LYNEHAM OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION

Lyneham had not lost its transport role, despite the fact that 525 Squadron, which had become largely Canadian-manned, flew its Dakotas out to Membury just after the war ended. They still, in common with other squadrons, used Lyneham for overseas clearance purposes.

For 7 months from October 1945, the Station was the base for Number 1359 Flight, which operated 'PAMPA' weather reconnaissance flights using the Mosquito PR XVI. They arrived from Holmsley South, and flew daily along the transport routes sending back observations of wind, temperature and general weather conditions for use by the transport crews in planning their flights. This service ceased in May 1946 when the Flight was disbanded.

The Station was now run on the lines of 3 functional 'Wings'. Flying Wing took care of the operational aspects of the Station; Technical Wing looked after all the aircraft and ground equipment servicing; and Administration took over responsibility for many functions that had been taken care of by the individual units, such as postings and welfare.

An extra responsibility laid on the Station was its designation as a Master Diversion Airfield. This meant that it was one of several airfields at which pilots could expect a 24 hour service so that could land or receive radio assistance in case of emergency.

In November 1947 Numbers 99 and 206 Squadrons reformed at Lyneham, also equipped with Yorks, and joined 511 in flying World-wide routes.

The whole Station, however, was soon to be tested to its limits, for when the City of Berlin was blockaded by the Soviet Union the following June, it was decided to keep it supplied by air. The 3 squadrons were detached en-masse to Germany, operating from Wunstorf, south of Hannover. Large numbers of Lyneham's technical, operations and administrative staff were also sent to set up a fully operational base at Wunstorf. All the RAF's 4- engined land-based transports were detached there, although the Hastings later moved to Schleswigland, and the aircraft flew freight into Gatow at the rate of one flight every 3 minutes for the next 15 months.

The Yorks were flown back to England for their major services, to a Lyneham that had become, apart from 33 MU, almost a ghost Station. They also rotated personnel from the detachment at the same time. Nearly 400,000 tons of freight were carried by the RAF during Operation Plainfare, a large part of this by the Lyneham Squadrons.

On their return from Germany all personnel were given some well-earned rest, and Number 206 Squadron was given an even longer rest by being disbanded. The Station's flying strength was little changed, however, as Number 242 Squadron, which had also been at Wunstorf, moved in with its Yorks from its previous base at Bassingbourn. All the squadrons were soon to lose their Yorks, and they moved into the fifties reequipped with the Handley Page Hastings.

On 1 May 1949 the first of the permanent barrack blocks was opened to replace the primitive huts that were in use at the time. These were a great improvement, as there was now no need for the lucky occupants to go outside in all weathers to reach the washrooms and toilets. The first block was named York House, and was allocated to airmen from Technical Wing. At around the same time the first married quarters came into use for families.

Number 33 Maintenance Unit was still keeping stocks of Spitfires, including the last mark, the F24, and many were issued for delivery to foreign air forces. It also had a large number of Vampire fighters, its first jet aircraft, which were being modified and issued to RAF units in Britain and Germany.

The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 saw an increase in tasking to the Far East for the transport squadrons, 242 having been replaced by Number 53 Squadron. Many flights carried troops and equipment to Japan for onward transit to the war zone. Problems in the Middle East also kept the Station busy. The take-over of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company by the Persians initiated a standby in Egypt for British troops and Lyneham aircraft from May 1951, with an eventual evacuation of British employees from Abadan taking place in October. This was swiftly followed the next month by the reinforcement of the Suez Canal Zone and evacuation of British civilians as trouble broke out there.

In 1952 troops were flown to Kenya in support of anti-terrorist operations.

The role of the Station was expanding as crews and technical personnel underwent training in the Transport Support role, being instructed in the art of dropping stores and troops by parachute. This came in useful the next February with catastrophic floods in eastern England; many sandbags were flown in from Europe and from airfields around this country and delivered to the East Coast areas, some of them being dropped by parachute.

In March 1954 the troopship Empire Windrush caught fire in the Mediterranean. The passengers, Service people and their families, were taken off, and then flown back to this country from Gibraltar in 19 flights by Lyneham's squadrons.

Number 216 Squadron moved in from Egypt for their first-ever home-based tour in late 1955. They then became the Station's only jet-equipped squadron when they received the first of their De Havilland Comets in July the next year, the squadron flying and ground crews having been trained at Hatfield. They didn't have long to get used to the aircraft before they became involved in the Suez Crisis of November that year. They flew many flights to Malta and Cyprus carrying troops and RAF personnel detached for the assault on the Canal Zone.

The 3 Hastings squadrons were also heavily involved, and they all took part in the paratroop assault on airfields and installations in the Canal Zone. This was largely a successful operation, but was quickly brought to an end for political reasons.

The next January Number 53 Squadron packed up and moved to Abingdon, and 4 months later Number 511 Squadron followed their lead and departed for Colerne. This left just Number 99 Squadron flying Hastings, and 216 with their Comets.

The Comet soon took on a VIP role as well as being a long-range trooper, and carried many of the Royal Family. They provided the Queen with her first jet flight on 4 June 1957, when they flew her and the Duke of Edinburgh from Marham to Leuchars. In the same month 216 started a high-speed passenger service to the Far East and Australia.

The arrival of the Comet had brought with a need for a longer runway, and in 1956 the main runway was therefore extended from 6,000 feet to its present length of 7,830 feet. This necessitated the demolition of 2 hangars on the north side of the airfield, and also the movement of the main gate from the north side to its present position on the south-west of the Station.

Both squadrons were involved in carrying passengers and freight to Christmas Island for the British nuclear tests in 1957 and 1958, and at the end of that year the Station became a quieter place when Number 99 Squadron gave up its Hastings aircraft, this being the last piston-engined aeroplane to be based at Lyneham. The squadron was to become the first to be equipped with the Bristol Britannia, but for the first two months of 1959 they had no aircraft. Their first Britannia flew in from Belfast on 19 March, and from then on there was a steady build-up of numbers. Crews and technicians were initially trained at Filton.

From 1958 Lyneham became one of the 18 Stations designated as dispersal airfields for the RAF's nuclear deterrent 'V' Force. A dispersal area and hutted camp were built so that 4 Vulcan or Victor aircraft could operate from a self-contained base at Lyneham. This facility was exercised periodically, causing some disruption to the Station's normal operations.

To end the decade, and to give the Station a purely strategic role in the early sixties, Number 511 Squadron, which had disbanded at Colerne , reformed at Lyneham on 15 December. It received the first of its Britannias later that month.