No. 208 Squadron RAF
No. 208 Squadron RAF | |
---|---|
Active | BAE Systems Hawk |
Battle honours | Western Front 1915-1918* Arras* Ypres 1917* Lys Somme 1918* Egypt and Libya 1940-1942* Greece 1941* Iraq 1941 Syria 1941 El Alamein* Italy 1944-1945* Gustav Line Gothic Line Gulf 1991* Honours marked with an asterisk* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Geoffrey Rhodes Bromet |
Insignia | |
Squadron Badge heraldry | A sphinx affrontée proper[1][2] The Gizah Sphinx commemorated the Squadron's long association with Egypt during the inter-war years. An unofficial 'winged eye' badge had been in use from July 1930 until 1937.[3] |
Squadron roundel | ![]() |
Squadron Codes | GA (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939)[4][5] RG (Mar 1944 - 1949)[6][7] S (Carried on Buccaneers)[8] D (1994 - present)[9] |
No 208 (Reserve) Squadron was a reserve unit of the
History
World War I
The squadron was established as part of the
During the war, the squadron claimed 298 victories. Twenty-five aces had served in the squadron. Notable among them were
Interbellum
The squadron re-formed at
World War II
No. 208 Squadron was still stationed in Egypt at the outbreak of
The unit was later stationed in
After World War II
Shortly after the war, 208 Squadron moved back to Palestine where it was involved in operations against the
The last officially recorded "Air to Air fighter pilot kill" (bullets only, without guidance systems) occurred on 22 May 1948. At 09:30 two Egyptian Spitfire LF.9s staged a third attack on Ramat David. This time
In 1951, the squadron relocated to
The next day, 1 April 1959, it re-formed at
Flying Buccaneers
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Buccaneer_DF-ST-83-04580.jpg/220px-Buccaneer_DF-ST-83-04580.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Buccaneer_S_2_-_Elvington_-_BB.jpg/220px-Buccaneer_S_2_-_Elvington_-_BB.jpg)
208 Squadron re-formed at
Between 1 October 1991 and November 1992, the Buccaneer Training Flight was formed as part of 208 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth and operated the S.2B variant and some Hawker Hunter T.7's.[29]
Transition to Hawk
208 Squadron re-formed again on 1 April 1994 from
Advanced flying and tactical weapons training
- To train RAF, RN and some foreign ab-initio pilots to Operation Conversion Unit (OCU) entry standard.
- To re-train RAF and RN multi-engine and rotary pilots to OCU entry standard.
- To refresh Shorts Tucano QFIs to OCU entry standard.
Instructor training
- To train Hawk QFIs to B2 standard in accordance with the current Central Flying School (CFS) syllabuses.
- To upgrade Hawk QFIs to B1, A2 and A1 standard in accordance with 208(R) Squadron staff training requirements and CFS syllabuses.
- To train Hawk IREs in accordance with the current CFS syllabuses.
A Hawk painted to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Squadron in 2006
Conversion training
- To provide a common conversion course for all qualified pilots re-roling to the Hawk.
- To provide United Kingdom Orientation training for Foreign and Commonwealth pilots destined for fast-jet appointments.
- To provide conversion training for pilots destined for the Royal Air Force Aerobatics Team.
Incidents and accidents
On 20 April 2007, a BAE Hawk from the squadron crashed near RAF Mona. The pilot was taken to hospital and discharged soon after. The accident was caused by a solo student stalling the aircraft on an overshoot.[30]
Centenary and disbandment
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/208%28R%29_Squadron_Centenary.jpg/220px-208%28R%29_Squadron_Centenary.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/208%28R%29_Sqn.jpg/220px-208%28R%29_Sqn.jpg)
Despite conducting parallel training alongside the advanced Hawk TMk2 aircraft of 4(R) Squadron for several years, once 4(R) Squadron reached full output capacity, in January 2016 the Royal Air Force took a decision to disband 208(R) Squadron.
The Squadron celebrated its centenary on 1 April 2016[31] with the final student course graduation, a families' day and a formal dinner. Shortly afterwards the Squadron disbanded, making its last flight on 13 April 2016 where three aircraft (two in centenary markings) led by OC 208(R) Squadron and the RAF Valley Station Commander overflew several landmarks linked with the Hawk TMk1.[32] When it was handed back, it was estimated that over 1000 student pilots had been trained in the 208(R) Squadron building during its 22-year tenure at RAF Valley. The Squadron Standard was lodged in the RAF church, St Clement Danes, at a ceremony on 22 May 2016, attended by squadron personnel, members of the 208 Squadron Association, Air Officer Commanding 22(Trg) Group and the Director of Flying Training.
Aircraft operated
From | To | Aircraft | Variant | From | To | Aircraft | Variant | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 1916 | November 1916 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | May 1942 | September 1942 | Curtiss Tomahawk
|
Mk IIb | ||
October 1916 | December 1916 | Nieuport Scout | May 1942 | December 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | Mks. Ia, IIb, IIc | ||
October 1916 | February 1917 | Sopwith Pup | December 1943 | July 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk Vc | ||
February 1917 | September 1917 | Sopwith Triplane | March 1944 | June 1947 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk IX | ||
September 1917 | November 1918 | Sopwith Camel | August 1944 | October 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk VIII | ||
November 1918 | September 1919 | Sopwith Snipe | August 1946 | March 1957 | Supermarine Spitfire | FR18 | ||
February 1920 | November 1920 | Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 | March 1951 | January 1958 | Gloster Meteor | FR9 | ||
November 1920 | May 1930 | Bristol F2 Fighter | F2b | January 1958 | February 1958 | Hawker Hunter | F5 | |
May 1930 | August 1935 | Armstrong Whitworth Atlas | January 1958 | March 1959 | Hawker Hunter | F6 | ||
August 1935 | January 1939 | Hawker Audax |
April 1959 | March 1960 | de Havilland Venom | FB4 | ||
September 1935 | March 1936 | Hawker Demon |
March 1960 | September 1971 | Hawker Hunter | FGA9 | ||
January 1939 | May 1942 | Westland Lysander | Mrs I, II | October 1974 | March 1994 | Blackburn Buccaneer | S2A, S2B | |
November 1940 | September 1942 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk I | April 1994 | April 2016 | BAe Hawk
|
TMk1, TMk1A | |
May 1941 | June 1941 | Hawker Audax |
Commanding Officers
Name | Commenced | Name | Commenced | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Squadron Commander G R Bromet, DSO | 25 October 1916 | Squadron Leader R Ramirez | 1 April 1959 | |
Squadron Commander C Draper, DSC | 28 October 1917 | Squadron Leader M Goodfellow | 1 April 1961 | |
Major H G Smart | 14 January 1919 | Squadron Leader G N Lewis, AFC | 7 March 1963 | |
Squadron leader W J Guilfoyle,OBE, MC | 1 February 1920 | Squadron Leader D J Rhodes, AFM | 1 April 1965 | |
Squadron Leader A ap Ellis | 17 February 1922 | Squadron Leader A J Chaplin | 8 January 1966 | |
Wing Commander A C Winter | 14 November 1923 | Squadron Leader C Taylor AFC | 1 June 1968 | |
Squadron Leader H M Probyn | 8 March 1924 | Squadron Leader G E Ord | 25 May 1970 | |
Squadron Leader A S C MacLaren, OBE,NC, DFC, AFC | 12 December 1925 | Squadron Leader I C H Dick, AFC | 25 May 1971 | |
Squadron Leader V S E Lindop | 14 March 1927 | Wing Commander P F Rogers | 1 July 1974 | |
Squadron Leader M Moore, OBE | 14 April 1930 | Wing Commander P G Pinney MVO | 27 November 1976 | |
Squadron Leader J Whitworth-Jones | 29 April 1933 | Wing Commander G R Pitchfork, MBE, BA, FRAeS | 15 June 1979 | |
Squadron Leader A H Flower | 1 November 1934 | Wing Commander B C Laite | 4 December 1981 | |
Squadron Leader W A D Brook | 2 February 1936 | Wing Commander J A F Ford | 6 July 1984 | |
Squadron Leader G N J Stanley-Turner | 2 December 1938 | Wing Commander B S Mahaffey, BA | 6 March 1987 | |
Squadron Leader R A Sprague | 10 April 1940 | Wing Commander A W Cope, MBE, AFC | 9 September 1989 | |
Squadron Leader J R Wilson | 16 December 1940 | Wing Commander N M Huckins, MBE, BSc | 27 March 1992 | |
Squadron Leader L G Burnand, DFC | 6 October 1941 | Squadron Leader G Brough | 4 April 1994 | |
Wing Commander J K Rogers | 23 June 1942 | Squadron Leader M P Christy | 25 September 1996 | |
Wing Commander M A Johnson, DFC | 12 September 1942 | Squadron Leader P K Comer | 27 March 1998 | |
Wing Commander E P H Wheller | 21 September 1943 | Squadron Leader S C Stocker BSc | 11 September 2000 | |
Lieutenant Colonel J P D Blaauw, DFC | 23 January 1944 | Wing Commander N Meadows, MA, BSc, MRAeS | 5 March 2001 | |
Wing Commander J B A Fleming, OBE | 10 March 1945 | Wing Commander N Clifford MA LLB | 9 September 2003 | |
Squadron Leader J F Norton, DFC | 22 October 1945 | Wing Commander G S Kelly BSc | 20 March 2005 | |
Squadron Leader R T Llewellyn, DFM | 28 February 1946 | Squadron Leader M A Simmonds BEng | 10 April 2008 | |
Squadron Leader F J Roder | 26 June 1946 | Wing Commander J H Hunter MA BSc | 19 June 2008 | |
Squadron Leader C F Ambrose, DFC | 15 May 1947 | Squadron Leader A V Dow | 19 July 2010 | |
Squadron Leader J M Morgan, DFC | 8 July 1948 | Wing Commander E P Moriarty | 6 October 2010 | |
Squadron Leader F V Morello | 4 November 1950 | Squadron Leader P K Harrison | 15 October 2012 | |
Squadron Leader T F Neil | 24 May 1953 | Wing Commander N J Gatenby BSc | 3 December 2012 | |
Squadron Leader J N Thorne | 10 November 1955 | Wing Commander C R Kidd BEng | 1 May 2015 | |
Squadron Leader J H Granville-White | 21 March 1958 | Disbanded | 22 May 2016 |
References
- Notes
- ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 270.
- ^ "208 Sqn". RAF. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "2007 Hawk Display Fact Sheet". RAF. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
- ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 50.
- ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 89.
- ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 104.
- ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 198.
- ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 199.
- ^ Marr 1966, pp. 1, 105, 109.
- ^ Johnstone 1972, pp. 10, 183, 189.
- ^ a b c Jefford 2001, p. 72.
- ^ "Beaupré-sur-la-Lys (Abbey)". European Charter of the Cistercian Abbeys and Sites. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Shores, Franks & Guest 1990, pp. 41–42
- ^ a b Marr 1966, p. 13.
- ^ a b Marr 1966, p. 111.
- ^ Playfair Vol. I, p. 113
- ^ "Obituaries: Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Leith-Macgregor, Pilot who won an MC and was pulled from his burning cockpit by German troops after one of several crashes". www.telegraph.co.uk. The Daily Telegraph. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
- ^ Marr 1966, p. 79.
- ^ Marr 1966, p. 89.
- ^ Rawlings 1978, p. 323.
- ^ Rawlings 1984, p. 261.
- ^ Burnell, Brian. "RAF nuclear front line Order-of-Battle 1975". nuclear-weapons.info. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Burnell, Brian (7 November 2010). "WE.177". Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Burnell, Brian. "RAF nuclear front line Order-of-Battle 1983". nuclear-weapons.info. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Burnell, Brian. "RAF nuclear front line Order-of-Battle 1984". nuclear-weapons.info. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Rotating bomb door animation with WE.177[permanent dead link]
- ^ Burnell, Brian. "RAF nuclear front line Order-of-Battle 1993". nuclear-weapons.info. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Lake 1999, p. 41.
- ^ "RAF jet crash at island airfield". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 20 April 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ "208(R) Squadron celebrates its 100th at RAF Valley". Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "RAF Valley Hawks jet to make last ever flight today". Daily Post. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ Halley 1988, p. 271.
- Bibliography
- Johnstone, E.G., DSC (Editor). Naval Eight: A history of No.8 Squadron R.N.A.S. - afterwards No. 208 Squadron R.A.F - from its formation in 1916 until the Armistice in 1918. Naval and Military Press, 2006 (Reprint of the 1931, The Signal Press (London) Original Edition). ISBN 1-84342-986-1.
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1998 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Johnstone, E.G. Naval Eight. The signal Press Ltd., 1931 (2nd edition Arms and Armour Press, 1972). ISBN 978-0-85368-469-5.
- Marr, D.S.B., BSc. A History of 208 Squadron. Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK: RAF/Eden Fisher (Southend) Ltd., 1966.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (new edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
- Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
- ISBN 978-1-84574-065-8.
- Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald & Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (2nd edition 1976, republished 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
- Rawlings, John D.R. The History of the Royal Air Force. Feltham, Middlesex, UK: Temple Press/Aerospace, 1984. ISBN 0-600-34990-X.
- Shores, Christopher; Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell (1990). Above The Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-19-4.
- Styles, Dr. David G. 75 Years on - "The Flying Shuftis": Number 208 Squadron, Royal Air Force. Deerfield, Illinois: Dalton Watson, 1991. ISBN 1-85443-101-3.
- Styles, Dr. David G. All the eights: Eight decades of Naval Eight/208. Loughborough, White Owl Press, 1996. ISBN 1-85443-131-5.
External links
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