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Summary

RAF Theddlethorpe was a bombing and gunnery range with a nearby emergency landing ground.

Full description

RAF Theddlethorpe was a bombing and gunnery range with a nearby landing ground. It opened in 1935 and closed in December 1973. {1}

The landing ground at Theddlethorpe was for use in emergencies and as such it was probably set up as in 1935, when the range was opened. It is unclear when it stopped being used as a landing ground but, given the small size of the area, it is unlikely to have been of use for jet aircraft and so probably went out of use soon after the Second World War. It may perhaps have remained as part of RAF Theddlethorpe, however, until the base closed in the 1973. {2}{3}{4}{5}

Photographs of the ranges and surviving base structures were taken in June 2012, during site visits conducted for the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey. The bombing range, on the beach to the east of the base, is thought to have actually been in use from at least 1927, and continued until c.1940, when the turret firing range was opened. Structures at the base included the headquarters building (see MLI125123), a nearby guard house and water tower (no longer extant), the turret maintenance building (see MLI125124) and associated firing range. {6}

<1> T.N. Hancock, 1978, Bomber County, p.128 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1060.

<2> Bennet, Mark, 2009, Verbal Communication from Mark Bennet of the Lincolnshire HER, - (Verbal Communication). SLI12462.

<3> Bennet, Mark, 2010, Verbal Communication from Mark Bennet of the Lincolnshire HER, - (Verbal Communication). SLI12888.

<4> Council for British Archaeology, 2006, Defence of Britain Archive, 16232 (Digital Archive). SLI14623.

<5> William Foot, 2006, Beaches, Fields, Streets, and Hills… : The Anti-Invasion Landscapes of England, 1940, CBA Research Report 144, pp.166-73 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI17088.

<6> Humber Field Archaeology, 2013, Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: Phase 3, Field Survey and Historical Assessment, TS9, TS27 (Report). SLI16012.

Monument Types

• AIRFIELD (Mid 20th Century - 1935 AD to 1955 AD?)
• BOMBING RANGE (Mid 20th Century to Late 20th Century - 1935 AD to 1973 AD)
• EMERGENCY LANDING GROUND (Mid 20th Century - 1935 AD to 1955 AD?)
• MILITARY AIRFIELD (Mid 20th Century - 1935 AD to 1955 AD?)

Associated Events

• Site Visits for the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: Phase 3, Field Survey and Historical Assessment

Sources and further reading

Related records

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