Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
No 236 - 240 Squadron Histories
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Squadron Codes used: -
FA | Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 |
FA | Oct 1939 - 1941 |
ND | 1941 - Aug 1943 |
MB | Jul 1944 - May 1945 |
[Aircraft & Markings | Commanding Officers]
Squadron Codes used: -
MH |
Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 |
[Aircraft & Markings | Commanding Officers]
Formed on 20 August 1918 from No's 347, 348 and 349 Flights at Cattewater, equipped with Short 184s for patrolling the Channel. Some Felixstowe F2As and F3s were received in October and both types were operated until disbanding on 15 May 1919.
Reformed as a Spitfire unit on 16 May 1940 at Tangmere, these were exchanged for Hurricanes in June. It operated throughout the Battle of Britain from Middle Wallop and St Eval until moving to Chilbolton in September 1940. In May 1941, the squadron was embarked aboard HMS Victorious and it sailed for Malta. It flew its aircraft from Victorious on 14 June 1941 and the following day continued its journey to Egypt, the ground echelon having travelled via South Africa.
Until its own ground personnel arrived, at the end of July, the squadron's Hurricanes were serviced by No 274 Squadron. It was then involved in flying bomber escort missions and offensive sweeps until the end of 1942, when it returned to Egypt for defensive duties and to convert to Spitfires. In March 1944 the squadron moved to Corsica with its Spitfire IXs and took part in the Allied invasion of southern France in August, after which it moved onto the French mainland for two months before going to Naples, where it disbanded on 31 October 1944.
A new 238 Squadron formed at Merryfield on 1 December 1944 as a transport unit, intended to operate Albemarles, but when its equipment arrived it was in the form of Dakotas. These were taken to India in February 1945, where it began supply dropping operations and casualty evacuation from Burma. However, its stay in India was short and in June it moved to Australia, where it operated in support of the British Pacific Fleet until disbanding on 27 December 1945. Just under a year later on 1 December 1946, No 525 Squadron was renumbered 238 at Abingdon. It was still flying Dakotas and these were operated throughout the Berlin Airlift but on 5 November 1948, the squadron was disbanded by being renumbered No 10 Squadron.
The squadron was re-formed in 2007 by re-naming the Line Training Flight at the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering at Cosford.
Squadron Codes used: -
TR | Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 |
VK | May 1940 - May 1941 |
KC | 1942 - Oct 1944 |
FM | Dec 1944 - Dec 1945 |
WF | Dec 1946 - Oct 1948 |
[Aircraft & Markings | Commanding Officers]
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Squadron Codes used: -
XB | Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 |
HB |
Sep 1940 - Sep 1943, Jan 1945 - Jul 1945 |
[Aircraft & Markings | Commanding Officers]
Formed on 20 August 1918 from No's 345, 346, 410 and 411 Flights at Calshot. Equipped with Short 184s and Felixstowe F2As, it provided anti-submarine protection for the central Channel area until disbanding on 15 May 1919.
The squadron was reformed from 'C' Flight of the Seaplane Training Squadron at Calshot on 30 March 1937. Initially equipped with Scapas, it continued in a training role until January 1939, when it became operational with Singapores, which it had received in November 1938. It reverted to a training role again in June 1939, but the following month, having replaced the Singapores with Londons, it was declared operational again. In August 1939 it moved to Invergordon and began patrolling the North Sea.
In May 1940 it moved to Pembroke Dock and its area of operations shifted to the Western Approaches, having converted to Stranraers in June. Having moved back to Scotland in July 1940, the squadron re-equipped with Catalinas in March 1941 and transferred to Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in August, from where it began anti-submarine patrols of the Atlantic.
In March 1942, it left for India and spent the rest of the war flying anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols over the Bay of Bengal and in December 1944 it also began flying agents and supplies to the Dutch East Indies*. It disbanded at Redhill's Lake on 1 July 1945. It was immediately reformed by renumbering no 212 Squadron, also at Redhill's Lake. It was still equipped with Catalinas but was in the process of converting to Sunderlands, which was not completed until December. A few operations were carried out before the war ended and in January 1946, it moved to Ceylon, where it disbanded on 31 March 1946.
From 15 February 1949 the squadron number was revived when it was linked with No 230 Sqn, this lasting until 30 April 1952. The following day the squadron was reformed at St Eval but the following month it moved to Ballykelly in the maritime reconnaissance role, equipped with Shackleton MR Mk 1As. During this period it was also linked with another inactive unit, No 204 Squadron, from 20 February 1953 to 1 January 1954. The squadron disbanded on 1 November 1958 by being renumbered No 203 Squadron.
The squadron's final incarnation began on 1 August 1959, when it reformed as a Thor equipped Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile unit at Breighton, until disbanding on 8 January 1963.
Squadron Codes used: -
SH | Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 |
BN | Sep 1939 - Jun 1942 |
L | May 1952 - 1956 |
240 | 1956 - Nov 1958 |
[Aircraft & Markings | Personnel, aircraft and locations | Commanding Officers]
*For details of some of these operations click here.
Squadron badge image on this page is courtesy of Steve Clements
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This page was last updated on 09/05/24©
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