Anwick (Ruskington)
| Also known as: | Anwick Landing Ground / RAF Anwick / RFC Anwick / Sleaford |
| County: | Lincolnshire |
| Current Status: | Farmland |
| Date: | October 1916 - 1919 (notification of relinquishment 13 March); (decoy - Ruskington) 1940 (earliest known date 19 June) - closed by 12 August 1942 |
| Current Use: | Disused |
| Used By: | RAF / RFC |
| Landing Surface Types: | Unpaved |
| Aircraft Roles: | Fighter |
| Decoy Type(s): | Q |
| Decoy Number(s): | 21(a) |
Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b fighters of No 38 Squadron had Anwick available to them as a Home Defence landing ground during World War One until the unit moved to France in May 1918. A nucleus left behind enabled No 90 Squadron to form the following August, and its Avro 504K fighters remained in service after the end of fighting.
Anwick returned to aviation use in World War Two when it became a decoy airfield for Digby. The Q site lay on its extreme south-eastern edge, and was known as Ruskington, but is generally thought to have included the landing ground. What is the more recent private airstrip bearing Anwick’s name lies further away again to the south-east and much closer to the village.
The following organisations are either based at, use and/or have at least potentially significant connections with the airfield (as at 31/01/2019):
- Anwick Garden Centre - location of ABCT memorial plaque
- Anwick Parish Council
- Ruskington Parish Council
Main unit(s) present:
- No 38 Sqn
- No 90 Sqn
Photographs of the plaque at Anwick, 2018. Courtesy of Anwick Garden Centre and Tim McLeod-Rice
Looking east across the former airfield, 20 May 2010. © Richard Flagg
Plan of Anwick (Ruskington). Courtesy of Ed Andrews
| Parent(s)/HQ Airfield(s): | |
| Home Defence Flight Station(s): | |
| Associated Airfield(s): |