No. 47 Squadron RAF

No. 47 Squadron RAF. It is a squadron of the Royal Air Force with a long and varied history, first formed during the First World War. The squadron has operated in roles including bomber, fighter, and transport across multiple theatres of war, from the Middle East to the Far East. It was notably involved in the Battle of Britain, the Burma Campaign, and post-war transport duties before its final disbandment in 2009.

History

The squadron was originally formed at Beverley on 1 March 1916 as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps. Initially equipped with the BE.2, it deployed to Salonika in September 1916 to support the British Salonika Army on the Macedonian Front, conducting reconnaissance and bombing missions against Bulgarian and German forces. After the Armistice, it moved to Russia in 1919 as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, operating around Arkhangelsk and Murmansk before disbanding in November 1919. Reformed in 1920 at Helwan, Egypt, it spent the interwar years on colonial policing duties across the Sudan and the Middle East, often in cooperation with the Sudan Defence Force. During the Second World War, it fought extensively in the East African and Burma Campaigns, transitioning from the Bristol Blenheim to the Bristol Beaufort and later the de Havilland Mosquito. Post-war, it was re-roled as a transport squadron, operating the Handley Page Hastings and later the Bristol Britannia, supporting operations during the Korean War, the Suez Crisis, and the Indonesian Confrontation. Its final incarnation saw it operating the Lockheed Hercules from RAF Lyneham before disbandment in 2009.

Aircraft operated

The squadron's first operational aircraft was the BE.2, used on the Macedonian Front. In the 1920s and 1930s, it operated the DH.9A, the Fairey IIIF, and the Vickers Vincent on colonial duties. At the outbreak of the Second World War, it was equipped with the Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV, which it used in the East African Campaign. It later transitioned to the torpedo-carrying Bristol Beaufort in the Mediterranean, before re-equipping with the de Havilland Mosquito FB.VI for ground-attack missions in Burma. In the post-war transport role, it operated the Handley Page Hastings C.1 & C.2 from 1949, followed by the Bristol Britannia C.1 from 1959. Its final aircraft was the Lockheed Hercules C.1 & C.3, which it flew from 1967 until its disbandment.

Notable personnel

Notable commanders include Wing Commander Reginald Kierath, who led the squadron during the Burma Campaign. Among its Victoria Cross recipients is Flight Lieutenant Lloyd Trigg of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, awarded posthumously for actions while flying with the squadron's Consolidated Liberator detachment in 1943. Distinguished airmen who served include Arthur Gould Lee, later an air vice-marshal and author, and James MacLachlan, a one-armed fighter ace who flew Hurricanes with the squadron in Malta. The notable navigator and postwar chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, Air Marshal David Evans, also flew with the squadron on Beauforts.

Squadron bases

The squadron formed at Beverley in 1916. Its first operational deployment was to Tatoi near Athens. Key interwar bases included Helwan in Egypt and Khartoum in the Sudan. During the Second World War, it operated from numerous airfields including Agir in Palestine, Gambut in Libya, and various strips in India and Burma, such as Cox's Bazar and Akyab. Post-war, it was based at Abingdon with the Handley Page Hastings, then at Lyneham with the Bristol Britannia and Lockheed Hercules. Its final home was back at Lyneham until disbandment.

Operations and deployments

Initial operations in 1916-18 involved artillery spotting and bombing over the Macedonian Front. In 1919, it conducted air support for White Russian forces around Arkhangelsk. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, it was engaged in colonial policing, including operations against the Fakir of Ipi in Waziristan. During the Second World War, it attacked Italian shipping and targets in the East African Campaign, and later flew hazardous anti-shipping strikes in the Mediterranean. From 1943, it deployed to the Burma Campaign, performing low-level attacks on Japanese communications. In its transport role, it participated in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War airlift, the Suez operation, and provided tactical airlift during the Indonesian Confrontation and later in the Gulf War. Its final decades were spent on global strategic airlift, including support for UN peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and Africa.

Category:Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons