Blyton

Blyton Airfield can be found north of the B1205, 1.5 miles north-east of Blyton village. Construction of the airfield started in early 1942 to standard Class ‘A ‘ pattern, with three hangars; two T2s and a B1.

The technical site was off the western perimeter track and the dispersed communal and accommodation sites were arranged along the A159 running north from Blyton.

Blighton opened under 1 Group as a training airfield. It first received ‘B’ Flight of 18 (Polish) Operational Training Unit equipped with Wellington bombers which remained until February 1943.

In February 1942, 1 Group Air Bomber Training Flight and 1481 Flight equipped with Defiant, Lysander, Oxford and Whitley aircraft made use of the facilities until the beginning of November.

Blyton received its first operational unit when 199 Squadron formed at the airfield 7 Novemebr 1942, equipped with Wellingtons. On 3 February 1943 the squadron departed to Ingham.

On 26 January 1943, 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) formed at Blyton with 16 Halifax and 16 Lancaster bombers (although later it would become an all-Halifax unit as the Lancasters were required for front-line service. The role of the HCU was to convert crews to the four-engined bombers in use by Bomber Command from the twin aircraft they had trained on at an Operational Training Unit (OTU) as a five man crew. The HCU the crew acquired two extra members to form the seven man crew required for an operational aircraft. To compliment the HCU, ‘B’ Flight of 1 Lancaster Finishing School was based at Blyton until April 1945 when it was disbanded.

At the end of the war Blyton was used as a relief landing ground until 1954, when it became a sub-site for 61 Maintenance Unit (MU) until 1959.

Today Blyton is used for motorsports – part of the original perimeter track making it ideal for this use.

Most of the buildings are gone, although some remains of the accommodation sites can be seen, including semi-submerged blast shelters. Near the race track offices there is a small memorial plaque, attached to an aircraft tie-down.

Map: Blyton