Newark Air Museum

Newark Air Museum is located on a former RAF airfield located at Winthorpe, in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

The airfield, known as RAF Winthorpe, was created as a satellite station for RAF Swinderby during the Second World War, opening in September 1940. The first operations were mainly by the Polish squadrons 300 and 301, who usually flew Fairey Battles, operating from Winthorpe when Swinderby was waterlogged.

In 1942 the airfield was taken over by No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit, training Lancaster crews. The Heavy Conversion Unit was disbanded in 1945, all training was stopped and the Lancasters were dispatched to other units.

RAF Winthorpe was taken over by Transport Command in late 1945. By 1956 the airbase was allocated to the USAF to become a hospital but was never used. It reverted back to the MOD and closed.

In 1964, two hundred acres of the site was purchased by the Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, which then setup the Newark Showground.

In 1968 the Newark Air Museum was formed on the remaining land of the airfield, officially opening in 1973.

The Air Museum formally dedicated a memorial to RAF Winthorpe on its 60th Anniversary.