Editing RAF Digby (section)

===Second World War===
RAF Digby entered the war with some of its squadrons operating from nearby satellite fields under its control at [[RAF Coleby Grange]] and RAF Wellingore. The first squadron scrambled from Digby was No. 46 Squadron on 3 September; told there was an incoming German raid they found nothing and returned.<ref name=rafinfo1939>{{cite web|url=http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/digby/digbyhistory_1939.htm|title=RAF Digby - RCAF Digby: A history: 1939|publisher=RAF Lincolnshire info|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>

October 1939 saw a number of arrivals at the station. On 10 October [[No. 611 Squadron RAF]] flying [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s and [[No. 229 Squadron RAF]] operating [[Bristol Blenheim]]s arrived at Digby. Initially, No. 611 Squadron flew affiliation exercises with the other two squadrons and with other new arrivals [[No. 44 Squadron RAF]] and [[No. 144 Squadron RAF]], who were both equipped with Hampden light bombers. At the end of October a [[Bristol Blenheim]] fighter and escort Squadron arrived, [[No. 29 Squadron RAF]]. With the squadron came the soon-to-be-famous officer [[Guy Gibson]], who would be awarded a [[Victoria Cross]] as the commander of the [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|Dambusters]]. It was Gibson's second tour at Digby as he had learned to fly at the station while attending No. 2 FTS in 1936. Gibson was still based at Digby in 1940 when he was married in [[Penarth]], South Wales.<ref>Morris 1994, p. 81</ref>

As 1939 came to a close [[King George VI]] made the first of three formal visits to RAF Digby. In addition to inspecting No. 46 Squadron, he presented decorations to fighter pilots from Digby and several neighbouring stations. The recipients included Guy Gibson who received his first DFC.<ref name=rafinfo1939/>
[[File:RAF Digby Ops Room.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|Sector Operations Room Museum – displayed as it was in 1939]]

For six weeks in May and June 1940 the station was home to [[No. 222 Squadron RAF]] on a rotational rest and recuperation break from fighting the [[Battle of Britain]] from [[RAF Duxford]]. The squadron's most famous flight commander was the legless fighter ace [[Douglas Bader|Flight Lieutenant Douglas Bader]]. With the station's complement of pilots expanding nearby Wellingore Hall was requisitioned as a second officers' mess.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rogercoleenterprises.co.uk/high_flight/about/the_spitfire_and_raf_wellingore/ |title=The Spitfire & RAF Wellingore|publisher=Roger Cole Enterprises|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>

In late August 1940 a single German [[Junkers Ju 88]] bomber appeared suddenly out of the mist and dropped its load of bombs on the station, all of them missing the runways and buildings to explode harmlessly on open ground. In February 1941 the first of the Canadian fighter squadrons arrived at Digby. No. 1 (Canadian) Squadron and No. 2 (Canadian) Squadron immediately renumbered as [[401 Tactical Fighter Squadron|No. 401 Squadron RCAF]] and [[402 Squadron|No. 402 Squadron RCAF]] respectively; both squadrons were equipped with Hurricanes. The Canadian Digby wing was formed on 24 April 1941 when the station received three further squadrons, [[409 Tactical Fighter Squadron|No. 409 Squadron RCAF]] flying [[Boulton Paul Defiant]]s, [[No. 411 Squadron RCAF]] and [[412 Transport Squadron|No. 412 Squadron RCAF]] both flying [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s.<ref name=rafinfo1941>{{cite web|url=http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/digby/digbyhistory_ch3_1941.htm|title=RAF Digby - RCAF Digby: A history: 1941|publisher=RAF Lincolnshire info|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>

RAF Digby received several German bomber raids during 1941 and extensive damage was suffered. It was decided to relocate the 12 Group Sector Operations Centre away from further danger and it moved to a luxurious setting in the west wing of [[Blankney|Blankney Hall]] where it stayed for the remainder of the war. Several RAF squadrons arrived to serve alongside the Canadians during 1941; [[No. 92 Squadron RAF]] and [[No. 609 Squadron RAF]] both arrived from [[RAF Biggin Hill]] on rotational rest and recuperation leave. There were now so many airmen at RAF Digby that even the two officers' messes could not accommodate them all. Several squadrons commandeered the nearby [[Ashby de la Launde|Ashby Hall]] as their officers' mess and the hall remained in this role until the end of the war when it fell into disrepair and its estate was broken up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/digby/Ashby-de-la-Launde.htm|title=RAF Digby - Ashby de la Launde|publisher=RAF Lincolnshire info|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>

American-born pilot and poet [[John Gillespie Magee Jr.|John Gillespie Magee]] flying for the Canadian air force was killed at the age of 19 on 11 December 1941 while stationed at RAF Digby with [[412 Transport Squadron|No. 412 (Fighter) Squadron RCAF]].<ref name="BB">{{cite book |title= Battle of Britain – Pilot and Aircrew Manual – Ceremony 2007 |author= Government of Canada |year= 2007 |publisher= Government of Canada |location= Ottawa}}</ref> Magee took off in a Spitfire from the satellite field at RAF Wellingore and, while descending through cloud over Roxholm village just south of Digby, was involved in a mid-air collision with an Airspeed Oxford climbing out of RAF Cranwell. Magee is buried at the [[war graves]] section of [[Scopwick]] churchyard along with 49 other aviators from local airfields and five German aircrew.<ref name="wood">{{cite web |url=http://www.woodiescciclub.com/high-flight.htm |title=High Flight Poem – John Gillespie Magee Jr |access-date=2 March 2008 |archive-date=8 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208223722/http://woodiescciclub.com/high-flight.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> On his grave are inscribed the first and last lines from his poem High Flight:<ref name="wood"/>

: "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth –
: Put out my hand and touched the Face of God."

UK bomb-disposal teams were having continuing problems rendering safe with German {{Convert|2|kg|abbr=on}} [[Butterfly bomb]]s because no examples had been safely dismantled to learn the best process. This was because butterfly bombs were specifically designed to [[detonate]] if they were disturbed in any way. Whilst dealing with eight butterfly bombs which had fallen on [[RAF Harlaxton]] and failed to explode, Flight Sergeant Hanford of RAF Bomb Disposal (based at RAF Digby) noticed that the arming rods on the bombs had not fully unscrewed themselves i.e. the [[fuze]]s were not fully armed. Hanford carefully screwed the arming rods back into the fuze pockets by hand, thereby enabling the bomb disposal scientists to safely dismantle the fuze mechanisms, learn how they worked and develop counter-measures. Highly useful information in the form of diagrams and detailed explanations were then distributed to bomb disposal technicians for instructional purposes. Hanford was later awarded the [[British Empire Medal]] for this feat of extreme bravery.<ref>[http://www.rafbdhistory.co.uk/new_page_6.htm RAF bomb disposal history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304162916/http://www.rafbdhistory.co.uk/new_page_6.htm |date=4 March 2012 }}</ref>

Airfield guarding duties during the war were covered initially by a variety of Army units and later by several squadrons the RAF Regiment. In February 1941, Digby was guarded by B Company of the [[Royal Welch Fusiliers]]. From the middle of 1941 until 1942 Digby was guarded by D Company of the 70th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers.<ref name=rafinfo1941/>