No. 45 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
First World War
Formed during World War I at Gosport on 1 March 1916 as Number 45 Squadron, the unit was first equipped with Sopwith 1½ StrutterSopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
s which it was to fly in the Scout role. Deployed to France in October of that year, the Squadron found itself suffering heavy losses due to the quality of its aircraft. This did not change until it transitioned to the Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
in mid-1917. Transferred to the Austro-Italian front at the end of 1917, 45 Squadron there engaged in ground attack and offensive patrols until September 1918 when it returned to France. Assigned to the Independent Air Force, 45 Squadron provided long range bomber escort till the end of the war.
During the course of the war, some thirty flying aces had served in the squadron's ranks. They included future Air Vice-Marshal
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
Matthew Frew,
Cedric Howell
Cedric Howell
Cedric Ernest "Spike" Howell DSO, MC, DFC was an Australian fighter pilot and flying ace of the First World War. Born in Adelaide, South Australia, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 for service in the First World War and was posted to the 46th Battalion on the Western Front...
,
Geoffrey Hornblower Cock
Geoffrey Hornblower Cock
Captain Geoffrey Hornblower Cock was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was the highest scoring ace to fly the Sopwith 1½ Strutter....
,
future Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Raymond Brownell
Raymond Brownell
Air Commodore Raymond James Brownell CBE, MC, MM was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force and a First World War flying ace. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Brownell was working as a clerk with a firm of accountants when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the outbreak of the...
,
John C. B. Firth
John C. B. Firth
Major John Charles Bradley Firth was a British World War I flying ace credited with 11 aerial victories.- Early life :Firth was the younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Firth of Bishops Sutton, Hants.-World War I:Temporary Lieutenant J. C. B...
,
Kenneth Barbour Montgomery
Kenneth Barbour Montgomery
Captain Kenneth Barbour Montgomery was an English World War I flying ace officially credited with 12 aerial victories. After gaining his first four wins flying a two-seater airplane, he switched to a single-seater fighter for his last eight triumphs....
,
Mansell Richard James
Mansell Richard James
Captain Mansell Richard James was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace credited with 11 confirmed aerial victories. He disappeared in spectacular fashion after setting a postwar aviation record for prize money, and was the object of repeated searches throughout the years.-World War I:James was...
,
Norman MacMillan
Norman MacMillan (pilot)
Wing Commander Norman MacMillan, OBE, MC, AFC, DL born Glasgow, Scotland was a pilot and author.He served during World War I on the Western Front in 1917–18 with the RFC and RAF, flying Sopwith 1½ Strutter and Sopwith Camel aircraft, becoming an ace by claiming eleven victories and being credited...
,
Peter Carpenter
Peter Carpenter
Captain Peter Carpenter was a fighter ace in World War I credited with 24 victories.-Early life:Peter Carpenter was born in Cardiff, Wales to Peter S. and Jane Carpenter, who had eight other children....
,
Richard Jeffries Dawes
Richard Jeffries Dawes
Richard Jeffries Dawes was born on 23 October 1897 in Lachine, Quebec, Canada. He joined the military for World War I, and ended up a Sopwith Camel pilot in the Royal Flying Corps.-World War I:...
,
Norman Cyril Jones
Norman Cyril Jones
Captain Norman Cyril Jones was an English flying ace during World War I. He was credited with nine aerial victories.-Early life:Norman Cyril Jones was born in Cheshire, England...
,
Ernest Masters
Ernest Masters
Lieutenant Ernest Harold Masters was a British First World War flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-Reference:...
,
Henry Moody
Henry Moody
Captain Henry Michael Moody was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. His sixth triumph was over German ace Alwyn Thurm.-Reference:...
, future Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Thomas Williams
Thomas Williams (RAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir Thomas Melling Williams KCB, OBE, MC, DFC & Bar, RAF was an ace pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, scoring nine aerial victories...
,
William Wright
William Wright (aviator)
Captain William Alan Wright was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-References:...
,
James Dewhirst
James Dewhirst
Lieutenant James Henry Dewhirst was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Reference:...
,
James Belgrave
James Belgrave
Captain James Dacres Belgrave was a World War I flying ace credited with 18 aerial victories.-Reference:...
,
Edward Clarke,
Alfred Haines
Alfred Haines
Lieutenant Alfred John Haines was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.Haines flew a Sopwith Camel in Italy as part of 45 Squadron. He destroyed an Albatros D.V on 4 February 1918. On 7 June, he set two Albatros D.IIIs afire. He destroyed an Aviatik on 23 July; on the 29th,...
,
Thomas M. Harries
Thomas M. Harries
Lieutenant Thomas Montagu Harries was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with 11 aerial victories. He was the second scoring ace using the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter; he then also became an ace on the Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a.-World War I:...
,
Alan Rice-Oxley
Alan Rice-Oxley
Lieutenant Alan Rice-Oxley was a British pilot during World War I. He became a flying ace in 1918, credited with six aerial victories.-Early life:Alan Rice-Oxley was born in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire in 1898...
,
Earl Hand
Earl Hand
Captain Earl McNabb Hand was a World War I flying ace credited with five confirmed aerial victories and two unconfirmed ones.Hand began his victory roll while flying a Sopwith Camel for 45 Squadron. He tallied his first win when he drove an Albatros D.V down out of control at Langemark-Poelkapelle,...
,
Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet
Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet GCB OBE AFC , commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press, and often within the RAF as "Butcher" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command during the latter half of World War...
,
John Pinder
John Pinder (aviator)
Captain John William Pinder DFC was a World War I flying ace credited with 17 confirmed aerial victories.After the war, Pinder was an aviation pioneer in South America. In August 1920, he was part of a group attempting the first flight between Brazil and Buenos Aires. Pinder teamed with Brazilian...
,
and future Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Sidney Cottle
Sidney Cottle
Group Captain Sidney Joseph "Jack" Cottle MBEs military career began during World War I. He became a flying ace in the latter years of the war, credited with thirteen aerial victories...
.
Mid-War Period
In 1919 the Squadron returned to England and disbanded. In April 1921 it reformed at Helwan, Egypt. Assigned Vickers VernonVickers Vernon
-See also:...
bomber-transports, the unit provided troop transportation and ground support and mail services throughout the Middle East, notably in support of anti-rebel operations in Iraq and the Palestine. During the mid-war years the unit transitioned to DH9As
Airco DH.9A
The Airco DH.9A was a British light bomber designed and first used shortly before the end of the First World War. Colloquially known as the "Ninak" , it served on in large numbers for the Royal Air Force following the end of the war, both at home and overseas, where it was used for colonial...
(1927) and Fairey III
Fairey III
The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants...
s (1929) and then a combination of Hawker Hart
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber of the Royal Air Force , which had a prominent role during the RAF's inter-war period. The Hart was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and built by Hawker Aircraft...
s, Vickers Vincents and Fairey Gordon
Fairey Gordon
|-See also:-External links:* * *...
s (1935).
At some point the unit adopted the nickname "The Flying Camels". The Squadron Badge is a winged camel, approved by King Edward VIII in October 1936. The badge and nickname derive from the Sopwith used by the unit in World War I and its long service in the Middle East.
Second World War
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
s and was assigned to the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
, where it operated against Italian and German forces until 1942.
After that time, the unit was deployed to Burma and India, for service against the Japanese. During its time in India and Burma, 45 Squadron converted to Vultee Vengeance dive-bombers, followed by de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
s.
During World War II, it included a significant number of Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
(NZAF) aircrew personnel, attached to it under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
.
It became one of only a few Allied units to have engaged German, Italian, Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
and Japanese forces.
Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
, flying out of RAF Station Tengah
Tengah Airbase
Tengah Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force located at Tengah, in the western part of Singapore. The airbase is the most important airfield of the RSAF as it houses the bulk of RSAF's fixed-wing frontline squadrons, home to all of RSAF's E-2C Hawkeyes , most of the...
on the island of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. There the unit engaged in ground attack operations against Communist Terrorists (CTs) engaged in a Chinese backed insurgency. Dubbed Operation Firedog, these operations lasted for 12 years until the successful conclusion of the war. The unit also engaged in operations to quell unrest on the Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
coast in British North Borneo during this time period. While operating in Malaya the unit initially flew Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s but then transitioned to the Bristol Brigand (1949/1950) and then the de Havilland Hornet
De Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...
, 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....
, 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...
and English Electric Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
. The unit also had service aircraft, including the Bristol Buckmaster
Bristol Buckmaster
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Bristol 166 Buckmaster." Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0....
and the Harvard
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
. Unit commanders during this time included Sqdn. Ldr. E. D. Crew who served from a date uncertain until the rotation to Squadron Leader A. C. Blythe in February 1950, among others.
1960s onwards
After re-equipping with Canberra B.15s in 1962, the squadron became involved in the BruneiBrunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
Revolution and the subsequent Confrontation with Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
until its resolution in 1966. The squadron disbanded in February 1970 after the UK’s withdrawal from East of Suez.
On 1 August 1972, the squadron was reformed at RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham
RAF West Raynham was a Royal Air Force station located west of the village of West Raynham in Norfolk, England. It opened in the 1930s and closed in 1994. During the Second World War, RAF Bomber Command operations from RAF West Raynham claimed 86 aircraft. The site was sold by the Ministry of...
, 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, as a ground-attack training unit. The squadron disbanded in July 1976 after this role was taken over by the Tactical Weapons Unit.
In January 1984, the squadron number, as No. 45 (Reserve) Squadron, was assigned to the Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
Weapons Conversion Unit (TWCU) at RAF Honington
RAF Honington
RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regiment depot and home to the Joint CBRN Regiment.-RAF use:...
. As a 'Shadow Squadron' or war reserve, the squadron's war role was as a fully operational unit composed mainly of instructors, and assigned strike and other duties by SACEUR in support of land forces on the Continent resisting a Soviet assault on Western Europe, by striking at targets assigned by SACEUR, beyond the forward edge of the battlefield, deep within enemy-held areas, first with conventional weapons and later with tactical nuclear weapons if a conflict escalated to that level. The squadron's twenty-six Tornado aircraft were allocated thirty-nine WE.177
WE.177
WE.177 was the last air-delivered tactical nuclear weapon of the British Armed Forces. There were three versions; WE.177A was a boosted fission weapon, while WE.177B and WE.177C were thermonuclear weapons...
nuclear bombs, although each Tornado was able to carry two weapons. The apparent mismatch between aircraft and weapons was because RAF staff planners expected that there would be sufficient aircraft surviving the conventional phase to deliver the squadron's full allocated stockpile of nuclear weapons. In 1992 this unit's designation changed to No. 15 (R) Squadron although it's peacetime and wartime roles remained unchanged. In 1994 it moved base to RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and is currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s. From 2013 the Northern QRA force of Typhoon F2 will relocate to Lossiemouth following the closure of...
.
Meanwhile, in July 1992, the No. 45(R) Squadron identity was transferred to the Multi-Engined Training Squadron (METS) at No. 6 FTS, RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
. The new 45(R) Squadron moved to RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
in October 1995, and in 2003, replaced its BAe Jetstream T.1s with Beechcraft B200 King Airs
Beechcraft Super King Air
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
operated by Serco.
1 March 1916 to 31 December 1919
- 20 March to 27 March 1916 Captain C E Ryan
- 27 March to 24 April 1916 Major L A Strange
- 24 April 1916 to 24 April 1917 Major W R Read
- 24 April to 18 August 1917 Major H P Van RyneveldPierre van RyneveldGeneral Sir Hesperus Andrias van Ryneveld, KBE, CB, DSO, MC was a South African military commander.He began his military career in World War I, in which he served in the Royal Flying Corps , where he distinguished himself as a fighter ace.After the war, van Ryneveld was called back to South Africa...
- 18 August to 24 August 1917 Captain A T HarrisSir Arthur Harris, 1st BaronetMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet GCB OBE AFC , commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press, and often within the RAF as "Butcher" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command during the latter half of World War...
(acting) - 24 August 1917 to 16 July 1918 Major A M VaucourAwdry VaucourMajor Audry Morris Valcour was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.He was for part of his career teamed with Alan Bott as his observer/gunner. Bott would go on to become an ace in his own right....
(Killed in actionKilled in actionKilled in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
on 16 July 1918) - 16 July to 23 July 1918 Captain R J Dawes
- 23 July to 28 July 1918 Captain N C Jones
- 28 July to 21 October 1918 Captain J A Crook
- 21 October 1918 to 3 February 1919 Major A M Miller
- 3 February to 26 September 1919 Captain J W Pinder
- List incomplete
1 April 1921 to 18 February 1970
- List incomplete
- 20 November 1922 to 14 October 1924 Squadron Leader A T HarrisSir Arthur Harris, 1st BaronetMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet GCB OBE AFC , commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press, and often within the RAF as "Butcher" Harris, was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command during the latter half of World War...
- 14 October 1924 to 30 November 1925 Squadron Leader R M HillRoderic HillAir Chief Marshal Sir Roderic Maxwell Hill KCB, MC, AFC & Bar, RAF was a senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II, and a past Rector of Imperial College...
- List incomplete
- 15 November 1928 to 4 March 1932 Squadron Leader F J Vincent
- 1932 to 1935 Squadron Leader H W L SaundersHugh SaundersAir Chief Marshal Sir Hugh William Lumsden Saunders GCB KBE MC DFC and Bar MM RAF was a South African who rose through the ranks to become a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
- 14 September 1935 to 1937 Squadron Leader A R Churchman
- List incomplete
- 24 November 1947 to 1948 Squadron Leader F L Dodd
- 23 July 1948 to 1950 Squadron Leader E D Crew
- List incomplete
- 27 August 1951 to ? Squadron Leader I S Stockwell
- List incomplete
1 August 1972 to present
- List incomplete
- February 2005 to April 2007 J Bowland
- List incomplete
External links
- RAF: 45 Squadron
- Air of Authority: No 41 - 45 Squadron Histories
- 45 Squadron, Justin Museum of Military History
- Peter A. Weston, Lancaster Radar/Radio/Navigator, 186 Sqdn, Stradishall, East Anglia (World War Two) / 45 Sqdn (Malaya)/ 209 Sqdn (Korea), RAF, Justin Museum of Military History
- 45 Squadron Photograph, Tengah, Singapore, 1950, Justin Museum of Military History.
- Peter Weston Bristol Brigand Photograph Collection, Justin Museum, photographs of 45 Squadron Brigands in Action
- Peter Weston Bristol Beaufighter Photograph Collection, Justin Museum, photographs of 45 Squadron Beaufighters in Action