emblem RAF
RAF No 114 Squadron

No. 114 (Hong Kong) Squadron RAF

  • Active
    27 Sep 1917 - 1 Apr 1920
    1 Dec 1936 – 1 Sep 1946
    1 Aug 1947 – 31 Dec 1957
    5 May 1959 – 29 Sep 1961
    30 Sep 1961 – 31 Oct 1971
  • Insignia: A Cobra head

Motto: "With speed I strike"

Formed from a nucleus provided by No 31 Squadron at Lahore on 22 Sep 1917, becoming the second squadron to be based in India and the first to be formed in the sub-continent. Equipped with BE2c and 2e's it operated in support of the Army along the North-West Frontier. Bristol F2B's replaced the BE2c's in October 1919, which it operated alongside its BE2e's until the squadron was disbanded by being re-numbered No 28 on 1 Apr 1920.

The squadron reformed on 1 December 1936 at Wyton as a light bomber unit equipped with Hawker Hinds. Blenheim Is began arriving in March 1937, the first squadron to receive the type and was soon fully equipped, these were replaced by Blenheim IVs in May 1939. With the outbreak of war, the squadron was allocated to the Advanced Air Striking Force and relocated to France in December 1939. From May 1940, the squadron was involved in low-level operations against the advancing Germans over the Low Countries, but by the end of the month it had lost most of its aircraft and its personnel were returned to the UK. The squadron was quickly re-equipped and it continued operations, now against invasion barges and similar targets from its new bases of Wattisham, Horsham St Faith and Oulton, the last two in Norfolk.

In March 1941, the squadron was transferred to No 18 Group in Coastal Command for coastal patrols and anti-shipping strikes from Thornaby and Leuchars. Returning to Bomber Command in July 1941, the squadron continued in the low-level daylight bombing role with its Blenheim IVs and Vs (from Sep 1942) until allocated to Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. It arrived in Algeria in November 1942 and continued operations in North Africa until moving to Sicily in August 1943, having received Bostons in April of that year. Operations continued through Italy as the Allied armies advanced up the country, No 114 retaining Bostons until the end of the war. Following the end of the war, the squadron was transferred to Aden in September 1945 and soon began to receive Mosquitoes. However, it was soon reduced to cadre and on 1 September 1946 the squadron was disbanded by being re-numbered No 8 Squadron.

The squadron's third incarnation began on 1 August 1947 when it reformed at Kabrit in Egypt as a transport squadron equipped with Dakotas. Valettas arrived in September 1949 and it continued to operate these aircraft in the region until moving to Cyprus in March 1956, where the squadron was disbanded on 31 December 1957. A new 114 Squadron was formed at Hullavington on 20 November 1958 but the following month it moved to Cyprus. It was now operating in the anti-terrorist role equipped with Chipmunks, but its excursion into this role was brief as it was disbanded on 14 March 1959. Two months later on 5 May 1959, it reformed at Colerne, once again in the transport role but now equipped with Hastings aircraft. These were flown until 30 Sep 1961 when the squadron was disbanded only to be reformed the following day at Benson as the first Argosy squadron, although its first aircraft did not arrive until February 1962. With the withdrawal of the Argosy from service, the squadron was finally disbanded on 31 October 1971 and at the time of writing (December 2002) has not been reformed.

Squadron Codes used: -

  • 114 Mar 1937 - Apr 1939
  • FD Apr 1939 - Sep 1939
  • RT Sep 1939 - Nov 1942, Nov 1945- Sep 1946

Aircraft operated by No. 114 Squadron RAF

  • Sep 1917 to Oct 1919 - B.E.2
  • Oct 1919 to Apr 1920 - Bristol F2b
  • Sep 1936 to Feb 1937 - Hawker Hind Mk.I
  • Mar 1937 to May 1939 - Bristol Blenheim Mk.I
  • May 1939 to Mar 1943 - Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV
  • Apr 1943 to Sep 1945 - Douglas Boston
  • Sep 1945 to Sep 1946 - De Havilland Mosquito
  • Apr 1947 to Aug 1949 - Douglas DC3 Dakota
  • Apr 1947 to Dec 1957 - Vickers Valetta C1
  • Dec 1958 to Mar 1959 - De Havilland Chipmunk T10
  • May 1959 to Sep 1961 - Handley Page Hastings
  • Oct 1961 to Oct 1971 - Armstrong Whitworth Argosy

Standards:

Award of Standard originally announced on 17 Jul 1962, effective from 1 Apr 1962 but presented:-?

Battle Honours:

France & Low Countries, 1939-40: Ruhr, 1940-42: Invasion Ports, 1940: Biscay Ports, 1940: Channel & North Sea, 1940-42: German Ports, 1940-42: Fortress Europe, 1940-42: North Africa, 1942-43: Mediterranean, 1942-43: Sicily 1943: Italy, 1943-45:

Web References:

  • http://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn111-115.htm

 

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This webpage was updated 25th January 2019