RAF Scampton

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RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station situated north of Lincoln in England, near the village of Scampton.

Its name came from Old Norse skammr = "small" + Anglo-Saxon tūn ="farm" or "enclosure"; it is a relic of the Viking invasions.

When they were first formed, the Dambusters, 617 Squadron, were based at RAF Scampton. It was from Scampton that Wing Commander Guy Gibson, in Operation Chastise, led the attack on the damns in the Ruhr Valley. An operation for which Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross.

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World War Two

For many years a Lancaster Bomber was gate guardian at Scampton, along with the large bouncing and Grand Slam bombs they had carried, but this first Lancaster was moved to the RAF museum at Hendon. Later another restored Lancaster, repatriated from the French islands in the South Seas, took its place. This later Lancaster, Just Jane NX611, is now at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at the former RAF East Kirkby.

In the late 1950s, due to rebuilding work, the gate guardian - then a Grand Slam bomb - had to be moved. Efforts to lift it with a crane proved futile, as it was heavier than expected; on closer examination, it was discovered to still be filled with live explosives. It was cautiously trucked away and detonated on a test range. It is unclear when or how a live bomb managed to be put on display, but it seems that it was in place for well over a decade.

Scampton is also famous as being the home of the Vulcan Bombers during the 1950s and 60s. These delta winged bombers were the launch platform for the UK's airborne nuclear deterrent, primarily through the carriage of Blue Steel and WE177s. It was because of the Vulcans that Scampton got permission to divert an almost 2000 year old Roman road from its straight north/south track in order to extend the runway. You can still see the eastward bulge in the A15 road due north of Lincoln.

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Recent developments

Later the RAF Central Flying School moved to Scampton and it was common to see the Red Arrows aerobatic team there as it became their base. In the mid 1990s, Scampton was mothballed, with the CFS moving to nearby RAF Cranwell. The domestic site continued to be used as overflow from RAF Waddington. More recently, the Red Arrows moved back to Scampton to free up space at Cranwell, and they are the only user of the airfield.

As part of a reorganisation, it had been decided that Air Combat Service Support units of 2 Group and personnel from RAF Boulmer and elsewhere would be moved to Scampton, making its future more secure. It has since been decided that these units will move to RAF Leeming in Yorkshire instead.

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