We specialise in publishing and selling books about raf bomber command in the second world war and related topics. With the help of her family, her late husbands photo album with its rich collection of photographs, and a typed report recording the squadrons operations from 1943 to 1945 were made available to me for use on this site, through adrian fryatt, son. The rank of squadron leader doesnt necessarily means the officer led a squadron of aircraft, in fact a squadron leader might not even be a pilot. The anzac squadron foundation of 461 sunderland squadron raaf. It was only a reconnaissance aircraft but it could not be allowed to operate unchallenged the military build up in britain was now moving up a gear or two. The squadron was formed out of elements of 97 squadron at raf woodhall spa in lincolnshire on 18 april 1943, equipped with lancaster mk. Raf squadrons in may 1940 planes and bases of the royal air force on may 10, 1940. If you wish to post a query about this page, then please go to the newer raf commands forum and register as a member. The king has been graciously pleased to confer the victoria cross on the undermentioned officer. It was used in ww2 and famously the battle of britain. In the battle of britain r t bickers, london, 1990 the raf ww2 author, in this official 50th anniversary book, decsribes goodman as palestinian on page 197.
Light bombers blenheim the twinengine bristol blenheim entered raf service in 1937, replacing obsolete aircraft such as the hawker hind biplane. Alternatively you can leave a comment on this page using facebook in the comments box at the bottom of the page. There are a total of 160 ww2 british aircraft 19391945 entries in the military factory. Raf waddington opened as an rfc station in 1916 and was used for military flying between the wars, being rebuilt and updated in the 1930s. Second world war in northern ireland county antrim airfields. During world war ii, pilots of the raf distinguished themselves in the battle of britain and conducted a strategic bombing campaign on germany. A member of the armed forces mentioned in dispatches or despatches, mid is one whose. Only one vc awarded to raf in ww2 aircraft of world war. Avro york lv633 ascalon, churchills personal aircraft. Vol 15 no 1 june 2010 they flew with the royal air force. Recommendations for military honours and awards 19351990 the. The wreckage of an raf bomber shot down during world war two has been discovered thanks to a german soldiers photos of the crash site. Raf graduates would be sent on an acclimatisation course of 2 weeks to get them used to flying in britain with the weather and crowded skies before being sent to an raf o.
A member of the armed forces mentioned in dispatches or despatches, mid is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which his or her gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy is described in some countries, a service members name must be mentioned in dispatches as a condition for receiving certain decorations. Fox joined the royal air force raf and applied for aircrew training, but was rejected due to poor eyesight. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. Arguably the most famous aircraft ever in use by the raf. Here is a list of aircraft used by the british royal air force, royal navy fleet air arm, army air.
It was the rafs last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it was being introduced. Many attached lists of men deemed worthy of a mention, though text explaining the precise reason why a particular individual was chosen is uncommon. Built for use by coastal command of the royal air force this airfield was operational in 1941 and. The high altitude version was also stripped down of armament, given longer wings and an improved engine. The reports cover action seen by the squadrons, wings and groups serving with. Despatches during world war 2, submitted by commandersinchief, were published in the gazette from 1941 until 1951. The 1944 kings birthday honours, celebrating the official birthday of king george vi, were announced on 2 june 1944 for the united kingdom and british empire, new zealand, and south africa. Many aircraft types have served in the british royal air force since its formation in april 1918 from the merger of the royal flying corps and royal naval air service. In 1939 at the outbreak of war 44 sqd and 50 sqd were flying hampdens from waddington. The following descriptions are taken direct from the raf bomber command website. Formation of mosquito aircraft of no 464 squadron from raf thorney island.
Second world war flying training taking flight in september 1939 trained pilots were urgently needed if the royal air force raf was to meet its operational commitments. We continued down the nile to kenya and were the first plane of the new squadron to. He was soon back in action and in july his total reached 32 aircraft destroyed, an raf record which would stand for almost three years. Served in india, peshawar, on north west frontier, 1928. Bbc ww2 peoples war my dday experience 6th june 1944. Table 21 total number of aircraft grounded in the raf home commands. The miles martinet was a target tug aircraft of the royal air force and fleet air arm that was in service during the second world war. Your name appeared in the new years honours list as having been mentioned in despatches by the air officer commandinginchief bomber command. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. The issue or supplement number, title and date of publication are listed below. A mention in despatches is an operational gallantry award given to all ranks for an act. Second world war in northern ireland county armagh part 2.
The mention in despatches is the most junior form of recognition that was announced in the london gazette. Operation overlord operations of coastal command, royal air force, may to august 1944. Prior to the formation of the raf and the air ministry in 1918, military aviation had. Access to orbats mapping tool, allowing you to trace your ww1 ancestors steps. This is an archived page from the older dcboard forum of raf commands.
British commandersinchief of a theatre of war or campaign were obliged to report their activities and achievements to the war office in the form of despatches, which were published in the gazette. Mitchell, who had produced the schneider trophy champions of. Many of his squadron mates thought that he deserved a victoria cross. In 2001 eveline marshcollis made a wonderful contribution to the later history of 211 squadron. Flying was in its infancy the first flight of a heavier than air machine occurred in 1903 but it was the invention of aircraft controls that made fixedwing powered flight possible. Navy air force royal air force ww2 aircraft military aircraft pilot aircraft painting ww2 planes. Public record office air 25025 has recommendation for a military medal. List of aircraft of the united kingdom in world war ii. A selection of distinguished south african airmen who served in the raf.
The idea is to make a few graphs like the one below, with number of aircraft and corresponding period. No single aircraft has so captured the worlds imagination as the royal air forces sleekly elegant spitfire. I could not believe it when i heard that the raf had only had one vc awarded during ww2. Records transcribed in the uk for maximum accuracy. Royal flying corps aircraft the following sections describe the principal documentation available in the national archives and elsewhere in respect of royal flying corps and royal air force aircraft prior to 1919. James, the paladins a social history of the raf up to the outbreak of world war ii aylesbury. Here is a list of aircraft used by the british royal air force, royal navy fleet air arm, army air corps and british overseas airways corporation boac during the second world war. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. In the lower photograph on the right is corporal evans who was mentioned in despatches. Royal air force combat reports 19391945 the national. It was whilst watching a documentary of bob, so i looked it up. For just those aircraft currently in service, see list of active united kingdom military aircraft.
He was mentioned in despatches on 1 june 1943 london gazette 2 june 1943. Raf honeybourne in the second world war, the wartime memories project. During ww1 he received an amazing 8 mentioned in despatches and at the start of ww2 he was commander of i corps in france before being promoted to general one month later. The mention in despatches being sought is an award without a despatch. Raf bomber command controlled the rafs bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. One of the aircraft adapted to counter it was the mosquito. The general conditions applying to awards made by the sovereign to british commonwealth personnel for gallantry are recorded in a number of published and official sources. During its time in north africa personnel of the squadron were mentioned in despatches four times. In total 364,514 operational sorties were flown, 1,030,500 tons of bombs were dropped and 8,325 aircraft lost in action. Gazette world war 2 despatches, submitted by commandersinchief. The accountant branch of the raf is exactly that, the officer has been trained, either before joining the forces, or during his service as an accountant. These are the aircraft that where mostly used by the raf in the time of world war ii music is. I would like to know if there are any data regarding the front line strength of the raf between 1939 and 45.
Enter the aircrafts name that corresponds with the hint. Raf graduates were sent home at the end of the advanced flying school as the aircraft that they were to use were different. The raf was formed at the end of world war 1 from what had been the royal flying corps. You can apply for a world war 2 medal if you meet the criteria. Eligible personnel include all army, navy and air force personnel including personnel of the reserve forces, territorial. Royal air force logistics during the second world war. The air crew europe star is earned almost exclusively by raf personnel for. On march 1945 having flown 49 sorties 357 hours he. The royal air force raf was not created until the last year of the first. Regiment sqns 27002850 royal air force organisational. I have transcribed many of these documents, and the links below allow you to download these files.
Raf waddington in the second world war 19391945 the. Wartime as atc, service at a number of stations, including rudlow manor, under avm leighmallory. Squadron leader william frederick quilliam raf ww2 which. Vol 15 no 1 june 2010 south african military history.
Clarke, robert, flight sergeant 1002829, royal air force no. Raf pilot training in ww2 aircraft of world war ii. Along with the united states army air forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of germany in world war ii. Our growing list of titles focuses on the aircraft, squadrons and above all the men and women who shaped the legend that endures to this day. This is a list of raf aircraft, including all currently active and retired types listed in alphabetic order by their raf type name. It was and is an honour granted with a symbol usually an oak leaf appended to a campaign ribbon without a specific medal of its own. The essential raf researchers library air britains raf aircraft register series various authors air britains raf serials registers j j. Forums aviation history and nostalgia unofficial aircrew ww2. Jewish pilots and aircrews in the battle of britain. Royal air force, youngest of the three british armed services, charged with the air defense of the united kingdom and the fulfillment of international defense commitments. Return to the world war 2 aircraft by country index. Wilfred ronald maitland dfc was a member of the royal air force serving with 156 squadron. Thanks very much to guy evans pilot officer lawrence nelson, raf volunteer reserve. Second world war flying training royal air force museum.
In summary, those made for service with 211 squadron raf in world war ii were as follows distinguished service order dso. Mentioned in despatches three times, unfortunately have no. Number of squadrons, locations and aircraft types at the beginning of the western campaign. They are the official reports which pilots or air gunners filed after they had encountered enemy aircraft on operational flights.
Bomber command books is the sales site for mention the war ltd. Raf honeybourne in the second world war 19391945 the. The range of reasons for awarding a mention in despatches was immense. After a period of leave in canada he returned to the uk and in october 1944 was posted to 150 squadron bomber command. How to research a mention in despatches the long, long. Figure 6 world total of raf aircraft september 1939 to september 1945 163. The commandersinchief of each theatre of war infrequently submitted a despatch to the war office, outlining the events since the previous despatch and listing those men who had been nominated as worthy of a mention. Tracing its ancestry to a successful line of racers, the spitfire was designed by supermarines chief engineer, reginald j.
I volunteered to join the raf flying, and whilst waiting for my call up, i joined the ldv or home guard as it became known as a motor cycle despatch rider. After promotion to acting air commodorea rank precluded from operational flyinghe was mentioned in. It was used by the royal air force raf, the royal navys fleet air arm faa known as the sea gladiator variant and the south african air force saaf. Many aircraft types have served in the british royal air force since its formation in april. Raf front line strength, 193945 axis history forum. Being near the end of world war ii, it included a great many military personnel who were mentioned. We would particularly love to share with our online visitors any stories that former members of the waaf and wraf may have. It moved to italy in december 1943, serving at bagnoli, cerignola and anzio. Hiroshima kenji kawai its from the apocalypse ww2 series. He was mentioned in despatches in 1945 and retired as a sqn ldr in september 1964. The struggle and success in achieving the required number of pilots is one of the overlooked battles of the war. He was mentioned in despatches four times during the war, awarded an obe in 1946, and retired as a wg cdr in 1953 after 36 years service in the raf. The sixth and last of the world war two series of bracknell. These records are royal air force combat reports written during the second world war.
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