RAF Matlaske

52.8612, 1.1902 — view on OpenStreetMap ↗

About

RAF Matlaske opened in Norfolk in 1940 as a fighter satellite of nearby Coltishall. A long roll of squadrons flew from it — Supermarine Spitfires, Hawker Typhoons and Tempests, Westland Whirlwinds and North American Mustangs among them — on defensive patrols, cross-Channel sweeps and anti-shipping work. Flying ended in 1945. Little now remains amid the farmland beyond sections of perimeter track and foundations, with a memorial marking the site.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Matlaske — Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust and RAF Matlaske — 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

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. A Hawker Typhoon Mark IB of No. 56 Squadron RAF being serviced at Matlask, Norfolk.
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Fighter_Command,_1939-1945._CH9249.jpgView source & full licence →
Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Ground crew take over Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, DN374 'US-A', of No. 56 Squadron RAF, in order to prepare it for another sortie, as the pilot, Flying Officer R Poulter, unbuckles himself from the cockpit on his return to Matlaske, Cornwall.
ⓘ licence & creditHensser H (Fg Off), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Air_Force_Fighter_Command,_1939-1945._CH18274.jpgView source & full licence →
Aerial photograph of Matlaske airfield looking north, Matlaske village is at the top, 27 June 1946. Photograph taken by No. 540 Squadron, sortie number RAF/106G/UK/1606. English Heritage (RAF Photography).
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RAF_Matlaske_-_27_Jun_1946_Airfield.jpgView source & full licence →
A Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB (EK183, "US-A") of No. 56 Squadron RAF at RAF Matlaske, Norfolk (UK), on 21 April 1943. This aircraft was flown by Squadron Leader T.H.V Pheloung (Oamaru, New Zealand).
ⓘ licence & creditRAF / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pheloung_1.jpgView source & full licence →
A (RAF) Mk.IB (EK183, 'US-A') of at in Norfolk (UK), on 21 April 1943. This aircraft was flown by Squadron Leader T.H.V Pheloung (Oamaru, New Zealand).
ⓘ licence & creditRoyal Air Force (RAF) / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawker_Typhoon_MkIB.jpgView source & full licence →

No people are cross-referenced to this airfield yet. Links appear as squadron postings, crews and service records are added.