No. 28 Squadron RAF
No. 28 Squadron RAF | |
---|---|
Active | 7 November 1915 – present |
Role | Battlefield Support Helicopter |
Garrison/HQ | RAF Benson, Oxfordshire |
Motto | Quicquid agas age Latin: "Whatsoever you may do, do" |
Equipment | Boeing Chinook HC.4 Westland Puma HC.2 |
Battle honours | Italian Front and Adriatic 1917–1918, Piave, Vittoria Venito, Waziristan 1921–1925, North-West Frontier 1939, Burma 1942, Arakan 1943–1944, Manipur 1944, Burma 1944–1945. |
Insignia | |
Badge | In front of a demi-Pegasus, a fasces[1] |
No. 28 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Puma and Chinook Helicopters from RAF Benson.
Contents
History
First World War
No. 28 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 7 November 1915 at RAF Gosport. Initially a training squadron it became a fighter squadron equipped with the Sopwith Camel.[2] After the end of the First World War it had claimed 136 victories. It numbered eleven flying aces among its ranks, including: future Air Vice-Marshal Clifford MacKay McEwen, William George Barker, Harold B. Hudson, James Hart Mitchell, Stanley Stanger, Arthur Cooper, Percy Wilson, Thomas Frederic Williams, and Joseph E. Hallonquist.[3]
Inter war years
The squadron was disbanded on 20 January 1920 at RAF Eastleigh however on 1 April 1920 it was reformed at RAF Ambala with the Bristol F2b Fighter. During the 1920s and 30's it was moved to various bases within India and operated different aircraft including changing to the Westland Wapiti during September 1931 and the Hawker Audax during June 1936.[2]
Second World War
Remaining in Asia, during the Second World War it flew the Westland Lysander from September 1941 and from December 1942 the Hawker Hurricane fighter-bomber. By 1943 the squadron was operating in Burma until July 1945 when it started to re-equip with the Supermarine Spitfire.[2]
Post War
After the Second World War the squadron operated as a fighter-reconnaissance unit as part of the Far East Air Force, moving to RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong in 1949 still with Spitfires. From then on the squadron was regularly moved between Kai Tak and Sek Kong, and from January 1951 was re-equipped with the de Havilland Vampire, then the de Havilland Venom from February 1956. While at Kai Tak from May 1962 the squadron changed to flying Hawker Hunter FGA.9's, until 2 January 1967 when it was disbanded.[2]
The squadron was reformed on 1 March 1968 at Kai Tak from a detachment of No. 103 Squadron RAF operating Westland Whirlwind HC 10's. The Westland Wessex HC.2 was introduced to the squadron from January 1972 and the Whirlwind's operated until August 1972. On 17 May 1978 the squadron moved to RAF Sek Kong[2] and stayed until 1996. The squadron returned to Kai Tak from then until the British withdrawal in June 1997 and was the last RAF squadron to leave the territory.[citation needed]
The RAF ordered 22 Westland Merlin HC3 helicopters in March 1995, the first of which was received from GKNWestland, now AgustaWestland, on 7 March 2001. The squadron officially reformed on 17 July 2001 at RAF Benson, the first time in its recent history that the squadron had been stationed in the UK.[citation needed]
The squadron's first operational role with the Merlin was in support of SFOR at Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aircraft and personnel deployed on 1 April 2003, the same day that an initial operational capability was declared for the Merlin. The detachment ceased on 31 March 2004 and the squadron then began to prepare for operations in Iraq.[citation needed]
The squadron's commitment to Operation TELIC began on 1 March 2005. Several aircraft and a mix of aircrew, engineers and support personnel from 28 (AC) Squadron and RAF Benson, deployed using the historic No. 1419 Flight RAF to replace the Chinook's of No. 1310 Flight RAF at Basrah Air Station, Iraq. In 2009 the squadron returned from Operation Telic and later on in the year deployed on Operation Herrick keeping the designation of 1419 Flight. The squadron returned during May 2013.
Current role
On 3 December 2007 the squadron was broken up to form the RAF Merlin Force which comprises 28 (AC) Squadron, the newly reallocated 78 Squadron and the Merlin Force Engineering Squadron. This followed the additional purchase of six Merlin HC3A from Denmark via AgustaWestland. The commensurate increase in aircrew and engineering personnel would have made a single Merlin squadron too unwieldy.
In July 2015, the squadron handed over its Merlin Helicopters to the Royal Navy/Commando Helicopter Force and re-roled as 28 Squadron OCU whose role is to train Chinook Mk4 and Puma Mk2 helicopters crews.[4] 28 Squadron OCU reached its Initial Operating Capability on 21 October 2015 upon the arrival of 4 Chinook Helicopters and associated crews and engineers to join the existing Puma training crews already based at Benson.
Commanding Officers
No 28 (A/C) Squadron Commanding Officers
Maj A.C.E. Marsh 12 Nov 1915
Capt K.P. Atkinson 22 Jan 1916
Capt L.A. Tilney 15 Feb 1916
Maj A Shekleton 29 Feb 1916
Capt R.D. Oxland 7 Jun 1917
Capt P.C. Campbell 30 Jun 1917
Maj H.F. Glanville 12 Jul 1917
Maj C.A. Ridley MC DFC 19 Mar 1918
Capt H.S. Paynter 8 Oct 1918
Maj W.J. Guilfoyle 1 Nov 1918
Capt J Gilmour 24 Feb 1918
Wg Cdr R.J.F. Barton OBE 1 Feb 1920
Sqn Ldr J.T. Whittaker MC 7 Mar 1922
Sqn Ldr A.W.F. Glenny MC DFC 1 Aug 1922
Sqn Ldr H.S. Powell MC 14 Sep 1923
Wg Cdr A.A. Walser MC DFC 23 Sep 1924
Sqn Ldr C.S. Wynne-Eyton DSO 23 Sep 1924
Sqn Ldr A.W. Mylne 15 Feb 1926
Sqn Ldr J.T. Whittaker MC 16 Sep 1927
Sqn Ldr A.F. Brooke 23 Feb 1928
Sqn Ldr F.W. Trott OBE MC 22 Nov 1931
Sqn Ldr F Fernihough MC 20 Mar 1932
Sqn Ldr C.J.S. Dearlove 22 Sep 1934
Flt Lt A.F. Hutton DFC 26 Jun 1936
Sqn Ldr E.L.S. Ward DFC 22 Feb 1938
Sqn Ldr G.E. Jackson DFC 7 Dec 1939
Sqn Ldr R.M. Coad AFC 14 Jan 1941
Sqn Ldr P.M. Jennings 25 Sep 1941
Sqn Ldr O.R.W. Hammerbeck 6 Mar 1942
Sqn Ldr A.S. Mann 30 Oct 1942
Sqn Ldr T.R. Pierce 5 Mar 1943
Sqn Ldr H.G.F. Larsen DFC 8 Aug 1943
Sqn Ldr E.G. Pannell 20 Feb 1945
Sqn Ldr A.E. Guymer AUS 1 May 1945
Sqn Ldr J Rhind 8 May 1945
Sqn Ldr G.T.A. Douglas DFC 1 Oct 1945
Sqn Ldr P.R.W. Wickham DSO DFC 25 May 1946
Sqn Ldr I.G. Broom DSO DFC 12 Dec 1946
Sqn Ldr R.D. Yule DSO DFC 15 Mar 1948
Sqn Ldr P.L. Arnott DFC 4 Sep 1950
Sqn Ldr J Welch DFC 7 Mar 1953
Sqn Ldr A Phillips 11 Aug 1955
Sqn Ldr D.W. Swart 22 Nov 1957
Sqn Ldr M.C.N. Smart AFC 2 Oct 1959
Sqn Ldr M.I. Stanway 2 Nov 1961
Sqn Ldr R.A. Edwards 4 Jun 1964
Sqn Ldr J.W. Canning 1 Apr 1968
Sqn Ldr K.R. Cawdron 25 Mar 1970
Sqn Ldr J.N. Puckering 7 Apr 1972
Sqn Ldr P.D. Raeburn 26 Apr 1974
Sqn Ldr R Kingston - May 1976
Sqn Ldr M.D. Pledger - Aug 1978
Sqn Ldr R.J. Sharp - Sep 1980
Sqn Ldr D.J. Baldwin - Feb 1983
Sqn Ldr M.C. Hulyer MBIM - Aug 1985
Sqn Ldr B.P. Simmonds Bsc MInst P - Apr 1986
Sqn Ldr G.R. Evans - Nov 1988
Sqn Ldr S.D. Murkin - Jul 1991
Sqn Ldr P.R. Barton - Jan 1994
28 (AC) Sqn Disbanded - Jun 1997
Reformed at RAF Benson as a Merlin Squadron - Jul 2001
Wg Cdr D.J. Stubbs - Jul 2001
Wg Cdr A.M. Turner OBE MSc BA MRAeS - Jan 2004
Wg Cdr R.K. Luck MA MCGI MRAeS RAF - Mar 2006
Wg Cdr S.A. Paterson Bsc MA RAF - Nov 2008
Wg Cdr J.L. Appleton MA RAF - Nov 2010
Wg Cdr I.J. Diggle BEng RAF - May 2013
Stood down at RAF Benson as a Merlin Squadron on 9 Jul 15 and immediately reformed as SH OCU
Wg Cdr M.D. Lock MA RAF - 9 Jul 2015
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
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- Royal Flying Corps squadrons
- Military units and formations established in 1915
- Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
- Military of Hong Kong under British rule
- 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom