Talk:RAF Scampton

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Military history: Aviation / British / European / World War II

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Lincolnshire High‑importance

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Live bomb.[edit]

Can anybody provide some other evidence for the claim that the 'live' bomb used as a gate guard would have "have flattened the entire air base, and much of northern Lincoln (including its cathedral)"?

I know the area reasonably well having driven down the A15 and in to Lincoln more times than I care to remember and I find the idea that 4 tonnes of torpex would have levelled an area at least 8 miles in diameter unlikely to say the least. OK... It's a very big bomb but I think somebody is getting a little bit carried away with themselves.

I know it's hard to make comparisons between two totally dissimilar cities but according to wikipedia the bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a radius of 'total destruction' of around 1 mile. Is it really credible that a ground-burst 4 tonne bomb would cause such carnage to a city of brick and stone when an air-burst 15kilotonne nuclear device did so little (relatively speaking) to a city of paper and wood?? 92.41.38.208 (talk) 23:51, 6 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Live bomb?[edit]

I lived on the base in the late 70's and never heard this story, so I quite doubt it's veracity. As to the supposed destructive power of the bomb, utter BS, it's 5 miles from Lincoln to Scampton, so there's no way a conventional bomb could destroy buildings that far away. When I later lived in Welton, that village was on the edge of the 'total destruction zone' for a 20Kt Nuclear warhead, and three miles away.

I'm not sure where the school was in the 50's, in my day though the infants' school playground was right next to the Lancaster, so if the school was in the same location then, I doubt they'd place live ordnance nearby, or indeed, fail to check for that if the school was a later addition. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Phlogistician (talk • contribs) 12:10, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

From the Grand Slam Artilcle:

Bielefeld, 14 March 1945

The No. 617 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster of Squadron Leader CC Calder dropped the first Grand Slam bomb from 11,965 ft (3,647 m) on the Schildesche viaduct.[14] More than 100 yards of the Bielefeld viaduct collapsed through the earthquake bomb effect[15] of the Grand Slam and Tallboy bombs of No. 617 Squadron. No aircraft were lost.[16]

Arnsberg, 19 March 1945

19 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron, six carrying Grand Slams, the remainder Tallboys, attacked the railway viaduct at Arnsberg. All Grand Slams were dropped and blew a 40-foot (12 m) gap in the viaduct.[16][19] The standing structure was severely damaged.[18]

Multiple Grand Slam bombs in operational use destroyed "more than 100 yards", or "40-foot gap". While the quoted source may claim a 5 mile destruction radius, that does not make it reliable.(If that was the case then the RAF would have dropped just one bomb close to a target and not bothered with precision bombing in the first place) I am removing journalistic sensationalism. IdreamofJeanie (talk) 15:08, 24 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

- Update **

I just revisited this, and a quick Google found this thread: http://hmvf.co.uk/topic/7225-grand-slam-and-raf-scampton/?sortby=date which is definitely worth a read.

Seems the Gate Guardian might not even have been in place when the road widening took place, casting doubt on the anecdote. Another thing that has never sat right about the story was the 'heavier than expected' line, training rounds are the same size and weight as live ones, so when dropped from an aircraft they follow the same trajectory. No point practicing with a bomb that is going to fall differently, they practiced aiming, not simply dropping ordnance.

No mention of 35 Squadron,....[edit]

Just re-read the article and 35 Squadron aren't mentioned, but their presence at Scampton is mentioned in the Wiki page for 35 Squadron. I guess it's just an oversight, but should a link to that ppage be added here? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Phlogistician (talk • contribs) 18:12, 15 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Phlogistician I have two mentions: ^[1] and ^[2]

Both are scant on detail, namely that the squadron returned to the UK from RAF Akrotiri in January 1975, staying at Scampton and disbanding in March 1982. Regards. The joy of all things (talk) 21:12, 15 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ Delve, Ken (2008). The military airfields of Britain. East Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire. Marlborough: Crowood Press. p. 255. ISBN 978-1-86126-995-9.
^ Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1981). Action stations. 2, Military airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Cambridge: Stephens. p. 167. ISBN 0-85059-484-7.

Motto[edit]

The page on the RAF Heraldy Trust is here [1]. The drawing shows the motto to be Armatus non lacessitur, not Armatus non lakeside. The accompanying text states Lakeside, which I think is erroneous. The dictionary of mottoes shows it to be lacessitur.^[1] Lakeside doesn't seem very Latin-y to me. The joy of all things (talk) 21:35, 19 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ Pine, L G (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 15. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.

Agreed. Good spot! Dormskirk (talk) 21:58, 19 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Official closure[edit]

Should this entry be amended to describe RAF Scampton in the past tense as it has had an official closing ceremony on 6th September 2022? I understand that the station will continue to operate until around March 2023 but this will chiefly consist of moving equipment and personnel out and decomissioning the site. I can find no report that there will be another "Official" recognition of the actual day Scampton will cease to be an RAF station. Funeralrob (talk) 12:55, 8 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The BBC article indicates that closure has been scheduled for December 2022. Dormskirk (talk) 13:08, 8 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, The question is really about when is it closed? When it is officially closed Lincolnshire Live article or when it ceases operations - Later in the same article. (Or even when its land will be offered "Vacant posession" on or before 31st March 2023). In context of wikipedia's entries being Encyclopedic in nature. Funeralrob (talk) 13:29, 8 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

My view is that it is closed when it is stated to be closed by MoD (not the date of the closing ceremony, and not the date that it is offered for vacant possession either). Dormskirk (talk) 15:07, 8 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Delve, Ken (2008). The military airfields of Britain. East Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire. Marlborough: Crowood Press. p. 255. ISBN 978-1-86126-995-9.

[2] Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1981). Action stations. 2, Military airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Cambridge: Stephens. p. 167. ISBN 0-85059-484-7.

[3] Pine, L G (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 15. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.

[1]

[2]

[1]