RAF Kelstern | Education Video by World of Military

<p>Station History</p><p>Military flying began at Kelstern as far back as 1916, but not at the location that was later to become RAF Kelstern. Back in December 1916 a small site near Mill Farm was taken over 0.6 miles NNW of the village and used as a Class 1 unlit landing ground by the RFC. The first and only residents were No.33 (Home Defence) Squadron operating a variety of aircraft including the Bristol Fighter and Avro 504. The squadron’s role while stationed here was the defence of North Lincolnshire from German Airships during the Great War. The landing ground covered an area of 90 acres by the end of the war, and had two landing strips, one of 700 yards and the other 650. </p><p><br></p><p> By June 1919 with the Great War now over, No.33 Squadron were to leave the landing ground, with the site soon being returned back to its original use as farmland. </p><p><br></p><p> Twenty three years later the RFC (now called the RAF), returned to Kelstern with the view to building an airfield as part of their expansion plan. But the original site of the Landing Ground was not chosen, instead a location just one mile to the NNE. The first examination of the new location took place on 13t