Syerston Airfield
Jet Provost at RAF Syerston - 1960s
Newark Air Museum Archive
Current operations at RAF Syerston
Howard Heeley
Memorial plqaue on Longhedge Lane
Howard Heeley
By Howard Heeley
Grid Ref: Sheet 129; SK730480; 6 miles SW of Newark
Opened: December 1940
Squadrons: 304 (Silesian) Sqn; 305 (Wielpolska) Sqn; 408 (Goose) Sqn; 61 Sqn; 106 Sqn; 1485 Bombing & Gunnery Flt; 1668 HCU; No. 5 Lancaster Finishing School; 1690 Bomber Defence Training Flt; 504 (County of Nottingham) Auxiliary Sqn; 22 FTS; 2 FTS; Central Gliding School; 643 Volunteer Gliding Squadron; 644 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.
Aircraft: Battle; Wellington; Hampden; Lancaster; Martinet; Mosquito; Tiger Moth; Prentice; Piston Provost; Jet Provost; Viking glider; Vigilant motor glider; Venture T Mk 2.
Nationalities: Polish; Commonwealth
Things of note: Flt Lt William Reid was awarded his VC whilst flying with 61 Sqn from the base. In 1943 Wg Cdr Guy Gibson was commanding officer of 106 Sqn at Syerston before he was given the task of forming 617 Sqn – The Dambusters. In September 1958 a Vulcan bomber disintegrated during an Airshow killing all the crew
Current status: Some significant structures remain in day to day use on the western side of the A46; whilst a lot of the former quarters on the western side have fallen into disrepair. Some wartime structures can still be seen in the ground of the Flintham Hall Estate. Gliding activities are a common sight on most days throughout the year – weather permitting. There is an aviation memorial/commemoration that can be visited on the airfield perimeter at Longhedge Lane.
(This information was originally published in the 2011 booklet “Aviation in Nottinghamshire”, which was produced by the Newark Air Museum thanks to a Local Improvement Scheme grant from the Nottinghamshire County Council. Photographs sourced from the Newark Air Museum Archive.)