About
Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre is a memorial museum and heritage site dedicated to the memory of RAF Metheringham and the men of No. 106 Squadron, who flew Lancaster bombers from this Lincolnshire airfield between September 1943 and June 1945. The centre stands on the ground of the former wartime airfield — now largely returned to agriculture — and preserves both the physical memory of the base and the individual stories of the aircrew who served and died here.
No. 106 Squadron holds a particular place in RAF history because its commanding officer in 1942 and early 1943 was Wing Commander Guy Gibson, one of the most decorated airmen of the Second World War. Gibson commanded 106 Squadron before being selected to form and lead 617 Squadron for the audacious Dambusters raid of 16-17 May 1943 — Operation Chastise, the low-level attack on the Ruhr dams using Barnes Wallis's bouncing bomb. The connection between Metheringham and Gibson gives the airfield a significance beyond its operational record, though that record is remarkable in its own right: 106 Squadron flew 236 bombing operations, losing 166 aircraft and hundreds of aircrew in the course of the war.
Lincolnshire has a unique place in the history of RAF Bomber Command. With more wartime airfields than any other English county — at its peak, the county had approximately fifty operational stations — it was the heartland of the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The villages and farms of the county were transformed by the presence of tens of thousands of young men, many of them from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth nations, who flew missions from which many would not return. Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre remembers these men and this sacrifice with deep respect and careful documentation.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- A car is essential for visiting — the site is in open farmland 2.5km from Metheringham village and has no practical public transport connection.
- The International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln is only about 12 miles away and should be on the itinerary of any visitor to Metheringham — together they tell the complete Bomber Command story with great depth.
- Allow time for the self-guided walk around the surviving airfield remains — the perimeter track and dispersal pans give the site its distinctive character and make the scale of a wartime bomber base physically real.
- The volunteer guides have detailed knowledge of individual aircrew histories. If you are researching a family member who served with 106 Squadron, call ahead — the centre maintains records and may be able to help.
- Bring warm clothing. The airfield is in exposed Lincolnshire farmland and can be cold and windy even in summer.
- The shop stocks a good range of books on Bomber Command, No. 106 Squadron, and the Dambusters — these make excellent purchases before or after your visit.
- Photography is welcomed throughout the site. The surviving concrete of the perimeter track and the flat Lincolnshire skyline make atmospheric images.
- The centre can arrange out-of-hours visits for groups, schools, and veteran associations by prior appointment.
Highlights
Wing Commander Guy Gibson and the Dambusters Connection
Guy Gibson — one of the most celebrated RAF officers of the Second World War — commanded No. 106 Squadron at RAF Metheringham's predecessor station before being chosen in late 1942 to form and lead the specially constituted 617 Squadron for Operation Chastise. The Dambusters raid of 16-17 May 1943, in which Gibson led the low-level attack on the Möhne, Eder, and Sorpe dams using Barnes Wallis's revolutionary bouncing bomb, became one of the most famous operations in RAF history.
Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership. Museum displays trace Gibson's time with 106 Squadron, his selection for the Dambusters, and the connections between Metheringham and this legendary operation.
No. 106 Squadron: Lancasters Over Germany
No. 106 Squadron flew its first Lancaster operation from the Lincolnshire area in September 1942 and moved to RAF Metheringham in November 1943. Over the following eighteen months the squadron flew hundreds of bombing operations, targeting industrial facilities, transport infrastructure, oil refineries, and German cities as part of the RAF's strategic bombing campaign.
The human cost was devastating: 166 aircraft lost over the course of the war, with hundreds of aircrew killed or taken prisoner. Museum displays present both the operational record and the individual human stories — the young men who flew, their backgrounds, their fears, and their camaraderie.
Lincolnshire: The Bomber County
At the height of the Second World War, Lincolnshire was home to more Bomber Command airfields than any other English county — approximately fifty operational stations packed into the limestone plateau and chalk wolds between Lincoln and the coast. The county became so associated with the strategic bombing campaign that it acquired the informal title 'Bomber County.
' Museum displays contextualise RAF Metheringham within this extraordinary landscape: maps showing the distribution of airfields, accounts of the relationship between the RAF stations and local communities, and the transformation of quiet agricultural land into the world's most intensive bomber operations area.
The Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster heavy bomber — the aircraft that equipped No. 106 Squadron and most of the Main Force — is one of the iconic aircraft of the Second World War. Museum displays cover the Lancaster's development, performance, and operational characteristics: its four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, its bomb capacity, its operational ceiling and range.
The Lancaster's internal layout is presented through diagrams and photographs: the cramped conditions in which seven crew members flew on operations that could last ten hours, the vulnerability of the aircraft to flak and night fighters, and the extraordinary teamwork required to keep an aircraft and its crew alive over enemy territory.
Collections
The Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre holds collections focused on RAF Metheringham and No. 106 Squadron's service record. Photographic collections are extensive, covering the airfield, aircraft, and aircrew of the squadron.
Operational records, log books, letters, and personal effects donated by aircrew families document individual service histories. Aircraft-related material includes technical manuals, equipment, and model aircraft. The centre maintains a comprehensive Roll of Honour for all aircrew who flew with 106 Squadron, with ongoing research adding biographical detail.
A library of Bomber Command and related publications supports research visits.
Guy Gibson and the Dambusters: 106 Squadron's Greatest Son
Gibson's command of 106 Squadron and his selection for and leadership of Operation Chastise.
Operations: Lancasters Over Germany
The operational record of No. 106 Squadron, September 1943 to June 1945.
Roll of Honour: The Men of Metheringham
Individual biographies and crew histories of those who served with 106 Squadron.
Bomber County: Lincolnshire and the RAF
The concentration of Bomber Command stations in Lincolnshire and their relationship with local communities.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.