RAF Hixon and Wellington Bombers

Description:This watercolour postcard view shows Vickers Wellington Mk. II long-range night bomber aircraft each with a crew of 6.

Dimensions: Span 86’ 2”, length 64’ 7”, height I7’ 5”, loaded weight 27,600 lb., engines two I,I45 h.p. Rolls Royce Merlin X, max. speed 247 m.p.h., range I,570 miles, service ceiling 23,500’, armament six 0.303 machine guns, max. bomb load 4,500 lb.

RAF Hixon, No. 30 O.T.U. (No. 30 Operational Training Unit), was used as a training environment for Bomber aircrews flying Vickers Wellington bombers also known as “Wellies”, and for several other types of aircraft that used the facilities at the airbase.

RAF Hixon opened in 1942 as a base for Bomber Command for the Second World War. The Station was near to the village of Hixon and originally had three runways, hangers, a control tower and other buildings and accommodation for around 2900. After the war the airbase was used for storage of surplus RAF vehicles and later the site became an industrial estate.

This postcard was published by J. Salmon Ltd., Sevenoaks.