM caption : United Kingdom: England, Norfolk. Members of the crew of 'M' for Mother, a Ventura aircraft of No. 464 Squadron, RAAF at RAF station Methwold. Daylight raids by Ventura aircraft have been a feature of the RAF's activities over enemy territory. Left to right: * Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) T. D. Aitken, Dunedin, NZ * 420562 Flt Sgt William Dudley Hemmings, Newcastle, NSW * 409664 Pilot Officer Alfred Harvey Cocks, Kerang, Vic * 411435 Flt Sgt (later Warrant Officer [WO]) Gordon Ross Adam, Muswellbrook, NSW all of 464 Squadron. WO Adam was lost on operations near Bologna, Italy, on 13 April, 1945 while flying with 454 Squadron, RAAF. He is buried in the Bologna War Cemetery in Italy. ⓘ licence & creditUnknown photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:464_Squadron_RAAF_Ventura_aircrew_Methwold_Jul_1943_AWM_UK0314.jpgView source & full licence →AWM caption : NORFOLK, ENGLAND. 1943-07-12. DAYLIGHT RAIDS BY VENTURA AIRCRAFT OF NO. 464 SQUADRON RAAF BASED AT RAF STATION METHWOLD HAVE BEEN A FEATURE OF THE RAF'S ACTIVITIES OVER ENEMY TERRITORY, AND THIS CREW HAD TO CRASH-LAND THEIR AIRCRAFT ON RETURN FROM AN OPERATION OVER NORTHERN FRANCE, BUT SUFFERED NO CASUALTIES. LEFT TO RIGHT: * 412021 FLIGHT SERGEANT (FLT SGT) BRYAN ALPHONSUS MCCONNELL, CLARENCE RIVER, NSW (LOST ON OPERATIONS OVER UK ON 6 JANUARY 1944) * PILOT OFFICER E. RAMSEY, LONDON, RAF * F SGT E. WATKIN, CORNWALL, RAF * 408134 FLYING OFFICER W. D. PARSONS DFC, BEACONSFIELD, TAS ⓘ licence & creditnot stated / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:464_Squadron_RAAF_Ventura_aircrew_Methwold_Jul_1943_AWM_UK0313.jpgView source & full licence →AWM caption : NORFOLK, ENGLAND. 1943-07-12. 405054 FLYING OFFICER (FO) B. W. KLEMM OF BRISBANE, QLD, OF NO. 464 SQUADRON RAAF, BASED AT RAF STATION METHWOLD, RECORDING LATEST DAYLIGHT RAID BY PAINTING ANOTHER BOMB ON THE VENTURA AIRCRAFT, WHAKATANGATA. LOOKING ON, AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND MEMBERS OF THE CREW, LEFT TO RIGHT: * 412197 FLIGHT SERGEANT R. V. TAYLOR OF SYDNEY, NSW * 404931 FO G. NIMMO OF NIGHTCAPS, NZ * 403526 FO B. R. MILES OF BROOKVALE, NSW ⓘ licence & creditnot stated / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:464_Squadron_RAAF_Ventura_aircrew_Methwold_Jul_1943_AWM_UK0312.jpgView source & full licence →AWM caption : United Kingdom: England, Norfolk. 251991 FLIGHT LIEUTENANT (FLT LT) C. B. ANDREW, MENTONE, VIC, A PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FROM RAAF OVERSEAS HEADQUARTERS, LONDON, INTERVIEWING TWO AIRCREW MEMBERS OF VENTURA NO. 464 SQUADRON RAAF AT RAF STATION METHWOLD. LEFT TO RIGHT: * 405107 FLYING OFFICER (FO) W. KIRK, BRISBANE, QLD * FLT LT ANDREW * 405054 FO B. W. KLEMM, BRISBANE, QLD THE AIRCRAFT IN THE BACKGROUND IS "F" FOR FREDDIE, AND THE EMBLEM DEPICTS AN EMU AND A KIWI ON A BOOMERANG INSCRIBED "PER ARDUA AD AUSTRALIAN" ⓘ licence & creditnot stated / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:464_Squadron_RAAF_Ventura_aircrew_Methwold_AWM_UK0310.jpgView source & full licence →
