RAF Mepal

RAF Mepal
Mepal, Cambridgeshire in England
RAF Mepal Shown within Cambridgeshire Show map of Cambridgeshire RAF Mepal RAF Mepal (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	52°23′44″N 000°07′11″E
Type	Royal Air Force Station
Code	MP[1]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Bomber Command * No. 3 Group RAF
Site history
Built	1942 (1942)
In use	June 1943 - 1963 (1963)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	24 metres (79 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 05/23  Concrete 08/26  Concrete 14/32  Concrete
Other airfield facilities	Runway information[2]

Royal Air Force Mepal or more simply RAF Mepal is a former Royal Air Force station located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south of Mepal, Cambridgeshire, England and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Ely, Cambridgeshire. Construction commenced in July 1942 and opened in June 1943.^[2][3]

History

Mepal first hosted No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF flying Short Stirlings and later Avro Lancasters.^[4]

Tiger Force

It was used towards the end of the Second World War to prepare Avro Lancaster bombers squadrons such as No. 44 (Rhodesia) squadron for use in Tiger Force which was to bomb Japan.^[5]

Thor missiles

From 1957 PGM-17 Thor missiles were based at the airfield in the north east corner.^[2][6]

The following units were also here at some point:^[4]

• No. 7 Squadron RAF
• No. 49 Squadron RAF
• No. 113 Squadron RAF
• No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF

Current use

Very little remains of the original site, most of it razed to the ground after the USAF and the Thor missiles left. The site is now the Elean business park and is home to the world's only straw burning power station and a few manufacturing and warehousing operations. A small memorial plaque is in place at the entrance to the site.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 141.
2. "Bomber Command – Mepal". Ministry of Defence – Royal Air Force. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
3. "Mepal". Control Towers. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
4. "Mepal". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
5. "RAF Mepal". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
6. "RAF Mepal Thor Missile Site". English Heritage – Pastscape. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

Bibliography

• Falconer, Jonathan (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.

External links

Media related to RAF Mepal at Wikimedia Commons

• Royal Air Force – Bomber Command
• Airfield Archaeology – Memorials