Grimsby Municipal Airport c1939.

From a photo by the New Centurion Publishing & Publicity Co. Ltd., Derby and Cheltenham.

In 1935, the Grimsby Corporation acquired an existing aerodrome of 60 acres at Waltham. Additional land was purchased and by 1938 the area of the Airport was 300 acres. It was acknowledged as one of the finest landing grounds in Great Britain and was singularly fog-free.

The Airport was managed for the Grimsby Corporation by Grimsby Aviation, Ltd. It was also the headquarters of the Lincolnshire Aero Club and the Grimsby Aero Club.

Grimsby Aviation Ltd. was responsible to the Government for a Civil Air Guard training centre at the Airport and the Herts. and Essex Club operated there an Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School for the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. For air passengers and other users of the Airport there was a restaurant and club house, together with car parks.

The airfield was requisitioned by the Air Ministry in May 1940. The aerodrome was then prepared through the summer of 1940 with concrete runways (the first in north Lincolnshire) to accommodate bombers of No. 1 Group RAF. The aerodrome became operational in the summer of 1941 and was initially a satellite airfield for the nearby RAF Binbrook. The Wellington squadrons based at Binbrook would use Waltham as their own airfield did not have concrete runways.

Three squadrons served at RAF Grimsby during its operation. 142 Squadron moved to the airfield in November 1941, 100 Squadron arrived in December 1942 and 550 Squadron (formed from 100 Squadron’s C-Flight). Avro Lancasters flew from RAF Grimsby from 1943.

Runways and some WWII buildings remain at the site today.