Dates: 1943 - 1963
The station was constructed by George Wimpey with concrete runways on a 650 acre site in June 1943, on the site of High Fields Farm, and originally assigned to No. 1 Group RAF, headquartered at RAF Bawtry. It was the highest bomber airfield in England at 428 feet above sea level, costing £803,000.
No. 101 Squadron RAF arrived on 15 June 1943 from RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor and the squadron would remain the primary occupants during the airfield's operational history during World War II. The squadron was declared operational three days later on 18 June 1943.
Ludford Magna was the first airfield in 1 Group to be equipped with the experimental FIDO dispersal system, first used on 10 March 1944, as one of only 15 RAF stations to be equipped with the pyrotechnic fog landing system in the whole of the UK. Six T2 and one B1 hangars were eventually erected on the airfield. There were three concrete runways, one north-south main at 2000 yards and two 1400 yard runways in a standard triangular layout.
The station's main gate was on Sixhills Lane. Due to the condition and poor drainage of the airfield it quickly acquired the nickname Mudford Magna. It had accommodation for 1,953 male and 305 female personnel, although the accommodation sites were inconveniently situated north of the village and widely dispersed on various agricultural fields. The station technical site was located on the north western edge of the station. Bombs for Ludford Magna's Lancasters and for many other local airfields' planes, were supplied from from RAF Market Stainton (233 Maintenance Unit). The airfield's bombs were stored widely spaced along the edge of Caistor High Street to avoid a sequence of detonation if the base was attacked or sabotaged. Its two satellite airfields were RAF Wickenby and RAF Faldingworth, each the other side of Market Rasen, with all three airfields part of No. 14 Base from 16 December 1943, although the Base operations only began on 20 January 1944.
It was planned to base No. 576 Squadron RAF at the airfield, with crews drawn from No. 101 Squadron and No. 103 Squadron RAF, but in November 1943 more suitable facilities were located at RAF Elsham Wolds.
