No. 156 Squadron RAF
{{Short description|Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 156 Squadron RAF
|image=Oorlogsgraven in Molenaarsgraaf. Informatiebord, detail 02.jpg
|caption=
|dates= 12 October 1918 – 9 December 1918
14 February 1942 – 25 September 1945
|country= {{flagicon|UK}} United Kingdom
|allegiance=
|branch= 23px Royal Air Force
|type=
|role=
|size=
|command_structure= No. 3 Group RAF, Bomber Command (Feb 42-Aug 42)
No. 8 Group RAF, Bomber Command (Aug 42-Sep 45)
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label= Base
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|motto= We light the wayMoyes 1976, p. 179.Halley 1988, p. 229.
|colors=
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|commander1=
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|identification_symbol= A figure of Mercury holding a torch
|identification_symbol_label= Squadron Badge heraldry
|identification_symbol_2= GT (Feb 1942 - Sep 1945)Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 46.Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 77.
|identification_symbol_2_label= Squadron Codes
}}
No. 156 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was active as a bomber unit in World War II.
History
=Formation and World War I=
=Reformation in World War II=
File:Queen Elizabeth at RAF Warboys Feb 1944 IWM TR 1554.jpg (later the Queen Mother) inspects flight and ground crews at RAF Warboys, February 1944, in front of an Avro Lancaster of No. 156 Squadron}}]]
The squadron reformed in February 1942 from the home echelon of 40 Squadron at RAF Alconbury, in the Huntingdonshire area of Cambridgeshire, as part of No. 3 Group RAF and was equipped with Wellingtons. In August 1942 it joined No. 8 Group RAF it became one of the original pathfinder squadrons, converting to Lancasters in January 1943. It continued in the pathfinder role until the end of the war, being based at RAF Warboys, RAF Upwood and finally its original founding base, RAF Wyton, where it disbanded on 25 September 1945. The Jamaican airman Billy Strachan, who would go onto become a pioneer of Black civil rights in Britain, once served as an air gunner with the squadron.{{Cite book |last1=Meddick |first1=Simon |title=Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism |last2=Payne |first2=Liz |last3=Katz |first3=Phil |publisher=Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-907464-45-4 |location=Croydon |pages=194 |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Dewjee |first=Audrey |title=West Indian RAF Aircrew: In East Yorkshire During WWII |work=African Stories in Hull and East Yorkshire |url=https://www.africansinyorkshireproject.com/west-indian-aircrew.html |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507210023/https://www.africansinyorkshireproject.com/west-indian-aircrew.html |archive-date=7 May 2023}}
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Notable pilots
- Gordon Cochrane
- Peter Isaacson
- Frank Watkins
- Pilot Officer Colin Kirkus - lost without trace 13/14 September 1942 on a mission to Bremen in Vickers Wellington BJ879.
- Billy Strachan - famous for surviving 33 missions during a time when the average life expectancy for an RAF crew was 7 operations.{{Cite book |last1=Meddick |first1=Simon |title=Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism |last2=Payne |first2=Liz |last3=Katz |first3=Phil |publisher=Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-907464-45-4 |location=UK |pages=194}}{{Cite news |last=Dewjee |first=Audrey |title=West Indian RAF Aircrew: In East Yorkshire During WWII |work=African Stories in Hull and East Yorkshire |url=https://www.africansinyorkshireproject.com/west-indian-aircrew.html |access-date=11 May 2021}}
Memorials
File:RAF Memorial, Lier, Belgium.jpg
There is a memorial to the crash of Avro Lancaster ED840, 156 Squadron, which crashed in the town in Lier, Belgium on 17 June 1943. It was on a mission to Cologne when it was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. In the Netherlands is a memorial for the Avro Lancaster ND559 crew. The crew was on 22 May 1944, on a mission to Duisburg. On the way back the plane was shot down above Molenaarsgraaf and Brandwijk.
Aircraft operated
| class="wikitable"
|+Aircraft operated by No. 156 Squadron RAF ! From !! To !! Aircraft !! Variant | |||
| November 1918 | November 1918 | Airco DH.9 | A |
| February 1942 | January 1943 | Vickers Wellington | Mk.Ic |
| March 1942 | January 1943 | Vickers Wellington | Mk.III |
| January 1943 | September 1945 | Avro Lancaster | Mks.B.I & B.III |
Squadron bases
| class="wikitable"
|+Bases and airfields used by No. 156 Squadron RAF ! From !! To !! Base !! Remarks | |||
| 12 October 1918 | 9 December 1918 | RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire | Formed here |
| 14 February 1942 | 15 August 1942 | RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire | No. 3 Group RAF |
| 15 August 1942 | 5 March 1944 | RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire | No. 8 Group RAF |
| 5 March 1944 | 27 June 1945 | RAF Upwood, Cambridgeshire | |
| 27 June 1945 | 25 September 1945 | RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire | Disbanded here |
Commanding officers
| class="wikitable"
|+Officers commanding No. 156 squadron RAF{{cite web |last=Riley |first=Robin |title=Commanding Officers of 156 Squadron |url=http://www.156squadron.com/stationcommanders.asp |work=www.156squadron.com |year=2007 |access-date=15 August 2011}} ! From !! To !! Name !! Remark | |||
| 14 February 1942 | 30 May 1942 | W/Cdr. P.G.R. Heath | KIA |
| 30 May 1942 | 29 July 1942 | W/Cdr. H.L. Price | KIA |
| 30 July 1942 | 28 October 1942 | W/Cdr. R.N. Cook | |
| 28 October 1942 | 8 June 1943 | W/Cdr. T.S. Rivett-Carnac, DFC | |
| 17 January 1943 | 13 February 1943 | S/Ldr. S.G. Hookway, DFC (acting) | KIA |
| 8 June 1943 | 22 January 1944 | G/Cpt. R.W.P. Collings, AFC | |
| 22 January 1944 | 27 April 1944 | W/Cdr. E.C. Eaton, DFC | KIA |
| 28 April 1944 | 7 May 1944 | S/Ldr. T.W.G. Godfrey (acting) | |
| 7 May 1944 | 21 November 1944 | W/Cdr. T.L. Bingham-Hall, DFC | |
| 21 November 1944 | 30 December 1944 | W/Cdr. D.B. Falconer, DFC, AFC | KIA |
| 30 December 1944 | 10 April 1945 | W/Cdr. T.E. Ison DSO, DFC | |
| 10 April 1945 | 25 September 1945 | W/Cdr. A.J.L. Craig |
References
=Notes=
{{Reflist|2}}
=Bibliography=
- Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937-56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. {{ISBN|0-85059-364-6}}.
- 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}}.
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-88. 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, 2001. {{ISBN|1-84037-141-2}}.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1976. {{ISBN|0-354-01027-1}}.
- Wadsworth, Michael P. They Led the Way: the Story of Pathfinder Squadron 156. Beverley: Highgate Publications Ltd., 1992. {{ISBN|0-948929-58-8}}.
External links
{{Commons category|No. 156 Squadron RAF}}
- [http://www.156squadron.com/ 156 Squadron site]
- [http://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn156-160.htm History of No.'s 156–160 Squadrons at RAF Web]
- [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/156squadron.cfm 156 Squadron history on the official RAF website]
{{RAF squadrons}}
{{Royal Air Force}}