No. 294 Squadron was a Royal Air Force air search and rescue (ASR) squadron active under RAF Middle East Command. During World War II the unit operated rescue missions for Allied aircraft and aircrew over the eastern Mediterranean and later the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.
| No. 294 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 24 Sep 1943 – 8 Apr 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Role | Air-sea rescue |
| Part of | RAF Middle East Command |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Vita ex undix abrepta (Translation: "Life snatched from the waves")[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | An eagle volant, carrying in the claws a lifebelt[1] |
| Squadron Codes | FD (Sep 1943 – Apr 1946)[2] |
History
editNo. 294 Squadron was formed at Berka, near Benghazi, Libya on 24 September 1943 from a former air-sea rescue flight. Equipped with the Vickers Wellington and Supermarine Walrus in the ASR role. The squadron's aircraft were detached to various airfields around the eastern Mediterranean. In October 1943 the squadron moved to Landing Ground 91 (LG.91), but still provided detachments to other airfields. In March 1944 the squadron moved to Idku, still in Egypt, and re-equipped with the Wellington Mk.XI and later also the Wellington Mk.XIII and the Vickers Warwick. In June 1945 the squadron moved to RAF Basra, Iraq to provide rescue cover in the Persian Gulf and Arabian sea until it was disbanded on 8 April 1946.
Aircraft operated
edit| From | To | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1943 | March 1944 | Vickers Wellington | Mk.Ic | Twin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role. |
| September 1943 | April 1946 | Supermarine Walrus | Mks.I, II | Single pusher-engined biplane rescue amphibian |
| March 1944 | November 1944 | Vickers Wellington | Mk.XI | Twin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role. |
| May 1944 | April 1946 | Vickers Wellington | Mk.XIII | Special ASR version of the twin-engined bomber |
| November 1944 | April 1946 | Vickers Warwick | Mk.I | Twin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role. |
Squadron bases
edit| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 1943 | 5 October 1943 | Berka, Libya | Dets. at RAF Limassol, RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; LG.07; Mellaha, Libya; Derna, Libya; Gambut, Libya |
| 5 October 1943 | 29 March 1944 | LG.91/Amriya South, Egypt | Dets. at RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; Berka III, Libya; Derna, Libya; Mellaha, Libya; RAF Castel Benito, Libya; LG.07; RAF St Jean, Palestine and RAF Hergla, Tunisia |
| 29 March 1944 | 6 June 1945 | RAF Idku, Egypt | Dets at Gambut 3, Libya; Berka III, Libya; RAF El Arish, Egypt and RAF Nicosia, Cyprus |
| 6 June 1945 | 8 April 1946 | RAF Basra, Iraq | Dets. at RAF Sharjah, Trucial States; RAF Masirah, Oman and RAF Muharraq, Bahrain |
Commanding officers
edit| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| September 1943 | December 1943 | F/Lt. S.A.M. Morrison |
| January 1944 | February 1945 | W/Cdr. R.G.M. Walker, DFC |
| February 1945 | June 1945 | W/Cdr. D.B. Bennett, DFC |
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d Halley 1988, p. 351.
- ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 71.
- ^ a b Rawlings 1982, p. 252.
- ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 86.
- ^ a b Franks 2003, p. 183.
Bibliography
edit- Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Franks, Norman (2003). Beyond Courage: Air Sea Rescue by Walrus Squadrons in the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas, 1942-1945. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-904010-30-X.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
External links
edit- squadron histories for nos. 291-295 squadron Archived 11 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- squadron history on MOD site