(Translation: "Fidelity unto duty" or "Faith for duty"mikeduggan.tripod.com
/ref> or "Fidelity into duty") , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , decorations= , battle_honours= , commander1= , commander1_label= , commander2= , commander2_label= , commander3= , commander3_label= , notable_commanders= Edward Mortlock "Teddy" Donaldson , identification_symbol= On a hurt, an owl affrontée wings elevated, alighting on a

seax ''Seax'' (; also sax, sæx, sex; invariant in plural, latinized ''sachsum'') is an Old English word for "knife". In modern archaeology, the term ''seax'' is used specifically for a type of small sword, knife or dagger typical of the Germanic p ...

The owl represents No. 151 Squadron's role of night-fighting whilst the seax comes from the arms of Essex in which county the squadron was formedhttp://www.151squadron.org.uk/ , identification_symbol_label= Squadron Badge heraldry , identification_symbol_2= TV (Sep 1938 - Dec 1938)
GG (Dec 1938 - Sep 1939)
DZ (Sep 1939 - Oct 1946) , identification_symbol_2_label= Squadron Codes , identification_symbol_3= RAF_151_Sqn

, identification_symbol_3_label= Post 1950 squadron roundel No. 151 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.

History

World War I

No. 151 squadron was founded at Hainault Farm in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

on 12 June 1918, and was equipped with

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the ...

aircraft. During the five months in which 151 Squadron had taken part in hostilities overseas, the total number of hours flown by night was 1443 hrs 26 mins. Sixteen enemy aircraft were destroyed at night on the Allies side of the lines, and five were destroyed on the enemy side and confirmed. Another five were unconfirmed, thus making a total of twenty six successful engagements. Of the enemy aircraft destroyed, twenty two were AEGs, Friedrichshafen or Gothas, with two engines and carrying a crew of three or more. Two were giant P 52's with five engines carrying a crew of up to eight or nine. During all the numerous combats there were very few occasions when the guns jammed or caused trouble, reflecting the devotion to duty of Lt Eggar and his gunnery staff. The squadron was disbanded on 10 September 1919.

World War II

On 4 August 1936 the squadron was reformed at

RAF North Weald North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome, in the civil parish of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it was known as the RAF Stat ...

from 'B' Flight of 56 Squadron, as a fighter squadron, flying

Gloster Gauntlet The Gloster Gauntlet was a single-seat biplane fighter designed and produced by the British aeroplane manufacturer Gloster Aircraft in the 1930s. It was the last fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to have an open cockpit, and ...

s. In December 1938 these were exchanged for

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...

s, when the squadron came under

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Edward Mortlock Donaldson. It operated throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, flying with

Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns ...

s and later de Havilland Mosquitoes, disbanding on 10 October 1946 at

RAF Weston Zoyland RAF Westonzoyland is one of the country's oldest airfields being established in the early 1920s. Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately east-southeast of Bridgwater; about west-southwest of London. It was opened in 1925 ...

After World War II

The squadron was reformed again at RAF Leuchars,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

on 15 September 1951 as a night fighter unit, initially operating

De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by ...

NF.10s and later

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...

NF.11s. It disbanded on 19 September 1961. On 1 January 1962 the Signals Development Squadron at

RAF Watton Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England. Opened in 1937 it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) d ...

was redesignated as No. 151 Squadron operating a variety of aircraft on development and training duties. It was joined by the pilots and ground crew from the disbanded No. 97 (Strategic Missile) Squadron from

RAF Hemswell Royal Air Force Hemswell or more simply RAF Hemswell is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located east of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Located close to the village of Hemswell in Lincolnshire, England the disestablished airfield ...

on 25 May 1963. On 18 September 1981 151 Squadron reformed at

RAF Chivenor Royal Air Force Chivenor or RAF Chivenor was a Royal Air Force station located on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton. Originally a civil airfield open ...

as part of

No. 2 Tactical Weapons Unit RAF No. 7 Flying Training School (7 FTS) is a former Royal Air Force flying training school that operated between 1935 and 1994. From 1948 to 1954, No 7 Flying Training School was located at RAF Cottesmore, flying Tiger Moths, Harvards, Prentices an ...

(2 TWU) operating BAE Hawk T1 & T1A aircraft. When 2 TWU became

No. 7 Flying Training School RAF No. 7 Flying Training School (7 FTS) is a former Royal Air Force flying training school that operated between 1935 and 1994. From 1948 to 1954, No 7 Flying Training School was located at RAF Cottesmore, flying Tiger Moths, Harvards, Prentices an ...

in 1992, 151 Squadron was disbanded and its duties taken over by 92 Squadron.

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Commanding officers

References

Notes

Bibliography

* . * * *

External links

Squadron history on RAF website

Diary History of 151 Fighter Squadron RAF

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 151 Squadron Raf 151 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War I Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II RAF squadrons involved in the Battle of Britain 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations disestablished in 1992