History of RAF Hibaldstow Airfield. 

RAF Hibaldstow

(This former RAF airfield is located at Map Ref 112/SE980010 – SW of Brigg and east of the A15 and – its Pundit Code was ‘HE’)

It was intended to fully open the airfield in December 1940 as a satellite for Kirton Lindsey, under the control of 12 Group RAF (HQ at Watnall), but winter weather delays caused the date to be put back until May the 12^th of 1941. The 450 acre site was originally intended to become a bomber airfield and thus it was laid out with three grass runways (1,600 yards; 1,475 yards and 1,300 yards), which later became tarmac runways with a linking perimeter track. A small technical site was located close to the western perimeter track and the communal and accommodation sites were to the south. The control tower was sited at the western edge of the airfield. It eventually had one large Bellman hangar and twelve (Miskins) blister hangars (8xO and 4xEO). Unfortunately, even when completed, conditions were still somewhat primitive. To begin with the airfield had two ‘Decoy Sites’ of the ‘QX’ type, one at Cadney and the other at Thornton le Moor.

Ground defence was initially provided by army units and anti-aircraft defence was provided by 39 AA Brigade of the TA (raised in Retford in 1938), the unit was charged with protecting industry along the Humber and airfields in North Lincolnshire. Initiially armed with Bofors and Lewis guns, later supplemented with heavy anti-aircraft guns (3.7 in). The airfield (Hibaldstow) would eventually become home to 121 ‘Z’ Battery (Bty), which would have ‘unguided rocket’ projectors, based both at New Holland and at Hibaldstow. Some 50 of these batteries were formed in WW2 and locally they came under the control of 39 AA Brigade (eventually reorganised into 82 LAA regiment, based in Scunthorpe).

  Amongst the first aircraft in evidence during the latter part of 1941, were the ‘Pandora’ Havocs (Douglas Boston Is) of 93 Sqn . Although the unit was based at Middle Wallop, it had aircraft detached to Hibaldstow. These aircraft used the ‘long aerial mine’ which was given the cover-name ‘Pandora’. The idea was that they would drop a I.lb explosive charge in a two foot long container, This would release 2,000 ft. of piano-wire-cable, stabilised by a parachute and the intention was for it to be ‘caught’ by a formation of Luftwaffe bombers below. The theory being that the enemy aircraft would pull it up onto themselves and it would then explode. The ‘Pandora’ system was of course unable to tell friend from foe and as a result could not be deployed if there were friendly aircraft in the area. As a scheme it was not very successful and it was eventually abandoned.

 The first full-time occupants of the airfield were 255 Squadron, from nearby Kirton Lindsey, with their battle-hardened Defiant Mk.I turreted-fighters, (which were not equipped at this stage with on-board radar) and a handful of Hurricanes (V6793, V6796 V7222 V7268 and V7304). The unit had only been formed at Kirton in the early part of January 1941. At this time they had a mixed bag of aircrew of varying nationalities (British, Czech, New Zealanders and Polish) under training as Radio Observers.

In addition 253 Squadron, with their Hurricane fighters, began to use the airfield also. Whilst still flying from Kirton, 255 Squadron claimed (Sgt Johnson & Sgt Aitchison) to have downed a Dornier close to Hull on the night of the 7/8^th May. In fact, they probably shot down what was an ‘unidentified enemy aircraft’ (possibly a Heinkel He.IIIH-3 Werk No. 3210), to the west of Goole, just before a quarter to midnight. Hull did in fact come under attack from the Luftwaffe that same night. Extensive damage was done and several large fires were started. Some 264 people killed and 165 seriously injured.

Later in May, again whilst operating from nearby Kirton, the night-fighters of 255 Sqn claimed to have brought down three enemy bombers, whilst defending Hull (He.IIIP-4 G1+FP of 6/KG.55; He.IIIH-5 A1+CW of 9/KG53 and He.IIIH-5 A1+FM of 4/KG53). At that time the squadron was operating Defiant I fighters with serial numbers; N3306, N3309, N3310, N3316, N3317, N3318, N3319, N3321, N3323, N3324, N3329, N3333, N3334, N3335, N3340, N3364, N3378, N3398, N3422, N3458, N3481, N3511, T3995, T3998, T4005, T4045 and T4059.

Unfortunately, Defiant N3306 of 255 Sqn, had stalled on approach to Kirton and crashed earlier in the year (2^nd of February 1941), causing the unit’s first fatality; Sgt Jacobs, the pilot, who was killed and the gunner Sgt Thornton who was injured. Night flying was of course fraught with difficulties, as illustrated on the 17^th of May, when Defiant N3335, also of 255 Sqn, struck a floodlight on take-off from Hibaldstow at 0030 hours.

Hibaldstow finally became a self-accounting base in June 1941. The resident night-fighter Squadron, (255) then began to take on three Blenheim aircraft to start familiarising aircrews with multi-engined fighters (serials were; L1301, L1223 and L8680), before re-equipping with Merlin XX powered Beaufighter Mk.II-F (typical serial numbers were R2370, R2377, R2397, R2398, R2399, R2400, R2402, R2403, R2430, R2431, R2342, R2433, R2436, R2448 R2460 , R2470 and T3389). Apart from problems with the engine/airframe combination, these aircraft could be tail heavy and thus unstable and needed modifications to the tail assembly. They were considered unreliable engine wise and particular problems were experienced with longditudinal stability at low speeds. This mark was to be eventually replaced by a later model. A number of Mk.II-F aircraft crashed both on land and into the sea during this period (including R2377, R2398, R2403, R2448 and R2460). The Mk.II, although fitted with the Merlin engine, lacked the short take-off punch which was provided by the Hercules engine, fitted to later marks (VI-C and VI-F). The unit was however, also still

operating with the Defiant and on the night of the 10^th and 11^th of July, the pilot of Defiant T3995 Sgt J Cox, claimed to have ‘damaged’ a Dornier bomber to the North of Hull; this was possibly He.III-H5 (Werk No 3956 5J+ES) of the Luftwaffe’s 8/KG4, which failed to return from a bombing raid on Hull than night. It is recorded as crashing into the sea off Hull. The crew reported being attacked by a night-fighter around 0200 hours, whilst on their bombing run. During the third attack the fuselage was damaged and the port engine put out of action and set on fire. The aircraft was losing altitude and the pilot decided to ditch in the North Sea. Two of the crew were injured by the impact and the flight engineer (Ogefr Leopold Reisinger) drowned. The three survivors (Fw Lothar Weitz; Uffz Friedrich Patztel and Ogefr Josef Ruhl), rowed the dinghy toward the coast and were then picked up by a minesweeper and taken to West Hartlepool. The Defiant’s gunner, Sgt H D Fitzsimons was wounded by a tracer bullet fired from the enemy bomber. The pilot, returned to Hibaldstow and the gunner was taken by ambulance to Scunthorpe Hospital. Hull had indeed come under attack that night, shortly after 0130 hours. The attack was concentrated on the north of the city around the railway station and 46 people were seriously injured and there were 21 fatalities. The ‘All-Clear’ was sounded at 0305 hours. On the night of the 14/15^th of July 1941, Sgt Kendall of 253 Sqn in Hurricane V7222, attacked and damaged an enemy aircraft (Luftwaffe records show that a Dornier 217E-2 of 5/KG-2 (Werk No 5075 U5+GN failed to return from an Operation to the East Coast and apparently came down in the North Sea that night). The wireless operator had previously sent a ‘JJ’ signal meaning that they were being attacked by a night fighter! So could Sgt Kendall have been more successful than he thought?). The Unit left Kirton and moved to Turnhouse in Scotland on the 21^st of July. It was to return in September the following year.

 Between the 16^th and 25^th of August 1941 ‘B’ Flight of 255 was detached to Coltishall in Norfolk. At least one Beaufighter Mk.IIF (R2403) went into a spin and crashed whilst on approach to the airfield on the 22^nd of August. Unfortunately the pilot, Wg/Cdr J Bartlett DFC was killed and rests at Brookwood Cemetery. Plus, one of the Blenheims (L1223), still on squadron strength, crashed on the 16^th of August, whilst on approach to Coltishall after hitting trees close to the airfield. This resulted in the deaths of the pilot F/O J Emerson (who rests at Scottow in Norfolk) and his crewman, Sgt D Fowler (who is buried in Gillingham’s Woodlands Cemetery). However, during this time, a two aircraft detachment from 29 Squadron, arrived at Hibaldstow from West Malling, to carry out night-time patrols in the area. These aircraft returned to their parent base on the 20^th of September and the remainder of 255 Squadron then moved to Coltishall on the same day. It had only just (on the 6^th of August) reached full strength (18) in terms of Beaufighter deliveries.

Hibaldstow’s role changed somewhat between the 21^st and the 23^rd of September, when 1459 Flight moved in from Hunsdon in Hertfordshire. 253 squadron’s Hurricane II fighters were to operate in conjunction with the Douglas Havocs I & II of 1459 Flight (an experimental night fighter unit) in the night intercept role. They had returned south from Scotland (Skaebrae). The Havocs were largely equipped with the Helmore ‘Turbinlite’, which was a 2,100 million candlepower light fixed in the nose of the aircraft (and powered by 48 x12 volt lead acid batteries in the reinforced bomb-bay of the aircraft). The idea being that the Havoc would home onto the target aircraft using its onboard radar (ASV.IV) and then switch on the light, illuminating it (the range of the light’s beam allowed it to illuminate an area 950 yards wide at a range of I mile. The Hurricanes following the Havoc (which had subdued lighting and white stripes on the rear part of the wings), would then attack the target and attempt to shoot it down! Unfortunately, the Germans weren’t keen on the idea and tended to jink out of the light beam making it difficult for the Hurricane pilots. The latter also had their night vision ruined by the use of the light. The CO of the Flight at this time was Squadron Leader Eric James Nicolson (the only VC winner from Fighter Command in World War II), who had been posted in from Kirton, still suffering somewhat from burns to his hands and feet.

He had recovered his operational status and in September he was posted from 54 OTU at Kirton, to command the Turbinlite Flight. He was still recovering from the burns to his hands and damage to his feet that he had sustained during the Battle of Britain. He stayed with the unit into the early part of 1942 and was then posted to the Far East. (He would lose his life in May 1945 in the crash of a Liberator bomber of 355 Sqn – he flew as an observer!). Thepilots of 253 Squadron not only accompanied the Havocs on their night-time jaunts, but also carried out night-fighter and intruder sorties, in their black painted Hurricane IIs.

 One of the pilots with 253 Squadron at this time was Flt/Lt Richard Playne-Stevens DSO DFC and bar; posted to the unit on the 12th of November, he flew in on the 20^th. At the time of his posting he was the RAF’s top scoring night-fighter pilot. He failed to return from an intruder sortie to the Dutch airfield of Gilze Rijen on the night of December the 15^th 1941. He took-off from Manston (to where he had been detached) that evening in Hurricane IIc Z3465 at 2130 hours – only three days after the award of the DSO). He appears to have crashed near the Luftwaffe airfield at Gilze-Rijen, having firstly, it would seem, brought down a German aircraft and was later buried at Bergen op Zoom cemetery. He had first gone to this area on the night of the 12^th of December (the day his DSO came through). Stevenson was said to have hated the Germans with a vengeance and at the time of his death had 14 (night time) victories to his credit. It is also probable that

prior to crashing in his Hurricane, he had shot down yet another bomber, a Ju.88 (Wk.No 1186 4D+FR, of III/KG30, which is recorded as being shot down at 2138 hours by an RAF intruder, whilst landing at Gilze Rijen!), the pilot of which, Lt H Ahne was wounded. Stevens had been with an air-charter company before the war and had done a good deal of night flying. At the age of 30+, was older than many of the squadron’s other RAF pilots. He liked to get in very close to his targets (having no radar made it difficult at night, but he homed-in on the flak bursts of the ground defences and used his eye-sight only). He was once reputed to have got so close to a Heinkel bomber, that after inflicting heavy damage and watching it explode, the fuselage of his Hurricane was smeared with blood and human remains, which he refused to have washed off. He was also said to have, on a number of occasions, screamed as he attacked enemy bombers This may have been connected to the loss of his daughter (the ‘apple of his eye’) during the early part of the war, in a fire caused by a paraffin stove.. He was widely admired for his courage and tenacity by such laudable characters as ‘Johnny’ Johnson and Douglas Bader and his loss was keenly felt throughout the RAF.

It should also perhaps be said at this stage, that the airfield was popular with the airmen and women that served there. It was considered somewhat ‘spartan,’ but there was a lack of ‘bull’, which went down well. The local pubs in both Hibaldstow and Redbourne were seen as welcoming. Indeed ‘Nick’ Nicolson is said to have played the piano at the Red Lion in Redbourne, despite his still recovering hands. Unfortunately, Hibaldstow also gathered an unenviable reputation as ‘A helluva place for lousy weather’. 253 Sqn would remain at the airfield for some months and would be there throughout the remainder of 1941, into the middle of 1942.

In the middle of January (night of the 16^th) 1942, a Wellington VI bomber (Z1397) from 301 (Polish) Squadron, based at nearby Hemswell; crashed on approach to the airfield, whilst attempting to make a forced landing. It had taken-off shortly before 6 O’clock in the evening for an Operation to Hamburg and was returning to base when the incident unfolded shortly after 11pm. Although injured, the crew all survived the crash and it was thought that the pilot (P/O Liszka) had become unwell due to oxygen starvation

Beaufighters from 409 (RCAF) Squadron were detached to the airfield between the 10^th and the 21^st of February 1942. This was because their normal base, at the more southerly airfield at Coleby Grange was snowed in.

On the night of April the 28/29^th 1942, the Luftwaffe launched a major attack against York dropping 84 tonnes of bombs on the city in an hour and a half (this was one of the so called ‘Baedecker Raids’), killing 83 people. A number of RAF fighter bases were allocated to defend York, amongst them was Hibaldstow, the base of 253 Sqn.

The unit had at that time a number of French pilots on the strength. One such was Warrant-Officer Yves Mahe, a Frenchman, who took-off that night and flew north to defend the city against the German onslaught. He claimed to have shot down a Ju.88 just after it had dropped its bombs. This aircraft was possibly Ju.88 D-1, Wk.No 1334 M2+CH of 1/106, which crashed in flames, near Crockey Hill, south-east of York at 0330 hours, after being attacked by a night-fighter. Mahe went on to serve in Russia (with the Free French Normandie Group) and survived the war, although he was shot down by the Germans and became a PoW , but later escaped. Unfortunately he was to die in the crash of a Meteor jet in Belgium in 1962, while serving with the French Air Force. A second enemy aircraft was claimed as probably destroyed that night by a 253 Sqn pilot, F/O Seal, who claimed to have attacked and probably downed a Heinkel bomber south of York at 0310 hours. Whilst this aircraft cannot be positively identified, a least one Luftwaffe Heinkel III failed to return from operations that night (HeIII H5 Wk.No 4034 of 10/KG4) and was recorded as lost without trace. This aircraft could have been the one attacked by Seal.

 During May, elements of 253 Squadron were to move down to Shoreham in Essex to take part in an army exercise. On the night of the 30^th of April – 1^st of May a Havoc of 538 Sqn successfully illuminated a Heinkel III, allowing Sqn/Ldr D S Yapp of 253 Sqn in the trailing Hurricane, to shoot it up near Hibaldstow at around 0230 hours. (Luftwaffe records do not show the loss of a Dornier on this night, however several JU.88s were operating in the East Coast area and failed to return to base – so this could be a case of mistaken identification?). Further ’Turbinlite’ units arrived at the airfield during the spring of that year, in the person of six Hurricanes of 486 (RNZAF) Squadron (recently formed and from nearby Kirton Lindsey) and five Havocs from 1452 Flight (at least one of which was a Turbinlite Havoc, AW405).

 During the night of the 23^rd of July Sqn/Ldr K H Blair, the CO of 1453 Flight, made contact with the enemy but unfortunately lost contact with his Hurricane satellite. On the last day of July, 253 Squadron was presented with its standard by AVM Saul, Air Officer Commanding 12 Group. The aircrew were billeted at nearby Kirton Lindsey and were conveyed back and forth each day to the airfield. (Kirton Officers’ Mess was at that time full of Polish pilots, who made all and sundry some-what envious of their prowess with their Spitfires). The Polish Squadrons, based at nearby Kirton (303 and 306 Sqns) made use of the airfield during the spring and early summer. Usually in groups of three Spitfires, for formation and dusk/night flying. On the 4^th of September 1453 Flight officially became 532 Squadron with Sqn/Ldr Blair remaining briefly as the commanding officer. His last flight in a Havoc (W8343 ‘B’), was a night patrol between Hibaldstow and Wittering on the night of the 23^rd of September.

The Hurricanes of 486 (RNZAF) Sqn continued with night patrols over the area and made contact with enemy aircraft on at least two occasions. During its tenure, 253 Sqn undertook various detachments (once to Shoreham and twice to Friston) involving offensive action over the occupied continent. On the night of the 27^th and 28^th of July 1942, a 1459 Flight Havoc (Probably AH470 ‘F’) and a 253 Squadron Hurricane (together) flown by Flt/Lt John Ellacombe, claimed as probably shot down, a Dornier Do.217 intruder, near Hibaldstow at 0115 hours. The 1459 Flt pilot on this occasion was Sqn/Ldr Charles Winn DFC (the Flight commander) with P/O Scott as his radar operator. (This could have been a case of mistaken identity as a Ju.88 was lost that night, off the Norfolk coast with no survivors).

 Unfortunately, the enemy aircraft cannot be positively identified. However, Dornier 217E-4 (5484 U5+FL) is also reported as failing to return from a raid on Birmingham that night. and is thought to have come down in the sea off Cromer around 0100 hours and the crew are listed as missing.

In early August, the aircraft from Wittering returned to their base and 1459 Flight was renumbered 538 Squadron. On the night of the 11th and 12^th of August 1942, 253 Sqn, together with 1459 Flight, claimed to have damaged an enemy aircraft in the area of Goole at 0100 hours. Although the ‘target’ cannot be fully identified, Luftwaffe records show that a Dornier 217E-4 of 9/KG2 failed to return from operations and was believed to have been shot down in the Wash at 0108 hours. The crew are listed as lost without trace. As night fighting evolved, the ‘Turbinlite’ concept was not considered to have been a great success, although some ‘kills’ had been claimed. Turbinlite was eventually displaced by the invention of the smaller centimetric radar, which could be carried by single engine fighters. The idea was thus discontinued and 253 Squadron found itself heading for North Africa in November.

Both 532 and 538 Squadrons were officially disbanded at the end of January 1943 and the station closed a week after their departure. During the early part of the year (February to April) the Spitfires Vs of the Polish Squadrons (302 and 317 Sqns) then based at Kirton used the airfield for circuits and landings.

The actual closure was short term and the airfield became a satellite/relief landing ground for Kirton Lindsey again on the 9^th of May 1943, with the arrival at the main airfield of 53 OTU (Operational Training Unit). This unit used a large number of Spitfires, but also had Master and Martinet trainers. In early February 1944, Spitfire Vc AB910 (MV-T) still flying with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) famously took-off from Hibaldstow and completed a circuit at some 800 feet, with LACW Margaret Horton of B Flight, still hanging grimly on to the tail. Margaret (universally known as Ida) was a mechanic, part of the ground personnel. The normal practice was that if the order ‘Tails’ was given, because of strong cross winds, an airman/airwoman had to hang onto the tail to keep the rear of the aircraft on the ground whilst taxying and would be allowed by the pilot to drop off prior to take-off. That didn’t happen on this occasion and the pilot, Flt Lt Cox, finding the handling problematic ! landed back at the airfield not realising that Margaret was still ‘on board’.

Margaret, who lost her gloves in the incident was later reprimanded in a letter from a former Commanding Officer for her unauthorised flight!

 On the 9^th of September 1944, one of the trainee pilots on the OTU, P/O Singh Sanhdu (a Sikh) of the Indian Air Force, was lost when his Spitfire (BL370  ‘Gurgaon II’ crashed into the Humber near Goole. He had lost control whilst taking part in a formation flying sortie. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Although the War was in its final phase, death and injury as a result of crashes, was never far from the trainees minds. Fortunately most survived the incidents in which they were involved.  Unfortunately this was not the case with a Dutch trainee, F/O Van Der Zee, on the 3^rd of March 1945. His Spitfire crashed near Hibaldstow village, whilst on a night flying  sortie. He rests in Cambridge Cemetery.

 Early in 1945 the airfield was under a blanket of snow, however it was still possible to land there and a Lancaster bomber from 625 Squadron at Kelstern was able to make a forced landing there in bad weather. Early in the year, a section of the OTU was permanently detached from Kirton to Hibaldstow and continued its training activities until the 15^th of May 1945, when it was disbanded. A wide range of nationalities had been trained as fighter pilots at Hibaldstow including; Americans, Australians, Belgians, Britains, Canadians, Dutch, French, Indians and New Zealanders. Following this No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit or (P) AFU, moved to the airfield with a mixed bag of aircraft including; Spitfires, Ansons and Harvards (plus one Tiger Moth and one Magister). The unit was later (in 1946) absorbed into No.7 SFTS at Kirton. By the end of December 1944, the station was home to 112 RAF officers, 70 NCOs and 884 airmen, together with 8 WAAF officers, 8 NCOs and 189 airwomen.

Following the war years the hangars were put up for sale, although the asphalt runways were left alone. The station finally closed and was largely sold off or returned to agricultural purposes in the early 1960s. One of the runways was later used by Lincolnshire Police as a ‘skid-pan’ for a while. The site is today used as a ‘Parachuting Centre’ and has hosted national championships in the sport of sky-diving. The control tower still exists and has been converted into a dwelling. It has two small plaques (positioned in 1990s) mounted externally on a wall, dedicated to all those that served at the station. Next to the tower is the Battle HQ Bunker and a former brick built sub-station building (previously rather overgrown) now in the throes of being redeveloped by ‘The Friends of Hibaldstow’ as a small cafeteria to serve visitors to the adjacent WW2 buildings etc. North Lincolnshire Council has also put in place information boards, one originally near the control tower but now repositioned as part of the main site memorial and another at the airfield entrance on South Carr Road. There is also a memorial chiefly dedicated to the personnel of 53 OTU, which also displays the badges of some of the units that used the airfield during World War Two. This too has been repositioned from near to the control tower to a location adjacent the path to the main memorial.

John Rennison 10/2020