FULBECK
In 1940, meadows six miles east south east of Newark, between the villages of Fenton and Stragglethorpe, were requisitioned for use as a relief landing ground by training aircraft from the RAF College at Cranwell. Known unofficially as Fenton, the site continued to serve Cranwell for the next 18 months, gradually collecting a number of huts through the facilities were always basic. In February 1942, Fenton was scheduled for upgrading to a full-size airfield of Class A standard when it was given the official name of Fulbeck after the village 2.5 miles to the east in which parish most of the domestic sites were placed.
Built to Class A standard, the main contractor was Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons Ltd, with J. McGeoch & Son Ltd also involved. The runways were OS-23 at 2,000 yards, 12-30 and Ol-19 both 1,400 yards long. Thirty-six pan-type hardstandings were dispersed round the perimeter track but two were lost by the siting of hangars. Five T2 hangars were erected; one on the south side between runway heads 01 and O5; one on the east side by the main technical site for aircraft servicing; another down a long access track more to the north-east, and two at the north-west corner near runway 19. Three of the T2s were for gliders as during the summer of 1943 upwards of 30 Horsas were brought in for storage until required. The technical and administration sites were backed up against the stream known as Sandy Beck on the east side of the airfield, and the weapons store was to the south near runway O5. Two small roads from Fenton hamlet had to be closed to construct the airfield. Seven domestic sites, two communal and the sick quarters were east of Stragglethorpe Lane in Fulbeck Low Meadows.
In May 1943, a beam approach flight used the airfield but in August Fulbeck was allocated for USAAF use and work commenced to increase accommodation and the number of hardstandings, a total of 15 loops being added. Constable Hart & Co. Ltd and F. G. Mintee Ltd were the contractors involved. In October 1943, the first of nine newly-raised troop carrier groups to reach the UK arrived at Fulbeck. The 434th TCG had 56 C-47s and started training with some detachments elsewhere until finally moving to Aldermaston in March 1944. At the end the month the 442nd TCG arrived with C-47s, moving on to Weston Zoyland in June after having taken part in the D-Day operations. During the following two months there was little activity at Fulbeck until the 440th TCG arrived in September to take part in `Market', the air component of Operation `Market-Garden'.
The IX Troop Carrier Command relinquished the airfield for good in late September and No. 5 Group Bomber Command moved in the distinguished No. 49 Squadron from Fiskerton, an airfield which was transferred to No. 1 Group the following month. On November 2 the recently-formed No. 189 Squadron arrived from Bardney having taken part in its first operation the previous day. Both Nos. 49 and 189 Squadron's Lancasters remained based at Fulbeck until April 1945. No. 49 flew some 60 raids from the airfield losing 15 aircraft and No. 189 took part in 40 raids with 16 aircraft lost. No. 189 moved back to Bardney on the 8th of the month and No. 49 moved to Syerston on the 22nd. On the morning of transfer, a No. 49 Squadron Lancaster making a low farewell pass across the airfield crashed into the technical area and of the resulting 24 casualties among air and ground personnel, 15 were fatal. Bomber Command operations from Fulbeck cost 38 Lancasters, either failing to return or destroyed in crashes.
With no flying unit in residence, the station came under No. 255 Maintenance Unit handling RAF surplus stores, much of the material being disposed of in auctions held during 1948. The airfield was then on a care and maintenance status for five years as a sub-station of No. 93 Maintenance Unit, and at one point the hangars housed the Air Historical Branch's static aircraft collection. Retained as a reserve airfield, Fulbeck was also used as a Ministry of Defence training area playing host to a number of military exercises. The runways, apart from narrow strips used as farm roads, were removed in the 1970s and all but three of the hardstandings but the perimeter track was kept intact. At one time Fulbeck was proposed for a nuclear waste disposal site. It is still used for military training exercises.
