No. 294 Squadron RAF

No. 294 Squadron was a Royal Air Force air search and rescue (ASR) squadron active under RAF Middle East Command. During the second world war the unit operated rescue missions for Allied aircraft and aircrew over the eastern Mediterranean and later the Persian Gulf and Arabian sea.

No. 294 Squadron RAF
Active24 Sep 1943 – 8 Apr 1946
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleAir-sea rescue
Part ofRAF Middle East Command
Motto(s)Latin: Vita ex undix abrepta
(Translation: "Life snatched from the waves")[1]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryAn eagle volant, carrying in the claws a lifebelt[1]
Squadron CodesFD (Sep 1943 - Apr 1946)[2]

History

No. 294 Squadron was formed at Berka, near Benghazi, Libya on 24 September 1943 from the former air-sea rescue Flight. Equipped with the Vickers Wellington and Supermarine Walrus in the air search and rescue (ASR) role. The squadron aircraft were detached to various airfields around the eastern Mediterranean. In October 1943 the squadron moved to LG.91 (Landing Ground 91), but still provided detachments to other airfields. In March 1944 the squadron moved to Idku, still in Egypt, and re-equipped with the Wellington Mk.XI and later also the Wellington Mk.XIII and the Vickers Warwick. In June 1945 the squadron moved to RAF Basra, Iraq to provide rescue cover in the Persian Gulf and Arabian sea until it was disbanded on 8 April 1946.

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 294 Squadron RAF, data from[1][3][4]
FromToAircraftVariantNotes
September 1943March 1944Vickers WellingtonMk.IcTwin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.
September 1943April 1946Supermarine WalrusMks.I, IISingle pusher-engined biplane rescue amphibian
March 1944November 1944Vickers WellingtonMk.XITwin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.
May 1944April 1946Vickers WellingtonMk.XIIISpecial ASR version of the twin-engined bomber
November 1944April 1946Vickers WarwickMk.ITwin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.

Squadron bases
Bases and airfields used by No. 294 Squadron RAF, data from[1][3][4][5]
FromToBaseRemark
24 September 19435 October 1943Berka, LibyaDets. at RAF Limassol, RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; LG.07; Mellaha, Libya; Derna, Libya; Gambut, Libya
5 October 194329 March 1944LG.91/Amriya South, EgyptDets. at RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; Berka III, Libya; Derna, Libya; Mellaha, Libya;
RAF Castel Benito, Libya; LG.07; RAF St Jean, Palestine and RAF Hergla, Tunisia
29 March 19446 June 1945RAF Idku, EgyptDets at Gambut 3, Libya; Berka III, Libya; RAF El Arish, Egypt and RAF Nicosia, Cyprus
6 June 19458 April 1946RAF Basra, IraqDets. at RAF Sharjah, Trucial States; RAF Masirah, Oman and RAF Muharraq, Bahrain

Commanding officers
Officers commanding No. 294 Squadron RAF, data from[5]
FromToName
September 1943December 1943F/Lt. S.A.M. Morrison
January 1944February 1945W/Cdr. R.G.M. Walker, DFC
February 1945June 1945W/Cdr. D.B. Bennett, DFC
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See also

References

Notes
  1. Halley 1988, p. 351.
  2. Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 71.
  3. Rawlings 1982, p. 252.
  4. Jefford 2001, p. 86.
  5. Franks 2003, p. 183.

Bibliography
  • Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Franks, Norman. Beyond Courage: Air Sea Rescue by Walrus Squadrons in the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas, 1942-1945. London: Grub Street, 2003. ISBN 1-904010-30-X.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1853100536. (second revised edition 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.)
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
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