RAF Blyton

RAF Blyton was a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, opened in 1942 and operating under Bomber Command. Although it lay within the heart of the county’s bomber country, it was used overwhelmingly for training rather than front-line operations, supporting the steady supply of crews that No. 1 Group needed for its night offensive against Germany.

For a short period the airfield hosted No. 199 Squadron, but its defining occupant was No. 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit, formed there early in 1943. The unit’s task was to convert crews trained on twin-engined types onto the RAF’s four-engined heavy bombers, flying a mixture of Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax and Avro Manchester aircraft, and it was here that crews picked up the extra members needed to bring them up to a full seven-man complement. By late 1943 the Halifax predominated, and Blyton later passed to No. 7 (Heavy Conversion) Group. A Lancaster Finishing School flight and various gunnery, target-towing and holding units also passed through.

The intensive wartime flying took a heavy toll on the runways and perimeter track, which required major repairs. After the war the station saw limited use as a relief landing ground before closing in 1954. Much of the site reverted to farmland, while parts of the old airfield now host motorsport, surviving as Blyton Park.