RAF Newark
58 MU recovering a 1661 HCU Stirling
Newark Air Museum Archive
58 MU Crew
Newark Air Museum Archive
58 MU crew with Lancaster Pistol Packin' Mama
Newark Air Museum Archive
58 MU Newark
Newark Air Museum Archive
58 MU recover Lancaster YW-T, R5845 at RAF Winthorpe
Newark Air Museum Archive
(58 MU)
By Howard Heeley
The following information was provided by the late Charles Waterfall (one of the founders of the Newark Air Museum) in a hand written note dated April 1994.
“58 MU was stationed in Newark (inc. offices), bordering the Fosse-Way (A46) and (now) Fosselands Drive, parallel with Northern Road. This was active throughout the war and moved to Skellingthorpe to allow the land to be returned to the local authorities.
At Newark 58 MU also had a hangar, situated on a small siding behind the Castle Station for receipt and despatch of aircraft and components (I remember it well).
Their offices were in the ‘Ossington’ until handed to the local government officers who used it eventually for the Department of Employment.
It transferred to Skellingthorpe only when that station started winding down.
When the depot on Lincoln Road was overflowing a further storage site was established on the right hand side of the Newark / Girton Road, (we, Neville and I and one or two NAM lads went there and dug up bits inc. Halifax and Oxford pieces), well past Collingham.
When Skellingthorpe was ending its life 58 MU transferred to Newton. That had been a very busy station, training with Oxfords / Masters during the war. Harvards taking over from Masters post-war, a grass airfield, with no roads or peri-track round that airfield – no use at all for large MU vehicles.
I flew from there quite frequently in ’43 / 4 / 5 and there was nothing there then. When I did visit 58 MU there in early ’48 they had a small site / dump where their fire dump is. A few Ansons, other metal pieces and two dismantled Lancasters one of which was DV170 (ex-Rolls-Royce I believe). This was only about 150 yards long and 40 yards wide with no buildings.”
Aircraft recovery photographs by 58 MU are relatively common, however the Newark Air Museum is keen to hear from anyone who might have photographs of any aircraft or airframe parts arriving, or leaving by train at the Castle Station siding. This site is close to where the Waitrose store is now located in Newark.