RAF Melton Mowbray

RAF Melton Mowbray
RAF Buildings on the old technical site.
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
Built	1941 (1941)
In use	1942-1964 (1964)
Elevation AMSL	374 ft / 114 m
Coordinates	52°44′01″N 000°53′47″W / 52.73361°N 0.89639°W / 52.73361; -0.89639Coordinates: 52°44′01″N 000°53′47″W / 52.73361°N 0.89639°W / 52.73361; -0.89639
Map
RAF Melton Mowbray Location in Leicestershire
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt

Royal Air Force Melton Mowbray or more simply RAF Melton Mowbray is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) south of the centre of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and 13.6 miles (21.9 km) south east of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England.

The Class A airfield was originally intended for aircraft maintenance but was taken over by RAF Transport Command. Many types of aircraft were flown from the airfield, including Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Mosquito, Vought F4U Corsair, Vultee A-31 Vengeance, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Douglas C-47 Dakota and Handley Page Halifax aircraft, plus Airspeed Horsa and Waco Hadrian gliders.

Between 1946 and 1958 the site was used as a Polish Resettlement Corps camp housing Polish Air Force personnel and their relations.

Melton Mowbray served as a Thor Strategic missile site between 1959 and 1963, when 254(SM) Squadron operated a flight of three missiles from the base.

The airfield now houses a small industrial estate and little of the original infrastructure has survived. The airfield regularly hosts large "bank holiday" markets.