No. 190 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No 190 Squadron was a Royal Air Force
squadron with a relative short existence, but a very broad career. It served as a trainer squadron during the first World War and as convoy escort, airborne support and transport squadron during World War II
.
, England
on the 24 October 1917 as a night training squadron operating amongst others the Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2e and the Airco DH.6
. The squadron moved to RAF Newmarket
, Suffolk
on 14 March 1918 and was disbanded a year later at RAF Upwood
in April 1919.
, Scotland
. The squadron operated the Consolidated Catalina
to patrol the North Atlantic. The first U-Boat
was sunk in the first month of operations. The main role of the squadron was protecting the convoys to and from Russia ("Operation Locomotive"). The squadron disbanded on 31 December 1943, when it was re-numbered to 210 Squadron.
as an airborne support unit flying the Short Stirling
. It became part of 38 Group on 6 November 1943. On the 6 June 1944 the squadron first carried 426 paratroopers to Caen
, France
. The squadron then returned and the next night towed 18 Airspeed Horsa
gliders into France
. It moved to RAF Fairford
and carried out supply-dropping missions to the advancing troops and SOE
operatives. The squadron involvement in supply drops at Battle of Arnhem
caused 11 aircraft losses in 3 days.
The next move was to RAF Great Dunmow
where it towed gliders for the Rhine crossing and paratroopers into the Netherlands
to disrupt the German retreat.
which it used as a freighter for Transport Command until the end of 1945. It was disbanded at Great Dunmow on 21 January 1946 by being renumbered to 295 Squadron.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
squadron with a relative short existence, but a very broad career. It served as a trainer squadron during the first World War and as convoy escort, airborne support and transport squadron during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Formation in World War I
No 190 Squadron was formed at RochfordRochford
Rochford is a small town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It is sited about 43 miles from Central London and approximately 21 miles from the Essex county town, Chelmsford...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on the 24 October 1917 as a night training squadron operating amongst others the Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2e and the Airco DH.6
Airco DH.6
The Airco DH.6 was a British military trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Skyhook", the trainer became a widely used light civil aircraft in the postwar era....
. The squadron moved to RAF Newmarket
RAF Newmarket
RAF Newmarket was an RAF station near Newmarket, Suffolk, England, near the border with Cambridgeshire.The RAF station was actually a grass-strip on Newmarket's Rowley Mile Racecourse...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
on 14 March 1918 and was disbanded a year later at RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood
RAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States...
in April 1919.
Reformation with Coastal Command
The squadron was re-formed on 1 March 1943 at Sullom VoeSullom Voe
Sullom Voe is an inlet between North Mainland and Northmavine on Shetland in Scotland. It is a location of the Sullom Voe oil terminal. The word Voe is from the Old Norse vagr and denotes a small bay or narrow creek...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The squadron operated the Consolidated Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
to patrol the North Atlantic. The first U-Boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
was sunk in the first month of operations. The main role of the squadron was protecting the convoys to and from Russia ("Operation Locomotive"). The squadron disbanded on 31 December 1943, when it was re-numbered to 210 Squadron.
Airborne Forces squadron
The squadron was re-formed again five days later, on 5 January 1944 at RAF Leicester EastRAF Leicester East
Royal Air Force Station Leicester East, more commonly known as RAF Leicester East, , was a Royal Air Force airbase, near the village of Stoughton, east southeast of Leicester, Leicestershire...
as an airborne support unit flying the Short Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
. It became part of 38 Group on 6 November 1943. On the 6 June 1944 the squadron first carried 426 paratroopers to Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The squadron then returned and the next night towed 18 Airspeed Horsa
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
gliders into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It moved to RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford
RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in...
and carried out supply-dropping missions to the advancing troops and SOE
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
operatives. The squadron involvement in supply drops at Battle of Arnhem
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
caused 11 aircraft losses in 3 days.
The next move was to RAF Great Dunmow
RAF Great Dunmow
RAF Station Great Dunmow is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately mi west of Great Dunmow, north of the A 120; about miles northeast of London...
where it towed gliders for the Rhine crossing and paratroopers into the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to disrupt the German retreat.
On Halifaxes as Transport Squadron
As the war ended the squadron re-equipped with the Handley Page HalifaxHandley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
which it used as a freighter for Transport Command until the end of 1945. It was disbanded at Great Dunmow on 21 January 1946 by being renumbered to 295 Squadron.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1917 | January 1919 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 | c |
| October 1917 | January 1919 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 | e |
| October 1917 | January 1919 | Airco DH.6 Airco DH.6 The Airco DH.6 was a British military trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Skyhook", the trainer became a widely used light civil aircraft in the postwar era.... |
|
| October 1917 | January 1919 | AVRO 504 Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during... |
K |
| February 1943 | December 1943 | Consolidated Catalina PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other... |
Mk.Ib |
| October 1943 | December 1943 | Consolidated Catalina | Mk.IV |
| January 1944 | June 1945 | Short Stirling Short Stirling The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941... |
Mk.IV |
| May 1945 | January 1946 | Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing... |
Mks.III and VII |
Squadron stations
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 2 October 1917 | 14 March 1918 | RFC Rochford London Southend Airport London Southend Airport or Southend Airport is a regional airport in the district of Rochford within Essex, England.During the 1960s, Southend was the third-busiest airport in the United Kingdom. It remained London's third-busiest airport in terms of passengers handled until the end of the 1970s,... , Essex Essex Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west... |
| 14 March 1918 | 5 October 1918 | RAF Newmarket RAF Newmarket RAF Newmarket was an RAF station near Newmarket, Suffolk, England, near the border with Cambridgeshire.The RAF station was actually a grass-strip on Newmarket's Rowley Mile Racecourse... , Suffolk Suffolk Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east... |
| 5 October 1918 | April 1919 | RAF Upwood RAF Upwood RAF Upwood was a United States Air Force installation adjacent to the village of Upwood, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.It is a non-flying station which was under the control of the United States Air Force, and one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire currently used by the United States... , Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west... |
| 1 March 1943 | 31 December 1943 | RAF Sullom Voe Sullom Voe Sullom Voe is an inlet between North Mainland and Northmavine on Shetland in Scotland. It is a location of the Sullom Voe oil terminal. The word Voe is from the Old Norse vagr and denotes a small bay or narrow creek... , Shetland Islands Shetland Islands Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
| 5 January 1944 | 25 March 1944 | RAF Leicester East RAF Leicester East Royal Air Force Station Leicester East, more commonly known as RAF Leicester East, , was a Royal Air Force airbase, near the village of Stoughton, east southeast of Leicester, Leicestershire... , Leicestershire Leicestershire Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire... |
| 25 March 1944 | 14 October 1944 | RAF Fairford RAF Fairford RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England. It is a standby airfield, not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in... , Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean.... |
| 14 October 1944 | 21 January 1946 | RAF Great Dunmow RAF Great Dunmow RAF Station Great Dunmow is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately mi west of Great Dunmow, north of the A 120; about miles northeast of London... , Essex |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 March 1943 | 31 December 1943 | W/Cdr. Wing Commander (rank) Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries... P.H. Alington, DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
| 5 January 1944 | 21 September 1944 | W/Cdr. G.E. Harrison, DFC, SS(US) Silver Star The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy.... |
| 2 October 1944 | 20 April 1945 | W/Cdr. R.H. Bunker, DSO Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September... , DFC & Bar Medal bar A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the... |
| 24 April 1945 | 1 July 1945 | W/Cdr. G.H. Briggs, DFC |
| 1 July 1945 | 21 January 1946 | W/Cdr. L.C. Bartram |