No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

that saw service in both the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and Second World Wars.

History

No. 53 Squadron of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadron, it was sent to France to operate reconnaissance in December that year. The squadron was equipped with the B.E.2e—swapped for the

R.E.8 The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed and produced at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was also built under contract by Austin Motors, Daimler, Standard ...

in April 1917. It returned the UK in March 1919 to Old Sarum where it was disbanded on 25 October 1919. The squadron reformed on 28 June 1937 at RAF Farnborough with the

Hawker Hector The Hawker Hector was a British biplane army co-operation and liaison aircraft of the late 1930s; it served with the Royal Air Force and saw brief combat in the Battle of France in May 1940. Some Hectors were later sold to Ireland. It was name ...

for Army Cooperation; specialising in night reconnaissance. The squadron was given the Bristol Blenheim light bomber in January 1939 and moved to France in September. Following the German attack on France in May 1940, the squadron returned to the UK. From here it undertook bombing and reconnaissance missions. In 1940 it was transferred from RAF Fighter Command to RAF Coastal Command, thereafter alternating between

No. 16 Group RAF No. 16 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force groups. It has existed over two periods in to different roles. First, No. 16 Group was a training group from 1918 to 1920 that had been transferred from the Royal Flying Corps. Secondly, it was a reconnai ...

and

No. 19 Group RAF No. 19 Group was a group of the Royal Air Force, active from 1918, and then from 1941-1969. History It was formed in April 1918 as No. 19 (Equipment) Group in York, but disbanded in June. Second World War It was reformed in early 1941 as No. 1 ...

. It moved to RAF St Eval, Cornwall, for anti-submarine and anti-shipping operations. In July 1941 the Blenheims were replaced by the Lockheed Hudson. In July 1942 the squadron was transferred to the Eastern Seaboard of the USA, from there it moved to Trinidad. It returned to Cornwall, RAF Davidstow Moor and was given Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys in early 1943. It moved on to stations in Norfolk but by May was operating the Consolidated Liberators at RAF Thorney Island, Hampshire. Lockheed Hudsons 53 Sqn RAF in flight 1942

Lockheed Hudsons 53 Sqn RAF in flight 1942

In September 1944 it was transferred to Iceland where it stayed until the end of the war in Europe. It came back to the UK to RAF St Davids, joining

RAF Transport Command RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967. ...

to carry troops to India. The squadron was disbanded at

RAF Gransden Lodge The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

on 15 June 1946. Blackburn Beverley C

It was reformed on 1 November 1946 with Douglas Dakotas which it used throughout the Berlin Airlift and was then disbanded again on 31 July 1949. The squadron reformed the next day at RAF Topcliffe with

Handley Page Hastings The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, ...

transports. Blackburn Beverleys replaced the Hastings in 1957. It was disbanded at Abingdon on 28 June 1963. On 1 November 1965 at RAF Fairford it reformed as the RAF's first and only squadron with the

Short Belfast The Short Belfast (or Shorts Belfast)Mondey 1981, p. 228. is a heavy lift turboprop freighter that was built by British manufacturer Short Brothers at Belfast. Only 10 aircraft were constructed, all of which entered service with the Royal Air ...

. It moved to RAF Brize Norton in 1967, and remained there until disbanding on 14 September 1976.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Manson, Jock. ''United in Effort: The Story of No.53 Squadron Royal Air Force, 1916–1976''. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1997. . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . * Sturtivant, Ray I.S.O. and John Hamlin. ''RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912''. Staplefield, West Sussex, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. .

External links

No. 53 Squadron Groups and BasesRAF Davidstow Moor
{{RAF squadrons

053 53 may refer to: * 53 (number) * one of the years 53 BC, AD 53, 1953, 2053 * FiftyThree, an American privately held technology company that specializes in tools for mobile creation and visual thinking * 53rd Regiment Alabama Cavalry * 53rd Regiment ...

History

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links