The station opened in 1915 as Royal Flying Corps Station Grantham, becoming RAF Grantham on 1 April 1918 - a name it bore until 1942 when it was renamed as RAF Spitalgate. Throughout the
First World War the station focused on flying training, hosting a succession of reserve (Nos 49, 86 (Canadian), 11, and 50) and then training squadrons (the renamed No. 49 (Training) Squadron and 15, 20, and 37, plus No. 39 in 1919) plus several
United States Army Air Service squadrons (9th, 50th, 174th, and a detachment of
43rd). Flying training continued at RAF Grantham during the inter-war years;
Nos 100 and
39 Squadrons were present for much of the 1920s.
No. 3 Group RAF was disbanded on 12 April 1926 at Spitalgate by renumbering it
No. 23 (Training) Group. The station was back under the administration of No. 3 Group from July - September 1937 after which it was transferred to
No. 5 Group RAF (September 1937 - August 1938) after which the station was placed under care & maintenance (it was
mothballed). It was reopened in July 1938 and
No. 12 Flying Training School RAF moved in on 1 December 1938, possibly with additional 12 FTS elements at the satellite station at
RAF Harlaxton. RAF Spitalgate should not be confused with HQ of
No. 5 Group that was in a large private house,
St Vincents Hall, Grantham from October 1937 to November 1943 and also known as RAF Grantham during its final years there. Also in November 1943, elements of the HQ
IX Troop Carrier Command of the
United States Army Air Forces were relocated to RAF Spitalgate, with their headquarters at St. Vincents in the town centre. The station was also the training and point-of-departure for the
Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade during
Operation Market Garden. The station was an
Officer Cadet Training Unit in the 1950s. Much later it became the
Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) Depot, responsible for the recruitment and training of all non-
commissioned females in the RAF, until this moved to
RAF Hereford and later again to
RAF Swinderby. It was also the home of the Central Gliding School which moved to
RAF Syerston in March 1975. The site is not part of Grantham, but the parish of Londonthorpe & Harrowby Without. Spitalgate acted as a parent station for a relief landing ground four miles further south at RAF Harlaxton from November 1916 until 1945. In 1975 the RAF vacated the site and the following year it became a
British Army installation, renamed
Prince William of Gloucester Barracks. ==Station commanders==