No. 41 Squadron RAF

No. 41 Squadron RAF
Official Squadron Badge of No. 41 Squadron RAF
Active	14 July 1916 - 22 May 1916 14 July 1916 - 31 December 1919 1 April 1923 - 31 December 1963 1 September 1965 - 1 July 1970 1 April 1972 - present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Test and Evaluation Squadron
Base	RAF Coningsby
Motto	Seek and Destroy
Anniversaries	Centenary in 2016
Equipment	Tornado GR4 & Eurofighter Typhoon
Battle honours	Western Front, 1916–1918*; Somme, 1916*; Arras; Cambrai, 1917*; Somme, 1918; Lys; Amiens*; Dunkirk, 1940; Battle of Britain, 1940*; Home Defence, 1940–1944; Fortress Europe, 1940–1944*; Dieppe*; France & Germany, 1944–1945*; Arnhem; Walcheren; Gulf, 1991 Honours marked with an asterisk (*) are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Commanders
Current commander	Wg Cdr Steven Berry MBE MEng
Notable commanders	AVM Raymond Collishaw CB DSO* OBE DSC DFC (Oct 1923 – Apr 1924) Sqn Ldr Raymond Hesselyn MBE DFC DFM* (Mar – Apr 1951) AM Sir Christopher Harper KBE (Oct 1994 – Jan 1997)
Insignia
Squadron Badge	A red double-armed cross on white background. Adapted from the coat of arms of St Omer, which was the unit's first overseas base in 1916, with which the squadron has since maintained a link
post 1950 aircraft insignia	150px
Squadron codes	PN Jan 39 – Sep 39 EB Sep 39 – Feb 51 F – On Jaguars EB – On Harriers, Tornados & Typhoons, 2010–present

No. 41 (R) Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron ("TES"), based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41(R) TES". The Squadron celebrates its Centenary in 2016, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.

History

First World War, 1916–1919

No. 41 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was originally formed at Fort Rowner, RAF Gosport, in mid April 1916 with a nucleus of men from 28 Squadron RFC. However, on 22 May 1916, the Squadron was disbanded again when it was re-numbered "27 Reserve Squadron RFC".

41 Squadron was re-formed on 14 July 1916 with a nucleus of men from 27 Reserve Squadron, and equipped with the Vickers F.B.5 'Gun Bus' and Airco D.H.2 'Scout'. These were replaced in early September 1916 with the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8, and it was these aircraft which the Squadron took on their deployment to France on 15 October 1916. Eighteen aircraft departed Gosport for the 225-mile flight to St. Omer, but only 12 actually made it, the others landing elsewhere with technical problems. The 12 pilots spent a week at St. Omer before moving to Abeele, where the ground crews reached them by road, and the remaining six pilots by rail, minus their aircraft.

The F.E.8 was already obsolete as a pure fighter, and No. 41 used theirs mainly for ground attack. On 24 January 1917, the Squadron claimed its first victories. These fell to Sgt Plt Cecil Tooms, who himself was killed in action only four hours later.

While equipped with F.E.8s, the Squadron participated in the Battle of Arras (April–May 1917) and the Battle of Messines (June 1917). By this time the unit had become the last "pusher" fighter squadron in the RFC. In July 1917 No. 41 were re-equipped with DH 5 fighters, which proved disappointing; in October 1917 the Squadron finally received S.E.5a fighters, with which they were equipped for the duration of the war.

The Squadron provided distinguished service in the Battle of Cambrai (November 1917), and subsequently in the German Spring Offensive (March 1918), and the Battle of Amiens (August 1918). 41 Squadron claimed its final victory of the War two days prior to the cessation of hostilities.

The unit was reduced to Cadre of just 16 men on 7 February 1919 and returned to the United Kingdom. Their new base was Tangmere, but they were moved to Croydon, Surrey, in early October and formally disbanded on 31 December 1919.

During the War, the Squadron had two mascots. The first was a bulldog named ‘Woomf’, named after the sound made by the explosion of anti-aircraft shells in the air. The second was a mongrel found rummaging around in the trenches, which was named ‘Olive Byng’.

During the war, some seventeen aces served with No.41, including William Gordon Claxton, Frederick McCall, William Ernest Shields, Eric John Stephens, Frank Soden, Russell Winnicott, Geoffrey Hilton Bowman, Roy W. Chappell, Alfred Hemming, Frank Harold Taylor, Malcolm MacLeod, Loudoun MacLean, future Air Vice-Marshal Meredith Thomas, and William Gillespie. The unit had a remarkable number of Canadian aces in it—ten out of the seventeen.

The Squadron's pilots and ground crews were awarded four DSOs, six MCs, nine DFCs, two MMs and four Mentions in Dispatches for their World War I service with the unit. The pilots were credited with destroying 111 aircraft and 14 balloons, sending down 112 aircraft out of control, and driving down 25 aircraft and five balloons. Thirty-nine men were killed or died on active service, 48 were wounded or injured, and 20 pilots became Prisoners of War.

Between the Wars, 1923–1939

File:Armstrong-Whitworth Siskin ExCC.jpg

RAF Armstrong-Whitworth Siskin IIIa from No. 41 Squadron at Northolt being serviced with oxygen.

The Squadron reformed at RAF Northolt on 1 April 1923, equipped with the Sopwith Snipe. In 1924, it began receiving the first Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III biplanes.

41 Squadron was often visited by British and foreign government and military dignitaries during the inter-War years. One of the first is Japanese General Matsui Iwane who, after World War II, was held accountable and executed for the 1937 ‘Rape of Nanjing’, in which his armies murdered an estimated 300,000 Chinese civilians. British dignitaries included Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, the Chief of Air Services, MRAF Hugh Trenchard GCB DSO, the AOC in C ADGB, Air Marshal Sir Edward Ellington KCB CMG CBE, and the AOC Fighting Area, ADGB, Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Dowding, CB CMG.

On 27 July 1929, eleven aircraft from 41 Squadron flew to Calais to rendezvous with French aviation pioneer Louis Blériot and escort him back to Dover in a re-enactment of the first crossing of the English Channel 20 years earlier. During 1929–1930, their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), and Prince George (the future Duke of Kent) were taught to fly at Northolt by 41 and 24 Squadrons.

On 9 October 1930, Following the R101 Airship disaster in Beauvais, France, 41 Squadron pilots and ground crew formed a part of the Guard of Honour for the Lying-in-State of the 48 victims in the Palace of Westminster. Amongst the dead were the Secretary of State for Air, Brig. Gen. Lord Christopher Thomson PC CBE DSO, and the Director of Civil Aviation, AVM Sir Sefton Brancker KCB AFC. Thousands filed past to pay their last respects.

During the 1930s, displays, sports, competitions, tactical exercises and flying practice were a part of regular activity. In Summer 1934, 41 Squadron even performed a flying display for South Bucks Mothers’ Union.

41 Squadron pilots and ground crew formed a part of the Guard of Honour for the Lying-in-State of the 48 victims in the Palace of Westminster on 9 October 1930.

On 1 July 1935, 41 Squadron escorted an Imperial Airways aircraft to Brussels, with their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York on board, where they attend functions for British Week at the International Exhibition.

The Squadron was sent to the Aden Protectorate in October 1935, to help provide a presence in the region during the Abyssinian crisis of 1935–1936, and returned to the United Kingdom in August 1936. They were now based at RAF Catterick, Yorkshire, from September 1936, where they remained until May 1940.

In April 1937, 41 Squadron's badge and motto, "Seek and Destroy", are unveiled for the first time and presented to the Squadron by the AOC in C, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding KCB CMG. The badge takes the form of a red double-armed cross on a white background, adapted from the arms of the French town of St. Omer, the location of the Squadron’s first operational overseas posting, in October 1916.

On 30 December 1938, 41 Squadron was issued with the Supermarine Spitfire, becoming the third RAF squadron to receive them. By early February 1939, the Squadron has received a full complement of 20 Mark I Spitfires, which would have cost the Government £129,130 for the lot.

Around 200 pilots served with 41 Squadron between 1 April 1923 and 2 September 1939. During this period, no Battle Honours were granted, nor any decorations awarded, but the era produced ten Air Commodores, nine Air Vice-Marshals, two Air Marshals and two Air Chief Marshals. During these same years, eleven men were killed and three injured in flying accidents, and three injured in airscrew accidents on the ground.

Second World War, 1939–1945

File:Squadron Leader D Finlay, CO of No. 41 Squadron RAF, standing with four of his pilots in front of a Supermarine Spitfire Mk II at Hornchurch, Essex, December 1940. CH1871.jpg

Fg Off John Mackenzie DFC RNZAF, Flt Lt Tony Lovell DFC, Sqn Ldr Don Finlay (OC 41 Squadron), Flt Lt Norman Ryder DFC, and Plt Off Roy Ford, RAF Hornchurch, late November 1940.

Following the declaration of War on 3 September 1939, 41 Squadron spent the first several months on monotonous routine patrols in the north of England. At the end of May 1940, the Squadron flew south to RAF Hornchurch to participate in the evacuation of Dunkirk. Twelve days later, they returned to RAF Catterick, claiming six enemy aircraft destroyed and one probable, but also left behind two pilots, the Squadron's first pilot killed in action and their first lost as a Prisoner of War.

After resting for a few weeks, the Squadron headed south again on 26 July 1940, to participate in the first phase of the Battle of Britain. In its two-week tour, the Squadron claimed 10 enemy aircraft destroyed, 4 probable and 3 damaged, for the loss of one pilot killed and a second wounded.

Again, 41 Squadron returned north to Catterick for a few weeks rest, but returned to Hornchurch on 3 September 1940, where they remained until the end of February 1941. They were now in the thick of the Battle of Britain. The price was high, but so was the damage they inflicted on the Luftwaffe. On 5 September, the Squadron experienced one of its blackest days in its history. The Commanding Officer and OC, B Flight, were killed in action and three other pilots were shot down and two were wounded in action; one of these was hospitalised for six months.

On 31 October 1940, the Battle of Britain was considered officially over. 49 pilots flew with the Squadron between 10 July and 31 October 1940. Of these, 42 were British, 2 Canadian, 2 Irish and 2 New Zealanders. 10 were killed and 12 wounded in action (44% casualties). The Squadron claimed over 100 victories from July 1940 to the end of that year.

Sqn Ldr Donald O. Finlay, OC 41 Squadron, standing with Spitfire IIa, P7666, EB-Z, which was his personal mount. He claimed a destroyed Me109 on his first sortie on the day the aircraft was delivered, 23 November 1940.

On 23 February 1941, the Squadron returned to Catterick for a well-earned break. Only four pilots remained from the original 18 who landed in Hornchurch on 3 September 1940. However, in reality it is much worse: a total of 16 pilots had been killed, five wounded and hospitalised (who did not return) and 15 otherwise posted away, in effect a 200% turnover since the unit’s deployment to Hornchurch in early September. The Squadron also now has its third Commanding Officer since then, and its fourth within ten months.

Following five months rest in Catterick, during which the last Battle of Britain hardened pilots depart and new recruits join from the BCATP, the Squadron headed south to Merston, Sussex, on 28 July 1941, to join the Tangmere Wing, where the Wing Commander Flying was Douglas Bader. There followed an intensive period of offensive activity over France.

On 11 February 1942, 41 Squadron took part in the attack on the German Kriegsmarine's Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after they escaped from Brest and made a dash up the Channel to the safety of their home ports. During these actions, 41 Squadron claimed three enemy aircraft destroyed and one damaged, but lost one pilot who failed to return.

The Squadron also supported the ill-fated Canadian landings at Dieppe (Operation Jubilee) on 19 August 1942, completing three Squadron-strength missions over the beaches. The pilots return from the third without the Commanding Officer, who was hit by Flak and killed; he was the Squadron’s only casualty that day.

Tired, after a busy summer on the south coast fending off Me109s and FW190s fulfilling the Luftwaffe’s "hit and run" strategy, the Squadron was taken off operations until February 1943 and sent to Llanbedr, Wales, for an extended period of rest. This heralded the start of an intensive period of turnover in the unit’s ranks as men were rested and fresh pilots brought in.

In February 1943, the unit became the first of only two squadrons to receive the new Griffon-engine Spitfire Mark XII. Having rested, re-equipped and trained on the new aircraft, the Squadron was sent back onto operations in April 1943, and claimed their first definitive victory in over ten months on 17 April. This was also the first by the RAF in the Mk. XII Spitfire.

41 Squadron Spitfire XIIs in an Air Ministry photograph dated 12 April 1944. Flight Commander Flt Lt Don Smith RAAF is flying the aircraft in the foreground.

From late June 1943, large scale bomber escorts to targets in France, Belgium and the Netherlands became a daily event and Ramrod escorts to formations of between 50 and 150 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-26 Marauders became routine.

41 Squadron provided air support in the lead-up to, and throughout the D-Day landings. On D-Day itself, 6 June 1944, three pilots were hit by Flak over the bridgehead and one was killed. On 19 June, however, the Squadron was pulled off air support for the bridgehead in France and was deployed solely in the destruction of Germany’s newest weapon, the V-1 flying bomb.

On 28 August 1944, the Squadron claimed its last of 53 V1s destroyed during the War. Several pilots succeeded in bringing them down after expending all their ammunition, by flying alongside them and placing their own wingtips underneath that of the V1. The wind movement between both wingtips was sufficient to upset the V1’s gyroscope and send it to the ground.

The Squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire XIV in September 1944 and during the ensuing three months participated in 'Big Ben' operations against V2 launch sites, in Operation Market Garden at Arnhem and Nijmegen, in operations in the Walcheren campaign, and in the Allied Oil Campaign over Germany.

The Squadron moved to the Continent in early December 1944, making its base at Diest in Belgium. Ground targets were the Squadron's chief prey as a member of 125 Wing, and the unit attacked anything moving on road, rail or canal in Germany. Operating so close to the ground, Flak also took its toll on pilots and aircraft. One pilot was killed, three wounded and two shot down and taken prisoner.

In April 1945, the Squadron moved forward with the advancing front and made its first base in Germany, just southwest of the town of Celle, 140 miles (225 km) due west of Berlin, and only a short distance southeast of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. During April and early May 1945, German resistance crumbled. 41 Squadron claimed 33 enemy aircraft destroyed, 2 probably destroyed and 3 damaged in the air and 21 damaged on the ground, in the 23 days preceding 3 May 1945 (the date of the Squadron’s final claim). Their own casualties for the same period were no pilots killed or wounded in action, and no aircraft lost to enemy action, although some did sustain combat damage.

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Spitfire XII, MB882, EB-B, 12 April 1944. This aircraft was the personal mount of two consecutive Flight Commanders, Flt Lt Don Smith RAAF and Flt Lt Terry Spencer.

After the cessation of hostilities, the squadron was based a short time at Kastrup (Copenhagen) but then returned to Germany where it became a part of the Allied occupying forces, 'BAFO'. By the end of the War, 41 Squadron had claimed 200 aircraft destroyed, 61 probably destroyed, 109 damaged and 53 V-1's destroyed. On 31 March 1946, still based on the Continent, 41 Squadron was disbanded by re-numbering to 26 Squadron.

The Squadron had two mascots during the War: ‘Wimpy’, a Bull Terrier with the tip of one ear missing, at Catterick in 1939–40, and ‘Perkin’, a large black French Poodle, in 1943–44.

The Squadron’s 325 World War II pilots were men from Britain, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Poland, White Russia, Rhodesia, South Africa, Trinidad, Uruguay, the United States, and Zululand.

41 Squadron's pilots were awarded three DSOs, twelve DFCs, one DFM and one Mention in Dispatches for their World War II service with the unit. Sixty four were killed in action or died on active service, 58 were wounded in action or injured in accidents, three were shot down but evaded capture and returned to the United Kingdom, and 21 pilots were shot down and became Prisoners of War. The average age of a man who died in service with 41 Sqn during World War II was 23½.

Notable Pilots, 1916–1945

Sqn Ldr Raymond Collishaw DSO & Bar OBE DSC DFC, the third-highest-scoring Allied Pilot of World War I

• Captain Valentine Baker MC AFC served with 41 Squadron from 1916 – June 1917, and was awarded the MC for his service with the unit. In 1934, he formed the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company with his friend James Martin, where they designed new aircraft and offered flying lessons. One of Baker’s more famous pupils was Amy Johnson. The company went on to manufacture and market four different propeller aircraft, but Baker himself was killed in a flying accident in 1942, whilst test-flying the third of these. It was his death, however, that caused his partner to rethink safety and develop the idea of a means of assisted escape for pilots. As a result, Martin-Baker still manufactures ejection seats today for both fixed and rotary wing military aircraft. Amongst the 80 types of aircraft to which their seats have been fitted are the Jaguar, which 41 Squadron flew from 1977–2006, and the Harrier, which the squadron flew from 2006–2010. MB ejection seats are also fitted to the squadron’s current Tornados. By late 2011, Martin-Baker ejection seats had saved 7,364 lives.
• 29-year-old Canadian Sqn Ldr Raymond Collishaw took over command of the squadron, as its second peacetime Commanding Officer on 1 October 1923. Having claimed 60 WWI aerial victories, he is considered the third-highest-scoring Allied pilot of the entire War.
• Flt Lt Thomas Weston Peel Long Chaloner, The Honourable Lord Gisborough, 2nd Baron Gisborough of Cleveland, Yorkshire, was a WWI pilot and ex-Prisoner of War who returned to RAF service during World War II. He served as 41 Squadron’s Intelligence Officer for over five years of the War, and reported the Squadron’s activity, victories and losses up the chain of command on a daily basis. He refused further promotion.

Flt Lt Eric S. Lock, June 1941

• Plt Off Eric Lock, known as ‘Sawn Off Lockie’ for his short stature, flew with 41 Squadron throughout the Battle of Britain. Between mid-August and mid-November 1940, he claimed 21 aircraft destroyed, making him the highest-scoring pilot in 11 Group during the Batte of Britain and the equal second highest-scoring pilot in the RAF at the time. Seriously wounded in action on 17 November 1940, he returned to active service with 611 Squadron in June 1941, and immediately started adding to his already impressive list of victories. However, Lock failed to return from a low level attack at Calais on 3 August 1941 and remains missing today. In recognition of his achievements and status in Battle of Britain history, he is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial and in Bayston Hill, Shropshire, where a street is named after him. He remains today one of the RAF’s top ten Aces of World War II, credited with some 25 aircraft destroyed and 7 probable, most of which he achieved with 41 Squadron.
• Sqn Ldr Donald O. Finlay, the Commanding Officer from September 1940 – August 1941, was a pre-War Olympic Hurdler, who won a Bronze Medal in Men’s 110m Hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932, and a Silver Medal in the same event at the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. As such, he was the only man on the Squadron – and one of only few in the RAF – ever to have seen Adolf Hitler in the flesh. Finlay also represented Britain in two Empire Games and other international sporting events. He competed constantly throughout the 1930s, despite a simultaneous career with the RAF, but his professional sport was curtailed by the outbreak of WWII. Following the War, Finlay competed in the 1948 London Olympics, but he was past his prime and was not placed. However, he was chosen to read the Olympic Oath at the commencement of the Games.
• South African Plt Off J. J. ‘Chris’ Le Roux flew with 41 Squadron for a short period in late 1940-early 1941. In July 1944, by now OC, 602 Squadron, Le Roux was credited with attacking and seriously injuring General Erwin Rommel in his staff car, on a road outside Sainte Foy de Montgomerie, in Normandy. Strafing the vehicle, the driver lost control, struck a tree and spun off the road. Rommel fractured his skull when he was thrown from the vehicle. In doing so, Le Roux single-handedly removed Germany's commanding general from the Normandy battlefield.

File:Bram van der Stok.jpg

Dutch Acting Flt Lt Bram ‘Bob’ van der Stok was shot down with 41 Squadron on 12 April 1942, and became one of only three successful escapees in the March 1944 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III.

• Dutch Flt Lt Bram van der Stok, flew with 41 Squadron from December 1941 and was a Flight Commander with the unit when he was shot down over France in April 1942. Taken into immediate captivity, he was sent to Stalag Luft III, in Sagan, later that month, after the usual interrogation. There he remained until March 1944 when he took part in the mass escape of airmen that we know today as "The Great Escape". All but three of the escapees were recaptured and fifty of them were executed on Hitler’s orders as retribution. However, of the three that successfully made their escapes, van der Stok was one. He made it back the United Kingdom via the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Gibraltar in early July 1944 and flew again. He ended the War as OC, 322 (Dutch) Squadron, subsequently returned to the Medical studies he broke off in 1939, and graduated as a doctor in 1951. He emigrated to the United States the following year and died in Hawaii in 1993.
• Sgt Plt George F. Beurling, flew with 41 Squadron for a short period in April–May 1942. In time, he became Canada’s leading WWII Ace, credited with 31 victories, of which his first two were made with 41 Squadron.
• Prince Emanuel Vladimirovitch Galitzine flew with 41 Squadron in 1943, and claimed a probably destroyed enemy aircraft with the unit in October. The great-great grandson of Catherine the Great, he fled Russia with his parents and siblings in the wake of the October Revolution, and settled in England, where he was educated. Galitzine joined the RAFVR on a Short Service Commission in late 1938, but left again to go to Finland in early 1940 and fight the Soviets attempting to conquer the country. Returning to London again in October 1940, after his mother was killed in the Blitz, Galitzine rejoined the RAFVR, although having to do so as an aircraftsman, but was eventually re-commissioned in September 1941. He saw operational service in several squadrons before joining 41 Squadron in May 1943. Following his tenure with the Squadron, he was rested as personal assistant to AVM Sir William Dickson, subsequently Chief of Air Staff but then commanding 83 Group, which was preparing for the Normandy invasion. When Dickson was posted to Italy, Galitzine accompanied him, adding Italian to his already impressive list of languages. Following the War, Galitzine worked in the civil aviation industry, but maintained links with Russia and, in 1998, attended the reburial and funeral service of the murdered Tsar's family at St Petersburg. He died in December 2002.

Aharon Remez, who served as an NCO pilot with 41 Squadron in 1945, became the first Commander of the Israeli Air Force in 1948

• Fg Off Peter Gibbs was a generally unassuming character who served with 41 Squadron between January 1944 and March 1945. An active pilot during his tour, and an avid musician, he merits a particular mention for his post-War life and, oddly enough, also for his demise. He became a professional musician after he left the RAF in August 1945 and joined the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1954. Within two years, he had joined the London Symphony Orchestra and during this time became rather (in)famous for a dressing down he gave to one of the Century’s most celebrated performing artists, Herbert von Karajan. The Orchestra felt von Karajan had been unprofessional when conducting smaller, ‘less important’ concerts during a tour of the United States in 1956. He had often just bowed once and left the stage at the end of concerts, refusing to return for encores, despite the applause from the audience. The orchestra was slighted by this behaviour, and eventually had had enough. The last straw came when von Karajan left the stage in Boston after the last note was played, neither waiting for applause nor calls for an encore. The orchestra, in which Gibbs was playing First Violin, was upset by this apparent insult to both them and the audience, but turned up nonetheless on time for an early rehearsal the following morning. Von Karajan, however, came in late, much to the disgruntlement of the whole orchestra. When he finally arrived, Peter Gibbs, an impromptu, self-appointed spokesman, stood up and addressed him directly, demanding an apology. He rebuked von Karajan, stating, "I did not spend four years of my life fighting bastards like you to be insulted before our own Allies as you did last evening." Von Karajan ignored him completely and continued conducting as if nothing had happened. That night, however, during a concert, von Karajan chose his moment and, during the interval, refused to go back on stage until a letter was signed stating that Gibbs be immediately sacked. The orchestra’s managers had little choice but to bow to the demand. Although Gibbs was never to play with the Philharmonia again after this incident, it is understood that von Karajan also never conducted the Philharmonia again after the tour either, and it is said that he vowed to never conduct an English orchestra again. All this time, Gibbs also flew privately. He had joined the Surrey Flying Club in June 1957 and then flew more-or-less continuously for the next 18 years. Gibbs bought himself a Tiger Moth and found great pleasure in peacetime flying. However, flying was also what brought about his premature death in December 1975. He took off for a brief flight in a Cessna from Glenforsa Airfield on the Isle of Mull in Scotland on Christmas Eve 1975, but failed to return. A search was mounted but no trace whatsoever could be found of him. Oddly, his body was found four months after his disappearance part way up a hill, approximately one mile from Glenforsa Airfield, without his aircraft, showing the signs of having lain there all that time. The original search for Gibbs had passed through the area at the time he had gone missing, but nothing had been seen. His body gave away no clues as to his cause of death. Gibbs’ missing Cessna bewildered officials and his case soon became known as the ‘Great Mull Air Mystery’. It was not until September 1986 – almost 11 years after Gibbs’ death – that his aircraft was located in the sea off Oban. The aircraft’s remains also gave up no clue as to the reason it was there. It can only be assumed that Gibbs, for some reason, came down in the sea and that he had managed to free himself and swim ashore. It is thought he then tried to make his way back to the airfield, around a mile away, but, considering the time of year, location, and likely temperatures of both the water and air, probably succumbed to the effects of exposure.
• Sgt Plt Aharon Remez served with 41 Squadron from April 1945 to March 1946 as an NCO pilot and was not commissioned in the RAF. He often went to help Jews he found towards the end of the War, and was given special leave to allow him to be able to do so. By July 1948, however, he had become a Brigadier General and the founder and first Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, a post he held until December 1950. He was the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom from May 1965 to July 1970 and often met up with his fellow 41 Squadron pilots whilst in the UK.

Post War, 1946–2006

A 41 Sqn Jaguar GR3 during "Operation Northern Watch" in 1999.

On 1 April 1946, only a day after being disbanded in Germany, 41 Squadron was re-formed at RAF Dalcross in Scotland as a fighter squadron, by re-numbering from 122 Squadron, and reverted to the Supermarine Spitfire, this time the Mk. F.21

The Squadron flew its Spitfires for the last time on 18 August 1947, and became No. 41 Instrument Flying Rating Squadron, equipped with the Airspeed Oxfords & North American Harvard. However, in June the following year, the Squadron reverted to fighter defence and was re-equipped with the De Havilland Hornet F.1, followed later by the F.3.

41 Squadron became a day fighter unit again in January 1951 and entered the jet age, receiving its first jet-powered aircraft, the Gloster Meteor F.4. In April 1951 these were replaced by the Gloster Meteor F.8, and four years later the squadron received the Hawker Hunter F.5. During the time that 41 Sqn operated the Mk5 Hunter it additionally provided an aircraft as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which at that time was, like 41 Sqn, also based at RAF Biggin Hill.

On 14 July 1957, the Squadron was presented with a Standard displaying the unit’s Battle Honours by the CAS, Air Marshal Sir Theodore McEvoy KCB CBE, who had served three years with 41 Squadron as a young officer, following his graduation from RAF College, Cranwell in 1925.

However, no amount of nostalgia would save the unit from the Government’s budgetary axe. On 15 January 1958, as a part of a scheme to reduce the size of Fighter Command, 41 Squadron fell to the same fate as 600 and 615 Squadrons had before them, and were also disbanded. With the departure of 41 Squadron from RAF Biggin Hill ceased to be a Fighter Command airfield, its infrastructure now deemed out of date for the requirements of modern warfare. The runways had become too short for the RAF’s newest generation of aircraft and, as a result of encroaching development and civil air paths which now passed above, the base was no longer in a practical location. Fighter Command officially departed from the airfield on 1 March 1958.

This gave 41 Squadron the curious distinction of being the last fighter squadron ever to be based at Biggin Hill. The departure of the unit marked the end of an era for the Station in every sense of the word, as thereafter it was relegated to non-operational status and only used by the London University Air Squadron.

File:41 Sqn Jaguar 01APR06.jpg

The Jaguar of outgoing Officer Commanding 41 Squadron, Wg Cdr R. M. J. 'Dick' MacCormac, RAF Coltishall, 1 April 2006

However, as with 41 Squadron’s 1946 disbanding, this, too, was a mere technicality. On 16 January 1958, just a day after being disbanded, 141 Squadron, based at RAF Coltishall, near Norwich in Norfolk, dropped the ‘1’ at the beginning of its number and was thus reborn as 41 Squadron. In doing so, they automatically absorbed 141’s all-weather Gloster Javelin FAW.4 fighters and personnel.

41 Squadron’s Standard, originally presented only six months previously, was handed over to 141 Squadron on 16 January 1958 in a short ceremony attended by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command, ACM Sir Thomas Pike, and by 11 Group’s Air Officer Commanding, Air Vice-Marshal Victor Bowling, himself a veteran 41 Squadron pilot from 1935.

Only remaining at Coltishall six months, the Squadron moved to RAF Wattisham, near Ipswich, Suffolk, on 5 July 1958, where the Gloster Javelin FAW.4s were replaced by FAW.8s in January 1960. By this time, 56 Squadron had also joined them at the station. Whilst there, they hosted French Air Force Dassault super Mystère fighters during President Charles de Gaulle’s state visit in April 1960. 41 Squadron called Wattisham home for approximately five-and-a-half years, before the unit was disbanded again, on 31 December 1963.

On 1 September 1965, after a 20-month break, 41 Squadron was re-formed at RAF West Raynham, near Fakenham in Norfolk, but this time as a completely different structure. The unit remained firmly on the ground as a Missile Defence Squadron, armed with Bloodhound Mk. II surface-to-air-missile (SAM). Changes to the SAM programme, however, saw 41 Squadron disbanded yet again just five years later, on 18 September 1970. The Squadron Standard was moved to the Church of St. Michael and St. George at RAF West Raynham, for safe-keeping.

On 1 April 1972, at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the Squadron was reborn as a tactical fighter reconnaissance and ground attack unit within 38 Group Air Support Command. To support them in their reconnaissance role, a "Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre" or "RIC" was formed. The RIC is composed of a number of Air Transportable Reconnaissance Exploitation Laboratories (ATREL) which enable the developing of images and their subsequent analysis. The ATRELs can be transported by air or road and can be deployed with the squadron to forward operating bases.

File:41 Sqn Tornado & Harrier Flypast Oct06.jpg

A flypast of a 41 Squadron Tornado and three 41 Squadron Harriers, RAF Coningsby, October 2006.

In this role, they were equipped with McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom FGR.2s but these were soon deemed to be unsuitable for the unit. Over the ensuing years, a strategic decision was made to change the role of the RAF’s Phantoms from a fighter to an interceptor. This amendment, however, created consternation within some circles as it was felt the squadron should maintain her role as a fighter and ground attack unit. Consequently, it was resolved to disband 41 Squadron and re-form it elsewhere to enable it to do so.

In preparation for this change, "41 Designate Squadron" was formed at RAF Coltishall, in Norfolk, on 1 July 1976 and commenced training as a reconnaissance unit with SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 aircraft. The two squadrons operated independently of one another until 31 March 1977 when 41 Squadron was disbanded at Coningsby. This allowed 41 Designate Squadron to drop ‘Designate’ from their name, take possession of the Standard, adopt the Squadron badge, and become the ‘new’ combat-ready 41 Squadron at RAF Coltishall a day later.

File:41 Sqn Jaguar XZ103 01APR06.jpg

41 Squadron Jaguar XZ103 Tailfin, RAF Coltishall, 1 April 2006.

41 Squadron’s role changed to low-level reconnaissance and, in early 1978, it became part of SACEUR’s Strategic Reserve. In 1980, the unit was assigned to the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (AMF) and was subsequently involved in exercises at Bardufoss in Norway and in the Mediterranean.

In support of its reconnaissance role, the unit formed an RIC at Coltishall to process and interpret the photographs made by pilots, who collected "wet film" images using sensors located in a large external pod. Smaller "air-portable" RICs were also used during off-base deployments. The objective of the RIC was to have photographs and reports processed within 45 minutes of an aircraft’s touchdown at base.

As a result of this ability, the Squadron has been involved in a number of conflicts over the past two decades. In early 1991, during the First Gulf War (Operation Granby, but more widely known by its American name, "Desert Storm"), a large number of reconnaissance and bombing missions were flown against Iraqi forces with Jaguar GR.1A aircraft as a part of the coalition forces.

In its aftermath, the squadron was deployed to Incirlik, in southwest Turkey, where it participated in the defence of Iraq’s Kurdish minority within the boundaries of the country’s northern no-fly zone (Operations "Warden" and "Resinate North") until April 1993. It was during this period that the large external photographic pods were replaced with smaller, more versatile, medium level pods.

Four months later, the Squadron was deployed to Southern Italy, where it flew policing duties over Bosnia in support of Operation "Deny Flight" until August 1995. It was during this time that one of the unit’s Jaguars became the first RAF aircraft to drop a bomb in anger over Europe since the end of World War II. The target was a Bosnian tank.

The Squadron returned to Coltishall in August 1995 for a well-earned rest. Despite the vital work they had performed in Iraq and Bosnia, however, the Squadron found their photographic systems were inhibited by the use of photographic film, which required special handling and processing before any results could be viewed and analysed. This drawback was compounded by the inherent difficulties of moving hardcopy prints around the battlefield, particularly with the distances involved in modern warfare. To overcome these issues, the Jaguar Replacement Reconnaissance Pod (JRRP) was introduced in August 2000.

The new system provided for the recording of a digital images by three cameras onto VHS-C super videotapes with electro optical sensors for day operations and infra-red sensors for night operations. Digital images were then analysed in the ATRELs through in a windows-based application, named ‘Ground Imagery Exploitation System’, or "GIES". GIES allowed analysts to edit images and send them electronically.

File:41 Sqn Hangar Doors RAF Coltishall.jpg

The interior of the doors on 41 Squadron's hangar at RAF Coltishall on the day the Station was closed, 1 April 2006.

This system was taken into battle on the Squadron’s last operational deployment, during the Second Gulf War (Operation Telic. in Iraq in March–April 2003. During the operation, they were based at Incirlik, Turkey, once again, equipped with the more up-to-date Jaguar GR.3.

In July 2004, the Defence Secretary announced that 41 Squadron would be disbanded once again, on 31 March 2006, as a part of a re-organisation of the Defence Forces following a Government spending review, and the so-called Gershon efficiency study. A White Paper, titled "Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities", foresaw the retirement of the RAF’s Jaguar aircraft two years early and the closure of RAF Coltishall. Advances in technology, it reasoned, would mean air defence could be maintained with fewer aircraft, thus allowing older equipment to be withdrawn from service earlier than originally intended. The authors planned that the RAF’s future air combat force would be based around the multi-role Typhoon and Joint Combat Aircraft, in co-operation with the Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR7/GR9. Furthermore, the paper intended to reduce RAF trained strength from 48,500 to 41,000 by 1 April 2008.

As a result of these decisions, every one of RAF Coltishall’s units would be directly affected. 16(R) and 54(F) Squadrons, the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) and Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) would be disbanded by 1 April 2005, and 41 Squadron by 1 April 2006. 6 Squadron, with the last of the RAF’s Jaguars, would be moved to RAF Coningsby on 1 April 2006 and disbanded by 31 October 2007. RAF Coltishall itself would be shut down in December 2006, thus ending an over 66-year history.

The first of these draw-downs took place on 11 March 2005, when 16 and 54 Squadrons held a combined passing-out parade. However, their disbandment had little immediate effect on the activity at Coltishall as most airframes and personnel were absorbed into 6 and 41 Squadrons. However, with the departure of these latter squadrons in 2006, and the subsequent closure of the base in December, the close-knit RAF community was dispersed to other locations, and a quiet returned to the area, which has not existed since May 1940.

However, despite the Government’s intention to disband 41 Squadron, and plans drawn up for final ceremonies to take place on the first weekend in April 2006, the unit was given a new lease on life only a short while before taking effect. Approval was received to move 41 Squadron to Coningsby with 6 Squadron on 1 April 2006, and to assume the role of the Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, or "FJWOEU".

File:RAF Tornado GR4 ZA447 at RIAT 2010 arp.jpg

RAF Panavia Tornado GR4 of 41 Squadron (code ZA447) at the 2010 Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2010, all of the Squadron's aircraft were painted with World War II-era EB codes at the top of each tail fin to represent specific pilots of the period. This particular airframe commemorates Spitfire Mk Ia, P9428, EB-R ('R for Robin'), and its pilot, Sqn Ldr Hilary R. L. 'Robin' Hood DFC, the Squadron Commanding Officer, who was killed during the Battle of Britain.

Fast Jet & Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, 2006–2010

The Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU) was formed before it assumed the 41 Squadron number plate. It was created on 1 April 2004 from the merger of the Strike Attack OEU (SAOEU), the F3 OEU and the Air Guided Weapons OEU (AGWOEU). The FJWOEU took over 41(F) Squadron's number plate on 1 April 2006, rescuing 41 Squadron from disbandment that would have otherwise resulted from the retirement of the RAF's Jaguar fleet.

Their new aircraft consisted of Panavia Tornados and Harrier GR9.s, and that same year, the Squadron celebrated its 90th Anniversary. It remained in the role of FJWOEU until 2010, during that time testing numerous weapons and defence systems that were subsequently deployed by British forces on the front line at various locations throughout the world, including Afghanistan.

Test and Evaluation Squadron, 2010 to Present

On 1 April 2010, the Boscombe Down-based Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS) was amalgamated into 41(R) Squadron to create a new entity, 41 Squadron Test and Evaluation Squadron, or "41(R) TES", in which form it continues today.

In September 2010, the Squadron celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, holding an event at RAF Coningsby attended by families of pilots of the World War II era. The Squadron painted up its aircraft with World War II "EB" codes, recognising various World War II pilots and their aircraft. Originally, some of these codes were applied to the Squadron's Harriers, but when these were retired the codes were applied to the Tornados, and subsequently Typhoons, that replaced them. They currently encompass the following World War II aircraft:

Aircraft	Serial	Code	A/C Type	Serial	Date	Pilot
Typhoon FGR4	ZJ947	EB-L	Spitfire Ia	K9805	August 1940	Wg Cdr Edward A. Shipman AFC RAF
Typhoon FGR4	ZJ930	EB-R	Spitfire Ia	P9428	September 1940	Sqn Ldr Hilary R. L. 'Robin' Hood DFC RAF
Typhoon FGR4	ZJ914	EB-G	Spitfire Ia	N3162	September 1940	Flt Lt Eric S. 'Lockie' Lock DSO DFC* MiD RAF
Typhoon FGR4	ZJ912	EB-J	Spitfire Ia	X4559	September 1940	Sqn Ldr George H. 'Ben' Bennions DFC RAF
Tornado GR4	ZG775	EB-Z	Spitfire IIa	P7666	November 1940	Gp Capt Donald O. Finlay DFC AFC RAF
Tornado GR4	ZA560	EB-Q	Spitfire Va	R7304	August 1941	WO William A. 'Bill' Brew RAAF
Typhoon FGR4	ZK339	EB-B	Spitfire XII	MB882	September 1944	Sqn Ldr Terence 'Terry' Spencer DFC TEM RAF

Commencing the draw-down of the RAF's Harrier force as a result of the British Government's Strategic Defence and Security review (SDSR), 41 Squadron's three Harrier GR.9’s were transferred to 1 (Fighter) Squadron at RAF Cottesmore on 4 November 2010. The Squadron subsequently increased its fleet of Tornado GR.4's to compensate the loss of these aircraft, and only operated the GR.4 until April 2013.

File:Ruth WADD Typhoon 41 Sqn 06.07.13R edited-2.jpg

41 Squadron Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 EB-H at the RAF Waddington air show in July 2013. This aircraft code is the newest addition to the Squadron's World War II coded aircraft, representing Spitfire XIV, NH915, EB-H. This aircraft was flown by Gp Capt (then Flt Lt) Derek Rake OBE AFC & Bar when he made 41 Squadron's last victory claim of the War, on 3 May 1945.

41 Squadron was also in the spotlight on 29 April 2011, when two of its Tornado GR.4s flew with two Typhoons from RAF Coningsby in the RAF flypast down The Mall and over Buckingham Palace for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. One of the Tornados was flown by the Squadron's then Officer Commanding, Wg Cdr Rich Davies.

In 2012, to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games, 41 Squadron unveiled special tail markings on Panavia Tornado GR4, ZA614, EB-Z, to commemorate the Squadron's link with the Olympic Games. Gp Capt Donald O. Finlay DFC AFC, who commanded the Squadron from September 1940 – August 1941, had won Bronze in the Men Hurdles at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, won Silver in the same event at the 1936 Berlin Games, and read the Olympic Oath at the commencement of 1948 London Games.

The first published history of 41 Squadron, "Blood, Sweat, and Valour", was launched at the RAF Club in London in December 2012, and recounts the unit's wartime activity during the war years August 1942 – May 1945.

Another major change took place on 22 April 2013, when 41 Squadron took over the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s of fellow RAF Coningsby based No. 17(R) Test and Evaluation Squadron, which will have a new role, preparing for the introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II into RAF and Royal Navy service.

41 Squadron's WWII era EB codes have been carried over onto three of their new aircraft. They are ZJ930, coded EB-R for Sqn Ldr Hilary R. L. 'Robin' Hood DFC (OC 41 Sqn 1940); ZJ947 coded EB-L for Wg Cdr Edward 'Shippy' Shipman AFC (1936–40); and ZK332, coded EB-J for Sqn Ldr George H. 'Ben' Bennions DFC (1936–40). An additional aircraft had also joined the Squadron, prompting the need for an eighth code, and the opportunity to honour another of the Squadron's World War II pilots. The honour has gone to Gp Capt Derek S. V. Rake OBE AFC & Bar (1945) and Typhoon ZJ914 has been coded EB-H.

Statistical Data

Key Dates 1916-2016

Date	Notes
15 April 1916	Formed as a fighter squadron (nucleus from 28 Squadron RFC)
22 May 1916	Disbanded by renumbering to 27 Reserve Squadron RFC
14 July 1916	Re-formed as 41 Squadron RFC (nucleus from 27 Reserve Squadron RFC)
31 December 1919	Disbanded
1 April 1923	Re-formed as a fighter squadron
31 March 1946	Disbanded by renumbering to 26 Squadron
1 April 1946	Re-formed by re-numbering from 122 Squadron
15 January 1958	Disbanded
16 January 1958	Re-formed by re-numbering from 141 Squadron
31 December 1963	Disbanded
1 September 1965	Re-formed as Bloodhound Mk. IIa SAM Defence Squadron
1 July 1970	Disbanded
1 April 1972	Re-formed as a fighter and ground attack squadron
31 March 1977	Disbanded
1 April 1977	Re-formed as a low-level reconnaissance squadron
1 April 2006	Disbanded
1 April 2006	Re-formed as Reserve Squadron (41(R) Squadron) and Fast Jet & Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU)
1 April 2010	New Entity, re-structured as Test and Evaluation Squadron (41(R) TES)

Bases 1916-2016

Base	Location	Arrival		Base	Location	Arrival
Fort Rowner, Gosport	Hampshire	15 Apr 1916		Westhampnett	Sussex	21 Jun 1943
Fort Rowner, Gosport	Hampshire	14 Jul 1916		Tangmere	Sussex	4 Oct 1943
St. Omer	France	15 Oct 1916		Southend	Essex	7 Feb 1944
Abeele	Belgium	21 Oct 1916		Tangmere	Sussex	20 Feb 1944
Hondschoote	France	24 May 1917		Friston	Sussex	11 Mar 1944
Abeele	Belgium	15 Jun 1917		Bolt Head	Devon	29 Apr 1944
Léalvillers	France	3 Jul 1917		Fairwood Common	Glamorgan	16 May 1944
Marieux	France	22 Mar 1918		Bolt Head	Devon	24 May 1944
Fienvillers	France	27 Mar 1918		West Malling	Kent	19 Jun 1944
Alquines	France	29 Mar 1918		Tangmere	Sussex	26 Jun 1944
Savy	France	9 Apr 1918		Westhampnett	Sussex	27 Jun 1944
Serny	France	11 Apr 1918		Friston	Sussex	2 Jul 1944
Estrée Blanche (Liettres)	France	19 May 1918		Lympne	Kent	11 Jul 1944
Conteville	France	1 Jun 1918		B.56 Evere	Belgium	4 Dec 1944
St. Omer	France	14 Aug 1918		B.64 Diest/Schaffen	Belgium	5 Dec 1944
Droglandt	Belgium	20 Sep 1918		Y.32 Ophoven	Belgium	31 Dec 1944
Halluin East	Belgium	23 Oct 1918		B.80 Volkel	Netherlands	27 Jan 1945
Tangmere	Sussex	7 Feb 1919		Warmwell	Dorset	7 Mar 1945
Croydon	Surrey	8 Oct 1919		B.78 Eindhoven	Netherlands	18 Mar 1945
Northolt	Middlesex	1 Apr 1923		B.106 Twente	Netherlands	7 Apr 1945
Underway to Aden	Yemen	4 Oct 1935		B.118 Celle	Germany	16 Apr 1945
Khormaksar	Yemen	20 Oct 1935		B.160 Kastrup	Denmark	9 May 1945
Sheikh Othman	Yemen	18 Mar 1936		B.172 Husum	Germany	21 Jun 1945
Underway to Southampton	Hampshire	10 Aug 1936		B.158 Lübeck	Germany	11 Jul 1945
Catterick	Yorkshire	25 Sep 1936		Warmwell	Dorset	20 Aug 1945
Wick	Caithness	19 Oct 1939		B.158 Lübeck	Germany	6 Sep 1945
Catterick	Yorkshire	25 Oct 1939		B.116 Wunstorf	Germany	30 Jan 1946
Hornchurch	Essex	28 May 1940		B.170 Sylt	Germany	28 Feb 1946
Catterick	Yorkshire	8 Jun 1940		B.116 Wunstorf	Germany	29 Mar 1946
Hornchurch	Essex	26 Jul 1940		Dalcross	Scotland	1 Apr 1946
Catterick	Yorkshire	8 Aug 1940		Wittering	Cambridge	8 Apr 1946
Hornchurch	Essex	3 Sep 1940		B.158 Lübeck	Germany	29 Jun 1946
Catterick	Yorkshire	23 Feb 1941		Duxford	Cambridge	9 Sep 1946
Merston	Sussex	28 Jul 1941		Wittering	Cambridge	30 Sep 1946
Westhampnett	Sussex	16 Dec 1941		Acklington	Northumberland	11 Nov 1946
Merston	Sussex	1 Apr 1942		Wittering	Cambridge	20 Dec 1946
Martlesham Heath	Suffolk	15 Jun 1942		Church Fenton	Yorkshire	17 Apr 1947
Hawkinge	Kent	30 Jun 1942		Biggin Hill	Kent	29 Mar 1951
Debden	Essex	8 Jul 1942		Coltishall	Norfolk	1 Feb 1958
Longtown	Cumberland	4 Aug 1942		Wattisham	Suffolk	5 Jul 1958
Llanbedr	Merioneth	9 Aug 1942		West Raynham	Norfolk	1 Sep 1965
Tangmere	Sussex	16 Aug 1942		Coningsby	Lincolnshire	1 Apr 1972
Llanbedr	Merioneth	20 Aug 1942		Coltishall	Norfolk	1 Apr 1977
Eglinton	Londonderry	22 Sep 1942		Thumrait AB4	Oman	13 Aug 1990
Llanbedr	Merioneth	30 Sep 1942		Seeb AB	Oman	29 Aug 1990
Tangmere	Sussex	8 Oct 1942		Muharraq	Bahrain	7 Oct 1990
Llanbedr	Merioneth	11 Oct 1942		Incirlik	Turkey	Sep 1991
High Ercall	Salop	25 Feb 1943		Gioia del Colle	Italy	Aug 1993
Hawkinge	Kent	13 Apr 1943		Incirlik	Turkey	Sep 2002
Biggin Hill	Kent	21 May 1943		Coningsby	Lincolnshire	1 Apr 2006
Friston	Sussex	28 May 1943

Equipment 1916–2016

Aircraft	Received		Aircraft	Received
Airco de Havilland DH.2 ‘Scout’	July 1916		Supermarine Spitfire Mk. F.21	April 1946
Vickers F.B.5 ‘Gun Bus’	July 1916		Airspeed Oxford AS.10	August 1947
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8	September 1916		North American Harvard	August 1947
Airco de Havilland DH.5	July 1917		De Havilland Hornet F.1	June 1948
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a	October 1917		De Havilland Hornet F.3	August 1948
Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe	April 1923		Gloster Meteor F.4	January 1951
Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III/IIIa	April 1924		Gloster Meteor F.8	April 1951
Bristol Bulldog 105A Mk. IIa	October 1931		Hawker Hunter F.5	July 1955
Hawker Demon Mk. I	July 1934		Gloster Javelin FAW.4	February 1958
Hawker Fury Mk. II	October 1937		Gloster Javelin FAW.8	January 1960
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I	December 1938		Bloodhound Mk. II S.A.M.	September 1965
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ia	September 1939		McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2	April 1972
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IIa	October 1940		SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1	July 1976
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ia	February 1941		SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3	May 1997
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IIa	March 1941		SEPECAT Jaguar T4	Date?
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Va & Vb	July 1941		Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR9	April 2006
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XII	February 1943		Panavia Tornado F3	April 2006
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV	September 1944		Panavia Tornado GR4	April 2006
Hawker Tempest Mk. V	September 1945		Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4	April 2013

Officers Commanding 1916–2016

Name	Commenced		Name	Commenced
LANDON, Joseph Herbert Arthur, DSO OBE	20 July 1916		WALLACE, James, DSO DFC	November 1949
POWELL, Frederick James, OBE (POW)	3 August 1917		HESSELYN, Raymond Brown, MBE DFC DFM & Bar	19 March 1951
BOWMAN, Geoffrey Hilton, DSO DFC MC & Bar	9 February 1918		OSBORNE, Anthony Frederick, DFC	30 April 1951
SMYTHIES, Bernard Edward, DFC	1 April 1923		MILLER, John, CBE DFC AFC	July 1951
COLLISHAW, Raymond, CB DSO & Bar OBE DSC DFC	1 October 1923		SCANNELL, Maxwell OBE DFC AFC	June 1953
MURLIS-GREEN, Gilbert Ware, DSO & Bar MC & 2 Bars	15 April 1924		CASTAGNOLA, James, DSO DFC & Bar	September 1955
SOWREY, Frederick, DSO MC AFC	8 February 1926		LEGGETT, John William James, QCVSA	1 February 1958
AITKEN, Robert Stanley, CB CBE MC AFC	1 September 1928		HUTCHINSON-SMITH, David Windle AFC	October 1959
HUSKINSON, Patrick, CBE MC & Bar	6 February 1930		PINNINGTON, John Frederick	December 1961
VINCENT, Stanley Flamank CB DFC AFC	24 October 1931		KENT, William, AFC	1 September 1965
BORET, John Auguste, CBE MC AFC	1 May 1933		ANGELL, Henry Ellis DFC	January 1966
ADAMS, John Simon Leslie	4 March 1937		DODD, George Henry	August 1968
JOHNSTON, Geoffrey Augustus Graydon, CBE	28 August 1939		LEMON, Brian James, MBE AFC	1 April 1972
HOOD, Hilary Richard Lionel, DFC	22 April 1940		GOVER, Peter David Leonard MBE AFC BSc	March 1974
LISTER, Robert Charles Franklin	8 September 1940		THOMSON, Charles John, Sir GCB CBE AFC	October 1976
FINLAY, Donald Osborne DFC AFC	14 September 1940		GRANVILLE-WHITE, Christopher CBE	4 December 1978
GAUNCE, Lionel Manley DFC	9 August 1941		MOSES, Hilton Henry MBE	March 1982
HUGO, Petrus Hendrik DSO DFC & 2 Bars	20 November 1941		NORRISS, David Kenworthy, QCVSA	November 1984
FEE, John Clarke	12 April 1942		MILNE-SMITH, David Henry	March 1987
HYDE, Geoffrey Cockayne	28 July 1942		PIXTON, George William DFC AFC	September 1989
NEIL, Thomas Francis DFC & Bar AFC	3 September 1942		GRIGGS, Derek Stephen AFC BA	March 1992
INGHAM, Bernard DFC	25 July 1943		HARPER, Christopher Nigel, Sir KBE	October 1994
MATTHEW, Ian George Stewart DFC	20 November 1943		MALONEY, John P.	January 1997
GLEN, Arthur Allan DFC & Bar	26 January 1944		WRIGHT, Graham A., BSc HCSC	August 1999
CHAPMAN, Robert Hugh	28 May 1944		HOPKINS, Mark William Gardner MBE MA MSc	March 2002
BENHAM, Douglas Ian OBE DFC AFC	28 August 1944		MacCORMAC, Richard M. J., MA	September 2004
SHEPHERD, John Bean DFC & 2 Bars	8 April 1945		WATERFALL, Gary Martin, CBE	1 April 2006
AMBROSE, Henry DFC & Bar	28 January 1946		MYERS, Andrew Michael, MBE MA	8 June 2007
LOVELL, Peter Wilson	1 April 1946		DAVIES, Richard Andrew, MA	November 2009
HOY, William, DFC AFC	20 January 1948		RODDEN, Mark Owen	6 June 2012
MOON, Harold Herbert	13 October 1948		BERRY, Steven, MBE MEng	5 December 2014

Decorations Awarded 1916-1946

Distinguished Service Order	6
Name	Date of Award
CLAXTON, William G.	2 Nov 1918
LANDON, Joseph H. A.	4 Jun 1917
MCCALL, Frederick R. G.	3 Aug 1918
LOCK, Eric S.	17 Dec 1940
HUGO, Petrus H.	29 May 1942
BURNE, Thomas R.	29 May 1945
Military Cross	6
BAKER, Valentine H.	24 Jul 1917
CHAPPELL, Roy W.	22 Jun 1918
DENISON, Amos A.	3 Feb 1917
MACLEAN, Loudoun J. (Bar)	1 Feb 1918
TAYLOR, Frank H.	22 Jun 1918
WINNICOTT, Russell	18 Mar 1918
Distinguished Flying Cross	30
CLAXTON, William G.	3 Aug 1918
CLAXTON, William G. (Bar)	21 Sep 1918
HEMMING, Alfred S.	2 Nov 1918
MACLEOD, Malcolm P.	3 Jun 1919
MCCALL, Frederick R. G.	3 Aug 1918
SHIELDS, William E.	2 Nov 1918
SHIELDS, William E. (Bar)	8 Feb 1919
SODEN, Frank O.	8 Feb 1919
STEPHENS, Eric J.	3 Jun 1919
RYDER, E. Norman	19 Apr 1940
HOOD, Hilary R. L.	11 Aug 1940
WEBSTER, J. Terence	20 Aug 1940
BENNIONS, George H.	1 Oct 1940
LOCK, Eric S.	1 Oct 1940
LOCK, Eric S. (Bar)	22 Oct 1940
MACKENZIE, John N.	15 Nov 1940
LOVELL, Anthony D. J.	26 Nov 1940
BUSH, Charles R.	14 Oct 1941
MARPLES, Roy	14 Oct 1941
BEARDSLEY, Robert A.	17 Oct 1941
WINSKILL, Archie L.	6 Jan 1942
FINLAY, Donald O.	10 Apr 1942
GLEN, Arthur A.	29 May 1942
GLEN, Arthur A. (Bar)	5 Nov 1943
BENHAM, Douglas I. (Bar)	8 May 1945
REID, Daniel J.	1 Jun 1945
COLEMAN, Patrick T.	24 Jul 1945
COWELL, Peter	24 Jul 1945
STEVENSON, Ian T.	24 Jul 1945
SHEPHERD, John B. (2nd Bar)	14 Sep 1945
Distinguished Flying Medal	1
PALMER, Wilfred	17 Oct 1941
Military Medal	2
BRIFFAULT, Lister, Cpl Mech	15 Jul 1919
WOOD, James, AM2	15 Jul 1919
Mention in Despatches	5
CLAXTON, William G.	8 Nov 1918
KNOWLES, John W., Chf Mech	11 Jul 1919
O’CONNOR, Martin, Snr Mech	11 Jul 1919
SHIELDS, William E.	11 Jul 1919
LOCK, Eric S.	17 Mar 1941
Croix de Guerre (Belgium)	2
BOWMAN, Geoffrey H.	15 Jul 1919
MacLEOD, Malcolm P.	15 Jul 1919
Croix de Guerre (France)	2
GILLESPIE, William J. (with Palm)	22 Aug 1919
MARCHANT, Clarence H. (with Palm)	12 Feb 1918

Prisoners of War 1916-1918 & 1939-1945

World War I			World War II
Name	Date of Capture		Name	Date of Capture
BUCKNALL, Claude V.	5 Oct 1918		APPLETON, Arthur S.	18 December 1944
CARTER, Guy L.	8 Aug 1918		BREW, William A.	27 August 1941
CLARK, Frederick S.	29 Oct 1917		BULL, Alan L.	12 August 1941
CLATON, William G.	17 Aug 1918		CHAPMAN, Raymond	12 August 1941
COOKE, Philip B.	28 Sep 1918		DRAPER, Gilbert G. F.	7 August 1941
CRAWFORD, Charles	24 Sep 1918		GRAHAM, Peter B.	1 September 1944
DEANE, George S.	26 Nov 1916		HARDING, Ross P.	13 February 1945
DWYER, Neville Augustus	22 Sep 1918		HAYWOOD, Douglas	27 August 1943
FRASER, Andrew	3 May 1917		HENRY, David J. V.	10 February 1945
HAIGHT, John L.	28 Sep 1917		HIND, Peter	31 August 1941
HAIR, Norman B.	7 Jun 1917		HOARE, Reginald M.	1 April 1943
HALL, Ernest O. W	27 Oct 1918		PALMER, Wilfred	12 April 1942
HEWAT, Harry B.	28 Sep 1918		PARRY, Hugh L.	7 February 1944
ISBELL, Arthur T.	21 Mar 1918		PRICKETT, Leslie A.	17 December 1943
MacGOWN, John C.	7 Jul 1917		ROOD, Albert van	12 April 1942
MILANI, Rudolph S.	28 May 1918		SLACK, Thomas A. H.	23 August 1944
MITCHELL, William	28 Sep 1918		STAPLETON, William A.	1 June 1940
POWELL, Frederick J.	2 Feb 1918		STOK, Bram van der	12 April 1942
SMITH, A. F.	28 Sep 1918		TEBBIT, Donald F. J.	22 February 1945
STURGESS, Thomas M.	26 Jun 1917		WAGNER, Herbert A.	2 June 1944
TELFER, Harry C.	28 Sep 1918		WILLIAMS, Mar G.	18 August 1941

Escapers and Evaders 1939-1945

Name	Period	Details
WINSKILL, Archie L.	Aug-Nov 1941	Evaded and returned to UK
SLACK, Thomas A. H.	Jul-Aug 1943	Evaded and returned to UK
Prickett, Leslie A.	Aug-Dec 1943	Evaded for four months, but captured
MAY, Stanley H.	Sep-Oct 1943	Evaded and returned to UK
PARRY, Hugh L.	Sep 1943-Mar 1944	Evaded for six months, but captured
STOK, Bram van der	March 1944	Escaped in ‘Great Escape’ & returned to UK

Guinea Pig Club Members

Name	Date of Injury	Service on 41 Sqn
BENNIONS, George H.	1 October 1940	16 February 1936-1 October 1940
LANE, Roy	26 August 1940	6 April-ca 27 September 1943
LOCK, Eric S.	17 November 1940	18 June-17 November 1940
WHALE, F. Victor	11 December 1944	7 March 1945-12 February 1946
WOOLLARD, Frederick G.	18 July 1944	18 December 1943-18 July 1944

Roll of Honour 1916-2016

Name	Nationality	Date		Name	Nationality	Date
1916-1919				1939-1945
ALEXANDER, Thomas M.	British	17 Aug 1918		BRIGGS, Michael F.	British	2 Apr 1941
ARBERY, Ernest E.	British	6 Jun 1917		CHALDER, Harry H.	British	10 Nov 1940
BAILEY, Louis J.	British	17 Jun 1917		CHATTIN, Peter W.	British	3 Sep 1944
BARWELL, Humphrey E.	British	3 Feb 1918		COPE, Arthur R.	Australian	9 Mar 1943
BROWNING, Stanley F.	British	3 May 1917		COPLEY, John J. H.	British	14 Sep 1939
BUSH, John S. de L.	British	25 Aug 1917		CROKER, Eric E.	New Zealander	2 Jun 1941
CHAPMAN, Alfred J.	British	18 Sep 1917		DUNSTAN, Bruce P.	British	12 Feb 1942
CHIPCHASE, Benjamin	British	20 Mar 1918		EAST, Walter R.	British	3 May 1943
CODY, Samuel F. L.	British	23 Jan 1917		FLEMING, Douglas	Canadian	23 Nov 1941
DOUGLAS, Frederick W.	Canadian	12 Aug 1918		GAMBLEN, Douglas R.	British	29 Jul 1940
ECCLES, Charley G.	British	25 May 1917		GARVEY, Leonard A.	British	30 Oct 1940
EDWARDS, Arthur W.	British	10 Oct 1917		GAUNCE, Lionel M.	Canadian	19 Nov 1941
FRASER, Alistair H.	British	11 Aug 1918		GILDERS, John S.	British	21 Feb 1941
GORDON, John A.	Canadian	12 Aug 1918		GILLITT, Frank N.	British	22 Oct 1942
HOLMAN, Gerald C.	British	17 Sep 1917		GOODALL, Bernard B.	New Zealander	15 Aug 1942
JACKSON, Harold	British	7 Jun 1917		GRAY, James A. B.	British	3 Oct 1943
JONES, Harold E.	British	22 Nov 1917		HARRIS, Albert	British	18 Oct 1939
MacGREGOR, Donald A. D. I.	British	30 Nov 1917		HARRISON, Ronald	British	22 Oct 1942
MARTIN, Frederick W. H.	Canadian	9 Aug 1918		HIND, Peter	British	8 Jul 1942
McARDLE, Hugh F.	British	18 Sep 1917		HOGARTH, Rycherde H. W.	South African	18 Jul 1943
McCONE, John P.	Canadian	24 Mar 1918		HOGG, Ralph V.	British	10 Dec 1940
MITCHELL, William	British	10 Oct 1918		HOOD, Hilary R. L.	British	5 Sep 1940
MORRIS, Walter A.	British	2 Oct 1918		HUNT, Leonard	British	16 Sep 1941
NICHOLLS, Edward C. H. R.	British	20 Sep 1918		HYDE, Geoffrey C.	British	19 Aug 1942
O'LONGAN, Paul C. S.	Irish	1 Jun 1917		JENKIN, Thomas E.	British	5 May 1942
PAYNE, Hubert	British	4 Jan 1917		JONES, Horace	British	18 Oct 1939
PERKINS, Thorold	British	31 May 1917		JURY, Richard D.	British	18 Aug 1941
PINK, Alan L.	British	30 Oct 1918		LANGLEY, Gerald A.	British	15 Sep 1940
STANLEY, Frederick	British	26 Oct 1917		LECKY, John G.	British	11 Oct 1940
SWANN, Gerald H.	British	18 Oct 1917		LEGARD, William E.	British	1 Jun 1940
TAYLOR, Robert E.	Canadian	17 Sep 1917		LLOYD, Philip D.	British	15 Oct 1940
THOMPSON, William G.	British	14 Jul 1917		McADAM, John	British	20 Feb 1941
TOOMS, Cecil S.	British	24 Jan 1917		MORGAN, Harry P. D.	British	27 Aug 1941
TRIMBLE, Alan V.	British	25 Aug 1918		MOTTERSHEAD, Clifford H.	British	2 Mar 1945
TUCKER, Donald C.	British	24 Mar 1918		MURRIN, Wilfred F.	British	18 May 1943
TURNBULL, John S.	British	17 Jun 1918		ODDY, Clifford	British	17 Jul 1944
WEISS, Edward S.	British	22 Nov 1917		O'NEILL, Desmond H.	Irish	11 Oct 1940
WHITEHEAD, Reginald M.	British	22 Nov 1917		OVERALL, Horace E. H.	Canadian	6 Nov 1939
WINNICOTT, Russell	British	6 Dec 1917		OENHAM, Russel E. G.	British	24 Sep 1942
				POYNTON, T. Rex	Zululand	23 Apr 1943
1923-1939				ROBINSON, Kenneth B.	Irish	7 Jun 1944
				SCOTT, Thomas R.	British	22 Oct 1942
ADDAMS, Anthony C.	British	16 Jun 1926		SCOTT, William J. M.	British	8 Sep 1940
ALLDAY, Francis	British	9 Jun 1936		SHEA, David J.	Canadian	13 Mar 1944
BAILEY, Allan S.	British	9 Jun 1936		SHEPHERD, John B.	British	22 Jan 1946
BAKER, Frank	British	18 May 1934		SHORT, Roger L.	British	17 Jul 1944
MITCHELL, Kenneth	British	18 Jul 1939		THOMAS, John I.	British	24 Apr 1943
ST. GEORGE-TAYLOR, Harold	British	9 Oct 1924		VALIQUET, Charles N.	Canadian	9 May 1942
SAWYER, Wilfred	British	6 Aug 1930		VAN GOENS, Ryklof	Dutch	17 Aug 1944
SERJEANT, George V.	British	16 Mar 1939		VINCENT, Arthur	British	18 Oct 1939
SLOWEY, Henry E.	New Zealander	23 Aug 1932		VYKOUKAL, Karel J.	Czech	21 May 1942
VAUGHAN-FOWLER, Denis G.	British	7 Aug 1931		WAINWRIGHT, Derek W.	British	10 Jun 1942
				WATTS, Edward G. H.	British	12 Apr 1942
1939-1946				WEBSTER, J. Terence	British	5 Sep 1940
				WHITEFORD, Cyril J. L.	Rhodesian	13 Oct 1941
ALLAN, Reginald C.	Australian	20 Jul 1942
ALLEN, John J.	Australian	20 Jun 1942		1946-Present
ANGUS, Robert A.	British	20 Feb 1941
BACHE, Leslie L.	British	13 Oct 1941		SHEPHERD, John B.	Canadian	22 Jan 1946
BALASSE, Maurice A. L.	Belgian	23 Jan 1945		ROE, Brian	British	21 May 1983
BEDNARZ, Jozef	Polish	1 Feb 1943		MESSENGER, Michael J.	British	21 May 1983
BLITZ, Morris	British	13 Oct 1940		ARMSTRONG, Paul T.	British	21 May 1983
BODKIN, W. Fred	Canadian	28 Aug 1941		SWASH, Derrick	British	21 May 1983
BOYD, Robert J.	British	6 Sep 1943		WINSHIP, Stuart	British	21 May 1983
BOYLE, John G.	Canadian	28 Sep 1940		MANNHEIM, Andrew S.	British	17 Jun 1987

References

Bibliography

• Brew, Steve, Blood, Sweat and Valour. London: Fonthill Media, 2012. ISBN 978-1-78155-193-6.
• Brew, Steve, Blood, Sweat and Courage. London: Fonthill Media, 2014. ISBN 978-1-78155-296-4.
• Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE,BA,RAF (Retd). 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.
• Rawlings, John. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1969 (second edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.

External links

• 41 (F) Squadron RAF at War and Peace, April 1916-March 1946
• Blood, Sweat and Courage, 41 Squadron RAF Sep 1939–Jul 1942
• Blood, Sweat and Valour, 41 Squadron RAF Aug 1942–May 1945
• 41 Squadron Retro
• 41 Squadron – The End of an Era
• RAF Web 41 Squadron History
• Wattisham Squadrons – 41 Squadron
• RAF Website – 41 Squadron
• Wartime History of 41 Sqn