No. 20 Squadron RFC

No. 20 Squadron RFC was a Royal Flying Corps squadron formed during the First World War that conducted reconnaissance, artillery observation, and day bombing sorties on the Western Front. Raised amid expansion of the Royal Flying Corps and coordinated with British Expeditionary Force operations, the squadron supported major offensives including actions tied to the Battle of Loos, Battle of the Somme, and the Battle of Arras. Its activities intersected with contemporaneous units such as No. 16 Squadron RFC and No. 21 Squadron RFC, and its personnel worked closely with formations like IV Corps (United Kingdom) and Second Army (United Kingdom).

Formation and Early History

Formed in 1915 at Montrose Air Station under RFC mobilization, the unit drew pilots and mechanics from training schools including No. 1 School of Military Aeronautics and personnel previously attached to Royal Naval Air Service detachments. Early organization followed RFC doctrine promulgated by figures connected to Royal Flying Corps Staff, integrating observers trained in liaison with Royal Artillery batteries and coordination methods evident in documents circulated by Admiralty and War Office planners. Initial postings placed the squadron on home defence duties before transfer to France in support of British Expeditionary Force operations along the Western Front.

World War I Operations

Deployed to the Western Front, the squadron undertook reconnaissance sorties, photographic missions, and tactical bombing in support of infantry operations during the 1916–1918 campaigns. During the Battle of the Somme the squadron performed artillery observation and battlefield reconnaissance for corps including XIV Corps (United Kingdom), contributing imagery used by staff at General Headquarters (GHQ) and allied liaison with French Third Army. In 1917 supporting the Battle of Arras and the Third Battle of Ypres the unit undertook low-level bombing and contact patrols in coordination with Royal Engineers trench-mapping efforts and Royal Artillery counter-battery shoots. In the 1918 German offensives and the subsequent Allied Hundred Days Offensive, the squadron supported operations conducted by formations such as Fifth Army (United Kingdom) and Third Army (United Kingdom), performing tactical reconnaissance that informed decisions by commanders who later attended conferences like Versailles Conference delegates (postwar). The squadron suffered casualties from German squadrons and night fighters including crews associated with units under Luftstreitkräfte command and from anti-aircraft fire coordinated by German Army commands.

Aircraft and Equipment

Initially equipped with early two-seat types prevalent in RFC reconnaissance units, the squadron operated aircraft adapted for observation, photographic equipment, and light bombing loads. Early types mirrored those used by contemporaneous reconnaissance units such as Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 variants and later transitioned to more capable platforms akin to the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 and the Airco DH.4 family for day bombing and long-range reconnaissance. Photographic reconnaissance gear included cameras similar to models employed across RFC squadrons for trench mapping and artillery correction tasks developed alongside technical innovations from establishments like the Royal Aircraft Factory and manufacturers such as Airco and Boulton Paul. Radio telegraphy and wireless sets improved artillery observation effectiveness in coordination with Royal Artillery forward observation batteries and advances tied to inventors and engineers working within Admiralty research circles.

Notable Personnel and Commanders

Officers and aircrew who served included pilots and observers with combat records linked to awards issued by authorities such as the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Commanding officers had careers intersecting with institutions such as Staff College, Camberley and postings within the Royal Air Force on its formation in 1918. Squadron personnel exchanged experience with aces and staff from units like No. 56 Squadron RFC and No. 70 Squadron RFC, and some veterans later served in interwar formations or civil aviation enterprises tied to companies including Imperial Airways and organisations linked to postwar aviation policy at the Air Ministry.

Squadron Insignia and Traditions

Insignia and markings followed RFC and later Royal Air Force conventions for squadron identity, with individual aircraft carrying squadron codes and personal pilot markings influenced by heraldic and regimental traditions seen across units such as No. 11 Squadron RFC and No. 43 Squadron RFC. Ceremonial practices reflected RFC culture transferred from training establishments like Central Flying School and involved commemorations of actions in battles such as the Battle of Loos and memorialisation alongside graves registered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in cemeteries on the Western Front. Postwar records and squadron rolls appear in archival holdings related to the National Archives (United Kingdom) and collections preserved by aviation museums connected to institutions like the Imperial War Museum.

Category:Royal Flying Corps squadrons 1914–1918