World War I

It was initially a unit of the Royal Flying Corps

Royal 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...

 and was formed out of the Central Flying School

Central Flying School

The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...

, based at Upavon

Upavon

Upavon is a rural village in the English County of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portions of the River Avon which runs from the north to the south through the village. It is situated about south of Pewsey, about southeast of the market town of Devizes, and about ...

, 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...

. Eight days after, the new unit moved to Lilbourne

Lilbourne

Lilbourne is a village in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire in England. It is close to the M1 motorway which runs past the village, and the A5 road, east of the village. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 363 people.-History:...

, near Rugby

Rugby, Warwickshire

Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...

.

The squadron, only for a matter of days led by Lieutenant C A Mercer, came under the command of Major H F A Gordon and started a phase of training at Lilbourne. From September 1917, this became more specifically targeted towards operating in combat when a Programme of Development was received, instructing the unit to prepare for an overseas deployment on 22 December.

This training phase saw a number of accidents and incidents, not uncommon in military aviation at that time. On one day, 29 October 1917, the squadron had four aircraft damaged in accidents: two in a mid-air collision

Mid-air collision

A mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually...

, when one aircraft had its propellor damaged, the other lost part of its lower left wing and aileron; one aircraft was damaged when it had to be crash-landed after its pilot became lost; a fourth aircraft was damaged when the pilot crashed at the aerodrome. All incidents are shown in the squadron records as applying to 'A' Flight.

The Squadron's first fatality occurred when 2nd Lieutenant Rawbone crashed at the aerodrome on 7 December 1917 and died from his injuries on 18 December.

Combat operations

By stages, the unit deployed to France through January 1918; by the 20th, the full squadron complement was based at Liettres and available for operations. Due to bad weather, the first patrols were not sent up until 30 January. Two flights each comprising six machines undertook practice patrols, one along the balloon lines from Boesinghe to Flerbaix and then Bethune

Béthune

Béthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...

 to Arras

Arras

Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...

.

The first offensive patrols over enemy lines took place on 18 February 1918. On the 20th, all 18 Camels, divided into three 'Flights' patrolled a line between Roeselare

Roeselare

Roeselare is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke....

 and Menin

Menen

Menen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413...

 and the first combat report was completed by Captain Gus Orlebar

Augustus Orlebar

Air Vice Marshal Augustus Henry Orlebar CBE AFC & Bar was a British Army and Royal Air Force officer who served in both world wars....

, submitting that an Albatros D.V

Albatros D.V

|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....

 may have been damaged. It was the start of a combat record that would show ten aces serving in the squadron, including
Owen Baldwin

Owen Baldwin

Captain Owen Morgan Baldwin was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.Baldwin was a mechanical engineer in civilian life. He joined No. 73 Squadron RAF, which was tasked with ground support missions, and became a flight leader as well as the squadron's leading ace...

,
Gavin L. Graham

Gavin L. Graham

Lieutenant Gavin Lynedoch Graham was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen confirmed aerial victories.Graham served with the Hussars from April 1915 through August 1916 before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. He put in 200 hours flight time as an observer in 70 Squadron before...

,
William Stephenson

William Stephenson

Sir William Samuel Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC was a Canadian soldier, airman, businessman, inventor, spymaster, and the senior representative of British intelligence for the entire western hemisphere during World War II. He is best known by his wartime intelligence codename Intrepid...

,
William Henry Hubbard

William Henry Hubbard

Captain William Henry Hubbard was a Canadian World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories against enemy fighter planes despite spending a year and a half out of action. He was noted for his zeal in ground support missions, as well as his success against enemy fighters.Hubbard had...

,
Emile John Lussier

Emile John Lussier

Captain Emile John Lussier was an American flying ace during World War I. He was accredited with eleven confirmed aerial victories while flying with the Royal Air Force.-Early life and service:...

,
Robert Chandler

Robert Chandler (aviator)

Lieutenant Robert North Chandler was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-References:...

,
Norman Cooper

Norman Cooper (aviator)

Lieutenant Norman Cooper enlisted during World War I under an alias under the pretense of being a Canadian citizen. He became a flying ace, being accredited with six aerial victories.-References:...

,
Maurice Le Blanc-Smith,
Thomas Sharpe

Thomas Sharpe (aviator)

Captain Thomas Sydney Sharpe was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.Sharpe joined the Royal Flying Corps and flew with 24 Squadron from May to July 1916. Subsequently, in 1918, he was appointed a flight commander in 73 Squadron. He destroyed a Fokker Dr.I triplane on 11...

, and
future Air Vice-Marshal

Air Vice-Marshal

Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...

 Geoffrey Pidcock

Geoffrey Pidcock

Air Vice-Marshal Geoffrey Arthur Henzell Pidcock began his career as a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He remained in the Royal Air Force after World War I and rose in rank....

.

Aircraft used

As at 1 October 1917, the squadron had the following aircraft:

'A' Flight:

• 2 Sopwith Camels
• 1 Sopwith Pup
  Sopwith Pup
  The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...
  
  
• 2 Nieuport
  Nieuport
  Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
  
  s

'B' Flight:

• 2 Avro
  Avro
  Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
  
  s
• 1 Nieuport

'C' Flight:

• 1 Avro

From November 1917, the squadron began to re-equip entirely with Sopwith Camels powered by 130 hp Clerget

Clerget

Clerget was the name given to a series of early rotary aircraft engine types of the World War I era that were designed by Pierre Clerget. Manufactured in both France by Clerget-Blin and Great Britain by Gwynne Limited, they were used on such aircraft as the Sopwith Camel and Vickers Gunbus.In the...

 engines. By the time it deployed to France in January 1918, the Squadron had 18 Camels, which it retained throughout the rest of the Great War.

World War II

The Squadron reformed on the 15th of March 1937 equipped with Hawker Furys, they then relocated to RAF Digby where they were re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes.

73 Squadron along with No.1 Squadron were then posted to North-East France on the outbreak of war as part of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force

RAF Advanced Air Striking Force

Before the Second World War it had been agreed between the United Kingdom and France that in case of war, the light bomber force of the Royal Air Force would move to bases within France from which it could operate against targets in Nazi Germany. To achieve this, the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force...

.
Their assignment was short-lived as by the 17th of June 1940 the squadron had withdrawn from France.

The squadron suffered tragedy during the withdrawal when RMS Lancastria

RMS Lancastria

The RMS Lancastria was a British Cunard liner sunk on 17 June 1940 during World War II with the loss of an estimated 4,000 plus lives. It is the worst single loss of life in British maritime history and the bloodiest single engagement for UK forces , in the whole conflict and claimed more lives...

was sunk off the coast of St. Nazaire with the loss of around 40 groundcrew.