No. 503 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 503 Squadron RAF was an auxiliary squadron of the Royal Air Force
. It operated as a bomber squadron in the 1920s and 30s, but was disbanded before the outbreak of the Second World War
.
in Lincolnshire
as No. 503 (Bombing) Squadron of the Special Reserve, manned by part time volunteers. It was at first equipped with Fairey Fawn
light day bombers. It re-equipped with -partly wooden- Handley Page Hyderabad
heavy night bombers in 1929, receiving the improved -metal- Handley Page Hinaidi
from 1933. Some squadron members thought the Hyderabad superior to the Hinaidi, but when a squadron member discovered 'Fungae Lachrymosis
' in the longeron of a Hyderabad they settled for the newcomer, some almost having spent their life of 700 flying hours already.
In October 1935, it changed role again to become a day bomber squadron, receiving Westland Wallace
s. These were replaced by the Hawker Hart
in June 1936, these in turn starting to be replaced by the updated Hawker Hind
in July 1938. However, in 1938 it was decided to switch the role of the Auxiliary Air Force to that of air defence, and on 1 November, 503 Squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No.616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron
and moving it to RAF Doncaster
.
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...
. It operated as a bomber squadron in the 1920s and 30s, but was disbanded before the outbreak of the Second World War
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...
.
History
It was formed on 5 October 1926 at RAF WaddingtonRAF Waddington
RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
as No. 503 (Bombing) Squadron of the Special Reserve, manned by part time volunteers. It was at first equipped with Fairey Fawn
Fairey Fawn
|-See also:...
light day bombers. It re-equipped with -partly wooden- Handley Page Hyderabad
Handley Page Hyderabad
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8....
heavy night bombers in 1929, receiving the improved -metal- Handley Page Hinaidi
Handley Page Hinaidi
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8....
from 1933. Some squadron members thought the Hyderabad superior to the Hinaidi, but when a squadron member discovered 'Fungae Lachrymosis
Serpula lacrymans
Serpula lacrymans is one of the fungi that are responsible for dry rot. It is a basidiomycete in the order Boletales.-Taxonomy:The species was first described under the name Boletus lacrymans by Franz Xavier von Wulfen in 1781...
' in the longeron of a Hyderabad they settled for the newcomer, some almost having spent their life of 700 flying hours already.
In October 1935, it changed role again to become a day bomber squadron, receiving Westland Wallace
Westland Wallace
The Westland Wallace was a British two-seat, general-purpose biplane of the Royal Air Force, developed by Westland as a follow-on to their successful Wapiti. As the last of the inter-war general purpose biplanes, it was used by a number of frontline and Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons...
s. These were replaced by the Hawker Hart
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber of the Royal Air Force , which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period. The Hart was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and built by Hawker Aircraft...
in June 1936, these in turn starting to be replaced by the updated Hawker Hind
Hawker Hind
-See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3....
in July 1938. However, in 1938 it was decided to switch the role of the Auxiliary Air Force to that of air defence, and on 1 November, 503 Squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No.616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron
No. 616 Squadron RAF
No. 616 Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1938 and 1957.-Formation:...
and moving it to RAF Doncaster
RAF Doncaster
RAF Doncaster, also referred to as Doncaster Aerodrome, was a Royal Air Force station near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.- The first Aviation meeting in England :...
.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1926 | June 1929 | Fairey Fawn Fairey Fawn |-See also:... |
Mks.II & III |
| February 1929 | January 1934 | Handley Page Hyderabad Handley Page Hyderabad |-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.... |
|
| October 1933 | November 1935 | Handley Page Hinaidi Handley Page Hinaidi |-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C. H. Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.* Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.... |
|
| October 1935 | September 1936 | Westland Wallace Westland Wallace The Westland Wallace was a British two-seat, general-purpose biplane of the Royal Air Force, developed by Westland as a follow-on to their successful Wapiti. As the last of the inter-war general purpose biplanes, it was used by a number of frontline and Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons... |
Mk.I |
| November 1935 | September 1936 | Westland Wallace | Mk.II |
| June 1936 | November 1938 | Hawker Hart Hawker Hart The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber of the Royal Air Force , which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period. The Hart was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and built by Hawker Aircraft... |
|
| June 1938 | November 1938 | Hawker Hind Hawker Hind -See also:-Bibliography:* Crawford, Alex. Hawker Hart Family. Redbourn, Hertfordshire, UK: Mushroom Model Publications Ltd., 2008. ISBN 83-89450-62-3.... |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1926 | November 1938 | RAF Waddington RAF Waddington RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance.... , Lincolnshire Lincolnshire Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders... |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| November 1926 | S/Ldr. Squadron Leader Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these... R.D. Oxland |
|
| 15 February 1930 | 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... The Hon. L.J.E. Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes |
|
| 15 February 1930 | 11 May 1931 | W/Cdr. H.P. Lale, 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 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... |
| 11 May 1931 | 9 August 1933 | W/Cdr. H.I. Hammer, DFC |
| 9 August 1933 | January 1936 | W/Cdr. A.P.V. Daly, AFC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... |
| January 1936 | S/Ldr. A.F. James | |
| 30 May 1937 | S/Ldr. H. Power (acting) |
External links
- 503 Squadron Royal Air Force
- RAF Squadron Histories 500-520 rafweb.org