Formed at Catterick, North Yorkshire, on 1 January 1918 as a heavy night bomber unit, No. 118 Squadron never saw service in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and was disbanded again on 7 September 1918.

On 20 February 1941, No. 118 reformed at RAF Filton

RAF Filton

RAF Filton was a World War II, Royal Air Force Sector Airfield situated at Filton Aerodrome about 5 miles north of the city centre of Bristol, England....

, near Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, as a No. 10 Group

No. 10 Group RAF

No. 10 Group of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 in No. 2 Area. On 8 May of the next year it was transferred to South-Western Area. In 1919 it was transferred to Coastal Area where it remained until it was disbanded on 18 January 1932....

 fighter squadron equipped with Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

s. On 28 March, convoy patrols began and in June the Squadron began to provide bomber escorts and took part in fighter sweeps over northern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. In January 1943, it moved to East Anglia

East Anglia

East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...

 and began sweeps over the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, moving in September to northern Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 on defensive duties. In January 1944 the Squadron came south again to join Second TAF but returned to the Orkney Islands

Orkney Islands

Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...

 in March for four months. Sweeps and bomber escort missions were resumed in July 1944 and in January 1945, the Squadron converted to P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

s for long-range escort duties. These began on 1 February and continued to 3 May 1945. On 10 March 1946, the Squadron was disbanded.

On 10 May 1951, No. 118 reformed at RAF Fassberg

RAF Fassberg

The former Royal Air Force Station Fassberg, more commonly known as RAF Fassberg, was a Royal Air Force airbase in Germany situated in the northern suburbs of Fassberg, Lower Saxony...

 as a De Havilland Vampire

De Havilland Vampire

The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...

 fighter-bomber Squadron, re-equipping with De Havilland Venom

De Havilland Venom

The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....

s in November 1953, and then becoming a day fighter unit when it was equipped with Hawker Hunter

Hawker Hunter

The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...

s in May 1955, disbanding on 22 August 1957. On 1 September 1959, the Bristol Sycamore

Bristol Sycamore

-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...

 Flight of No. 228 Squadron

No. 228 Squadron RAF

No. 228 Squadron RAF was a unit that during the greatest part of its existence flew over water, doing so in World War I, World War II and beyond, performing anti-submarine, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue tasks.-Formation and World War I:...

 at RAF Aldergrove

RAF Aldergrove

RAF Aldergrove was a Royal Air Force station situated northwest of Belfast. It adjoined Belfast International Airport, sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of the surrounding area...

became No. 118 Squadron in Transport Command. On 31 August 1962, the Squadron was disbanded.