No 204 Squadron RAF
ActiveRoyal Naval Air Service
23 March 1915 – 15 October 1915
31 December 1916 – 1 April 1918
Royal Air Force
1 - April 1918 - 31 December 1919
1 February 1929 – 30 June 1945
1 August 1947 – 20 February 1953
1 January 1954 – 1 April 1971
1 April 1971 – 1 May 1972[1][2]
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Motto(s)Latin: Praedam mari quaero
("I seek my prey in the sea")[3][4][5]
Battle honoursHome Waters, 1915
Western Front, 1917–18
Atlantic, 1940–45
Norway, 1940
Arctic, 1941[6]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryOn water barry wavy, a mooring buoy, thereon a cormorant displayed[3]
The badge is based upon a photograph made by Aircraftsman T.E. Shaw (Lawrence of Arabia)[5][7]
Squadron CodesRF (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[8]
KG (Sep 1939 – 1943)[9]
T (Jan 1954 – 1956)[10]

No. 204 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit first formed in March 1915 as No.4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service.

First World War

No. 4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service was formed on 25 March 1915 at Dover, Kent, from the former RNAS Defence Flight.[11][12] In August 1915 the squadron moved to Eastchurch where it was re-designated as No. 4 Wing RNAS.[11] The squadron was reformed on 31 December 1916 at Coudekerque just outside Dunkirk, France to operate the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, a multirole biplane.[11] In March 1917 the squadron re-equipped with the Sopwith Pup biplane fighter aircraft, before it moved to Bray-Dunes, not far away on the French-side of the Franco-Belgian border.[11] In June 1917 the squadron re-equipped again with the Sopwith Camel, a biplane fighter aircraft and Sopwith Pup successor.[11]

In January 1918 the squadron made a temporary move to Walmer in Kent to rest and refit before returning to the front at Bray-Dunes in March 1918.[11][12] On the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 the squadron was re-designated No. 204 Squadron.[11] The squadron moved around some of the aerodromes around Dunkirk before settling at Téteghem in May 1918.[11] In October 1918 the squadron moved forward to Heule in Flanders until the end of the First World War.[11] In February 1919 its personal returned to RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, England, before being disbanded in December 1919.[11]

Reformation

The squadron was reformed on 1 February 1929, when the coastal reconnaissance flight based at RAF Cattewater (later RAF Mount Batten), Plymouth, equipped with five Supermarine Southampton flying boats, was renumbered. It carried out a regular routine of training, interspersed with a series of formation cruises, including one to the Mediterranean in 1932 and to the Baltic the next year.[4][13]

A 204 Squadron Saro London

It re-equipped with Supermarine Scapa, a general reconnaissance flying boat, to replace the elderly Southampton flying boats from August 1935, and in September, it transferred to Aboukir, in Egypt, as part of the United Kingdom's response to the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, remaining there until August 1936, when the Squadron returned to Plymouth. It again re-equipped, this time with Saro London flying boats, from October that year. The squadron continued its routine of training and formation cruises, visiting Gibraltar in August 1937, and visiting Australia to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Sydney in 1938, being away from Britain from December 1937 to April 1938.[4][14]

Second World War

The squadron re-equipped with Short Sunderland monoplane flying boat patrol bombers in June 1939, passing its Saro London biplane flying boats to 240 Squadron. In September 1939, following the start of the Second World War, the squadron began flying convoy escort missions and anti-submarine patrols over the Western approaches. The squadron moved to RAF Sullom Voe, in the Shetland Isles of Scotland, in April 1940, carrying out patrols off the coast of Norway as a result of the German invasion of Norway.[4][15]

In April 1941 the squadron moved to Reykjavík, Iceland, flying maritime patrols over the North Atlantic for five months. In August the squadron's Short Sunderland flying boats flew to Gibraltar, where they were based for two weeks before moving on to Bathurst (now Banjul), The Gambia to counter the activity of German Navy submarines in the busy shipping lanes off West Africa. It remained at Bathurst until 30 June 1945, when it disbanded.[16][17]

The squadron lost 19 Short Sunderland flying boats during the Second World War. No Axis submarines were sunk by the squadron, although it did claim at least one Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88, a multi-role combat aircraft, shot down.[18]

Transport squadron

On 1 August 1947 the squadron was reformed at RAF Station Kabrit, Egypt as a transport squadron and flew Douglas Dakota military transport aircraft, until these were replaced by Vickers Valetta, in July 1949. On 20 February 1953, the squadron was disbanded by being renumbered to No. 84 Squadron RAF.

Return to maritime operations

The squadron was reformed once more on 1 January 1954 at RAF Ballykelly, in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland and was equipped with Avro Shackleton, a long-range maritime patrol aircraft.

A Shackleton, possibly of 204 sqn, performing a mail drop over Beira street, September 1971, photographed from aboard HMS Minerva

In 1965, Ian Smith's Rhodesian minority white government made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, leading to United Nations sanctions against what was up until then a British colony. One of the major thrusts of this action was to try and deprive the country of oil. Being land-locked, Rhodesia relied on a pipeline through Mozambique from the port of Beira. Up until 1972, the sanctions were applied by the Royal Navy working with the RAF, which undertook reconnaissance flights of the Beira Straits from its base in Madagascar. The RAF was located at the airfield close to the port of Majunga, on the north-west coast of Madagascar. No. 204 Squadron was the unit tasked with this responsibility, just prior to the evacuation and closure of the base in March 1972. It operated a detachment of two Avro Shackleton Mk.2. The last flight took place on 17 March 1972. The squadron was disbanded on 28 April 1972.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 204 Squadron, data from[1][2][7][19][20]
FromToAircraftVariant
Mar 1915Oct 1915Various
Dec 1916Mar 1917Sopwith 1½ Strutter
Mar 1917Jun 1917Sopwith Pup
Jun 1917Feb 1919Sopwith Camel
Feb 1929Oct 1935Supermarine SouthamptonMk.II
Aug 1935Jan 1937Supermarine Scapa
Oct 1936Jul 1939Saro LondonMks. I & II
Jun 1939Sep 1943Short SunderlandMk.I
Jun 1941Mar 1943Short SunderlandMk.II
Oct 1942Jun 1945Short SunderlandMk.III
Apr 1945Jun 1945Short SunderlandMk.V
Aug 1947Jul 1949Douglas DakotaC.4
May 1949Feb 1953Vickers ValettaC.1
Jan 1954May 1958Avro ShackletonMR.2
May 1958Feb 1960Avro ShackletonMR.1A
May 1959Apr 1971Avro ShackletonMR.2C

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 204 Squadron, data from[2][4][7][19][20]
FromToBase
23 Mar 19153 Aug 1915Dover, Kent
3 Aug 191515 Oct 1915Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent
31 Dec 19161 Apr 1917Coudekerque, Belgium
1 Apr 19172 Jan 1918Bray Dunes, France
2 Jan 19186 Mar 1918Walmer, Kent
6 Mar 191813 Apr 1918Bray Dunes, France
13 Apr 191830 Apr 1918Téteghem, France
30 Apr 19189 May 1918Cappelle, France
9 May 191824 Oct 1918Téteghem, France
24 Oct 191811 Feb 1919Heule (near Kortrijk), Belgium
11 Feb 191931 Dec 1919RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire (as a cadre)
1 Feb 192927 Sep 1935RAF Mount Batten, Devon
27 Sep 193522 Oct 1935RAF Aboukir, Egypt
22 Oct 19355 Aug 1936Alexandria, Egypt
5 Aug 19362 Apr 1940RAF Mount Batten, Devon
2 Apr 19405 Apr 1941RAF Sullom Voe, Shetland
5 Apr 194115 Jul 1941Reykjavík, Iceland
15 Jul 194128 Aug 1941RAF Gibraltar, Gibraltar
28 Aug 194128 Jan 1944Bathurst/Half Die, Gambia (Dets. at Gibraltar; Jui, Sierra Leone and Port-Étienne, Mauritania)
28 Jan 19441 Apr 1944Jui, Sierra Leone (Dets. at Half Die and Port-Étienne)
1 Apr 19448 Apr 1944Half Die, Gambia
8 Apr 194430 Jun 1945Jui, Sierra Leone (Dets. at Half Die, Port-Étienne, Fisherman Lake, Liberia and Abidjan, Ivory Coast)
1 Aug 194722 Feb 1951RAF Kabrit, Egypt
22 Feb 195120 Feb 1953RAF Fayid, Egypt
1 Jan 19541 Apr 1971RAF Ballykelly, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
1 Apr 197128 Apr 1972RAF Honington, Suffolk (Dets. at Majunga, Madagascar; Tengah, Singapore and Masirah, Oman)

Commanding officers

Officers commanding No. 204 Squadron RAF, data from[7][19][20]
FromToName
Mar 191727 Jul 1918Squadron Commander B.L. Huskisson
27 Jul 191810 Nov 1918Maj. E.W. Norton
10 Nov 191821 Nov 1918Maj. L.S. Breadner
21 Nov 191810 Dec 1918Maj. E.W. Norton
10 Dec 191810 Jan 1919Maj. P. Huskisson
10 Jan 191931 Dec 1919Maj. R.S. Lucy
1 Feb 19299 Dec 1930S/Ldr. F.H. Laurence, MC
9 Dec 19301 Jan 1934S/Ldr. K.B. Lloyd, AFC
1 Jan 19341 Oct 1936S/Ldr. A.W. Fletcher, DFC, AFC, OBE
1 Oct 193619 Oct 1937S/Ldr. V.P. Feather
19 Oct 193718 Mar 1940W/Cdr. K.B. Lloyd, AFC
18 Mar 194014 Aug 1940W/Cdr. E.S.C. Davies, AFC
14 Aug 194022 May 1941W/Cdr. K.F.T. Pickles
22 May 194128 Feb 1943W/Cdr. D.I. Coote
28 Feb 194324 Mar 1943W/Cdr. P.R. Hatfield
24 Mar 194319 Sep 1943W/Cdr. C.E.V. Evison
19 Sep 194317 Aug 1944W/Cdr. H.J.L. Hawkins
17 Aug 194412 Jan 1945W/Cdr. A. Frame
12 Jan 194530 Jun 1945W/Cdr. D. Michell
1 Aug 194715 Jan 1948S/Ldr. H.S. Hartley
15 Jan 194822 May 1950S/Ldr. R.A. Pegler
22 May 19501 Oct 1952S/Ldr. L.W. Davies
1 Oct 195220 Feb 1953S/Ldr. H.H. Jenkins
1 Jan 195425 Jul 1955S/Ldr. G. Young
25 Jul 19553 Jun 1957W/Cdr. W. Beringer
3 Jun 195723 Jul 1958W/Cdr. A.D. Dart, DSO, DFC
23 Jul 19581 Jun 1960W/Cdr. J.C.W. Weller, DFC
1 Jun 196014 Jun 1962W/Cdr. R.D. Roe, AFC
14 Jun 19621 May 1964W/Cdr. C.K.N. Lloyd, AFC
1 May 19647 Mar 1966W/Cdr. J.J. Duncombe, AFC
7 Mar 196617 Jun 1968W/Cdr. P. Kent, MBE
17 Jun 196814 Apr 1969W/Cdr. O.G. Williams
14 Apr 19691 Apr 1971W/Cdr. E.P. Wild
1 Apr 19711 May 1972S/Ldr. D.E. Leppard

Notes

  1. 1 2 Halley 1988, p. 265.
  2. 1 2 3 Jefford 2001, p. 71.
  3. 1 2 Halley 1973, p. 5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Halley 1988, p. 264.
  5. 1 2 Rawlings 1982, p. 133.
  6. ↑ Halley 1973, p. 8.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Rawlings 1978, p. 320.
  8. ↑ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 13.
  9. ↑ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 61.
  10. ↑ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 127.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jefford 1998, p. 68
  12. 1 2 Sturtivant and Page 1992, p. 433
  13. ↑ Halley 1973, p. 59.
  14. ↑ Halley 1973, pp. 59–60.
  15. ↑ Halley 1973, pp. 60–61, 63.
  16. ↑ Halley 1973, pp. 63–64.
  17. ↑ Rickard, J. No. 204 Squadron (RAF):Second World War". www.historyofwar.org. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  18. ↑ Halley 1973, pp. 60–64.
  19. 1 2 3 Rawlings 1982, p. 134.
  20. 1 2 3 Halley 1973, p. 68.

References

  • Halley, James J. Famous Maritime Squadrons of the RAF, Volume 1. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Hylton Lacy Publishers Ltd., 1973. ISBN 0-85064-101-2.
  • 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, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912, first edition 1998, Airlife Publishing, UK, ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Lewis, Peter. Squadron Histories: R.F.C, R.N.A.S and R.A.F., 1912–59. London: Putnam, 1959.
  • 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.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
  • Sturtivant, Ray and Gordon Page. Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911–1919. Tonbridge: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1992. ISBN 0-85130-191-6.
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