No. 48 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 48 Squadron was a Royal Air Force
squadron
that saw service in both World War I
and World War II
.
was formed at Netheravon
, Wiltshire
, on 15 April 1916. The squadron was posted to France in March 1917 and became the first fighter squadron to be equipped with the Bristol Fighter
. One of the squadron's commanders was - then Major - Keith Park
who later led No. 11 Group of Fighter Command
during the Battle of Britain
as an Air Vice Marshal. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force
when the Royal Flying Corps merged with the Royal Naval Air Service
in 1918, and on 1 April 1920 the squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No. 5 Squadron
.
The squadron had 32 aces serve in it. Besides Park, they included
Fred Holliday,
John Letts
,
Brian Edmund Baker
,
Harold Anthony Oaks
,
Leonard A. Payne
,
Robert Dodds
,
John Theobald Milne
,
Charles Napier
,
Frank Ransley
,
Alan Wilkinson
,
Thomas Percy Middleton
,
William Price, future Air Marshal
Charles Steele
,
Norman Craig Millman
,
Thomas G. Rae
,
Owen Scholte
,
Roger Hay
,
Norman Roberts
,
Joseph Michael John Moore
,
Arthur Noss
.
and Maurice Benjamin.
, and became a General Reconnaissance
unit operating Avro Anson
aircraft. With the outbreak of war in 1939 the squadron was engaged in coastal patrols along the south coast of England. In 1941 the squadron re-equipped with Lockheed Hudson
aircraft and took on the role of an anti-submarine squadron, patrolling first the North Sea
and later in December 1942 the squadron moved Gibraltar
to patrol the Mediterranean
.
In 1944 the squadron returned to the UK and was re-equipped with Douglas Dakota aircraft. It remained a transport squadron until being disbanded on 16 January 1946.
was renumbered as No. 48. The squadron remained a transport unit for the remainder of its existence operating aircraft such as the Vickers Valetta
, Handley Page Hastings
and finally the Hercules
. The squadron disbanded on 7 January 1976 at Lyneham
.
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
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
that saw service in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 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...
.
First World War
No. 48 Squadron of the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
was formed at Netheravon
Netheravon
Netheravon is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire.-Notable people:The writer Frank Sawyer , although born in Bulford, spent most of his life in Netheravon as river keeper River Avon and died on the banks of the river near the parish church...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, on 15 April 1916. The squadron was posted to France in March 1917 and became the first fighter squadron to be equipped with the Bristol Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
. One of the squadron's commanders was - then Major - Keith Park
Keith Park
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander...
who later led No. 11 Group of Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
as an Air Vice Marshal. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force
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...
when the Royal Flying Corps merged with the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
in 1918, and on 1 April 1920 the squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No. 5 Squadron
No. 5 Squadron RAF
No. 5 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the operator of the new Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar aircraft and is based at RAF Waddington.-History:As No...
.
The squadron had 32 aces serve in it. Besides Park, they included
Fred Holliday,
John Letts
John Letts (aviator)
Captain John Herbert Towne Letts was a British World War I flying ace credited with 13 confirmed victories.-Early life:Letts was the sole child of Helen and Walter Letts of Steep Hill House, Lincoln. He attended RMC Sandhurst before serving in the Lincolnshires...
,
Brian Edmund Baker
Brian Edmund Baker
Air Marshal Sir Brian Edmund Baker KBE, CB, DSO, MC, AFC was a British Flying Ace in World War I credited, in conjunction with his gunners, with 12 victories, comprising 1 aircraft captured, 1 and 3 shared destroyed, and 6 and 1 shared 'out of control'.-Military career:Baker served in the Rifle...
,
Harold Anthony Oaks
Harold Anthony Oaks
Captain Harold Anthony Oaks was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace credited with 11 confirmed aerial victories. Upon his return to Canada, his extensive pioneering activities as an aviator/geologist earned him enshrinement in the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame.- Early life and infantry service...
,
Leonard A. Payne
Leonard A. Payne
Captain Leonard Allen Payne was a British flying ace born in Swaziland. He was credited with 11 confirmed aerial victories while piloting a Bristol F.2 Fighter.-World War I:...
,
Robert Dodds
Robert Dodds
Robert Dodds was born in Stoney Creek, Canada on 11 March 1893, to Margaret Dodds. He enrolled in the 129th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 3 January 1916 at Dundas, Canada. On his enlistment papers, he gave his occupation as fruit grower, stated he was single and lived on Rural...
,
John Theobald Milne
John Theobald Milne
Captain John Theobald Milne MC was an English fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War...
,
Charles Napier
Charles Napier (aviator)
-Early life:Charles George Douglas Napier was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, England in 1892. He would begin his military service as a private in the British Army Cyclist Corps.-World War I:...
,
Frank Ransley
Frank Ransley
Captain Frank Cecil Ransley was a World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. He would survive the war to become one of its eldest aces before dying at 95 years of age.-Early life:...
,
Alan Wilkinson
Alan Wilkinson (aviator)
Lieutenant Colonel Alan Machin Wilkinson became a flying ace early in World War I.-Early life and service:...
,
Thomas Percy Middleton
Thomas Percy Middleton
Captain Thomas Percy Middleton , Distinguished Flying Cross was an English World War I fighter ace credited with 27 victories while flying a two seated fighter.-Early life:...
,
William Price, future Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Charles Steele
Charles Steele
Air Marshal Sir Charles Ronald Steele KCB DFC was a Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Coastal Command.-RAF career:...
,
Norman Craig Millman
Norman Craig Millman
Captain Norman Craig Millman was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.He joined the Royal Flying Corps in May 1916. He began his pilot's career as an instructor and test pilot. He was posted to 48 Squadron to fly a Bristol F.2 Fighter on 20 August 1917. He became a flight...
,
Thomas G. Rae
Thomas G. Rae
Lieutenant Thomas Gillies Rae was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.-His victories:Rae piloted a two-seater Bristol F.2 Fighter for 48 Squadron. In the month from 4 October to 4 November 1918, he defeated six Fokker D.VII fighters. One he had set on fire, four more were...
,
Owen Scholte
Owen Scholte
Captain Owen John Frederick Scholte , was the son of Frederick P. and Emma Scholte. He attended Mill Hill School from 1909 to 1912. During his service in World War I, he became a flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. He was riding in a car driven by fellow ace Cyril Crowe when Crowe hit...
,
Roger Hay
Roger Hay
Lieutenant Roger Bolton Hay was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Hay was one of the founding members of 48 Squadron, which was the first to be equipped with Bristol F.2 Fighters. He began his victory string during Bloody April, 1917, with wins on 23, 24, and 27 April...
,
Norman Roberts
Norman Roberts
Colonel Norman Roberts was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Roberts flew a Bristol F.2 Fighter for 48 Squadron. He scored five victories against first-line German fighters between 12 March and 27 June 1918. His final tally was two Fokker D.VIIs and a Fokker Dr...
,
Joseph Michael John Moore
Joseph Michael John Moore
Second lieutenant Joseph Michael John Moore was a World War I flying ace credited with eight victories. He flew as a gunner/observer in two-seater fighters, garnering his wins while flying with three different pilots...
,
Arthur Noss
Arthur Noss
Second lieutenant Arthur Rex Hurden Noss was a British World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. He won a Military Cross as Keith Park's gunner, and was killed in a flying accident shortly thereafter.-Early life:...
.
and Maurice Benjamin.
Second World War
The squadron reformed on 25 November 1935 at BicesterBicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
, and became a General Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
unit operating Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
aircraft. With the outbreak of war in 1939 the squadron was engaged in coastal patrols along the south coast of England. In 1941 the squadron re-equipped with Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
aircraft and took on the role of an anti-submarine squadron, patrolling first the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and later in December 1942 the squadron moved Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to patrol the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
In 1944 the squadron returned to the UK and was re-equipped with Douglas Dakota aircraft. It remained a transport squadron until being disbanded on 16 January 1946.
Post war
The squadron reformed again on 15 February 1946 when No. 215 SquadronNo. 215 Squadron RAF
No. 215 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron formed as a night bomber squadron in World War I and again in World War II, becoming a transport squadron near the end of the Second World War.-History:...
was renumbered as No. 48. The squadron remained a transport unit for the remainder of its existence operating aircraft such as the Vickers Valetta
Vickers Valetta
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1....
, Handley Page Hastings
Handley Page Hastings
The Handley Page H.P.67 Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force...
and finally the Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
. The squadron disbanded on 7 January 1976 at Lyneham
RAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, England. It was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force before they were relocated to RAF Brize Norton.The station was also home to No...
.