This very pretty, if unusually placed memorial garden marks the former station headquarters of R.A.F. Snaith airfield.
The garden commemorates both the 687 airmen of 51 Squadron, 4 Group, Bomber Command who lost their lives flying Halifax Bombers Marks II and III from here between October 1942 and April 1945 and also the 205 airmen of 150 Squadron who preceded them and were lost on active duty, flying Wellington Bombers Marks I and III”.
The garden features memorial plaques for many bomber crews who failed to return from missions out of RAF Snaith, and for veterans who served there. There are a few artifacts dating from the war, and several dedicated garden seats and ceremonial flagpoles. The visitors’ book is in the cubby hole in the front of the plinth bearing the engraved map of the old airfield.
The squadrons still have very strong ties with the local area. Twice a year – in May and November – local residents meet up with veterans and serving members of the two squadrons for a service of thanksgiving in Pollington church, followed by a visit to the garden for a dedication of the Memorial Stone and wreath-laying.
Pollington airfield (RAF Snaith) was designed in March 1940 with construction commencing later that year. There were 3 hangers, 3 runways totaling 2½ miles in length, and a camp providing for some 2,000 men and 400 women, in total more than twice the population of the village today. Some buildings still remain, but most of the runways were torn up in the 1970s to provide building materials for the M62 motorway that passes through the north of the old airfield site.
**************************************
The remember them!”
If anyone would like to place a War Memorial Cache of your own then please do so. We would ask if you do so please contact Just-us-Two through their profile page or on email at
justustwo1013@gmail.com<so they can keep track of numbers
*************************************
*****PLEASE NOTE IMPORTANT *****
****PHYSICAL CACHES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE PLACED ON THE ACTUAL MEMORIAL OR WITHIN THE
BOUNDARY OF SUCH MEMORIALS AT ALL TIMES TREAT LOCATIONS OF MEMORIALS WITH RESPECT. ****