1949

Administrator

Stationed at:

  • RAF Stradishall (Suffolk)
  • 10/02/1949: Moved to RAF Mildenhall (Suffolk)

Role

  • Heavy Bomber Squadron

Command

  • No. 3 Group, Bomber Command

Squadron Command

  • Commanding Officer:
    • Squadron Leader BHD Foster DSO DFC

Strength

Activities

Air Crew

  • Ground Training (on station and off station)
    • Lectures / Courses
    • Emergency, Escape, Dinghy and Survival Drills
    • “Trade” related Refresher Courses
  • Flying Training
    • Cross County (using Bomber Command Standard of Navigation), Practice Bombing, GCA, BABS / Rebecca Training, Three-Engine Flying, Circuits and Landings, Air / Sea Firing, Instrument Rating Practice, Ding-Don, Fighter Affiliation, Formation Flying
  • Ongoing Assessments, Checks and Classifications
  • Station Readiness / Dispersal, Cross Country, Bombing, Air Defence and Fighter Affiliation Exercises
    • Fighter Affiliation exercise at Thorney Island (February)
    • Attacks on the Firth of Forth and Clyde areas to exercise the Auxiliary Squadrons, ground defences and early warning systems (March)
    • Day fighter affiliation exercises with fighters from Duxford (March)
    • Exercise with the American fleets off Lands End (April)
    • Station Bullseye on Heligoland with live bombs being dropped on Heligoland and simulated bombing (April)
    • Exercise Foil which was aimed at testing the fighter defences of Great Britain. Mock attacks were made on London, Leeds, Sheffield and many other industrial areas in the country (June)
    • Phase II, Day III of Exercise Foil (July)
    • Exercise Verity, the main feature of which was an attack on the combined units of the American and Royal Navy (July)
    • Command Exercise the purpose of which was to test the Norwegian defences (September)
    • Exercise in affiliation with Anti-Aircraft Command, during which calibration of ground defences was checked (September)
    • Exercise ‘Bulldog’, a Bomber Command exercise in which attacks were made on various towns in England (September)
    • Command Bullseye attack on Heligoland (September)
    • Exercise with the Royal Observer Corps (October)
    • Group Night Fighter Affiliation exercises (October)
    • Exercise Porcupine (a RAF combined attack on units of the Home Fleet) (November)
    • Night Fighter Affiliation exercises (November)
    • Command Bullseye attack of Heligoland (November)
    • RAF Manston for Photographic Instruction (November)
    • Group Night Fighter Affiliation Exercises (December)
    • Day Fighter Affiliation Exercises (December)
  • Standby Air Sea Rescue

Ground Personnel

  • Daily inspection, servicing and preparation of squadron aircraft, in readiness for air operations
  • Squadron related Administrative Duties

Aircraft

The squadron was equipped with the following aircraft types (from its own establishment):

AVRO LANCASTER B1 (FE)
Profile (© Malcolm Barrass)

AVRO LINCOLN

On 12th August 1949, the squadron started to re-equip with Avro Lincoln and the squadron aircrew started their Conversion Training

Avro Lincoln Profile (© Malcolm Barrass)

The following links provide more details about the aircraft that were on charge of the squadron: