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No. 294 Squadron was a Royal Air Force air search and rescue (ASR) squadron active under RAF Middle East Command. During the second world war the unit operated rescue missions for Allied aircraft and aircrew over the eastern Mediterranean and later the Persian Gulf and Arabian sea.

No. 294 Squadron RAF
Active24 Sep 1943 – 8 Apr 1946
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleAir-sea rescue
Part ofRAF Middle East Command
Motto(s)Latin: Vita ex undix abrepta
(Translation: "Life snatched from the waves")[1]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryAn eagle volant, carrying in the claws a lifebelt[1]
Squadron CodesFD (Sep 1943 - Apr 1946)[2]

History


No. 294 Squadron was formed at Berka, near Benghazi, Libya on 24 September 1943 from a former air-sea rescue flight. Equipped with the Vickers Wellington and Supermarine Walrus in the ASR role. The squadron's aircraft were detached to various airfields around the eastern Mediterranean. In October 1943 the squadron moved to Landing Ground 91 (LG.91), but still provided detachments to other airfields. In March 1944 the squadron moved to Idku, still in Egypt, and re-equipped with the Wellington Mk.XI and later also the Wellington Mk.XIII and the Vickers Warwick. In June 1945 the squadron moved to RAF Basra, Iraq to provide rescue cover in the Persian Gulf and Arabian sea until it was disbanded on 8 April 1946.


Aircraft operated


Aircraft operated by no. 294 Squadron RAF, data from[1][3][4]
FromToAircraftVariantNotes
September 1943March 1944Vickers WellingtonMk.IcTwin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.
September 1943April 1946Supermarine WalrusMks.I, IISingle pusher-engined biplane rescue amphibian
March 1944November 1944Vickers WellingtonMk.XITwin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.
May 1944April 1946Vickers WellingtonMk.XIIISpecial ASR version of the twin-engined bomber
November 1944April 1946Vickers WarwickMk.ITwin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.

Squadron bases


Bases and airfields used by No. 294 Squadron RAF, data from[1][3][4][5]
FromToBaseRemark
24 September 19435 October 1943Berka, LibyaDets. at RAF Limassol, RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; LG.07; Mellaha, Libya; Derna, Libya; Gambut, Libya
5 October 194329 March 1944LG.91/Amriya South, EgyptDets. at RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; Berka III, Libya; Derna, Libya; Mellaha, Libya;
RAF Castel Benito, Libya; LG.07; RAF St Jean, Palestine and RAF Hergla, Tunisia
29 March 19446 June 1945RAF Idku, EgyptDets at Gambut 3, Libya; Berka III, Libya; RAF El Arish, Egypt and RAF Nicosia, Cyprus
6 June 19458 April 1946RAF Basra, IraqDets. at RAF Sharjah, Trucial States; RAF Masirah, Oman and RAF Muharraq, Bahrain

Commanding officers


Officers commanding No. 294 Squadron RAF, data from[5]
FromToName
September 1943December 1943F/Lt. S.A.M. Morrison
January 1944February 1945W/Cdr. R.G.M. Walker, DFC
February 1945June 1945W/Cdr. D.B. Bennett, DFC

See also



References



Notes


  1. Halley 1988, p. 351.
  2. Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 71.
  3. Rawlings 1982, p. 252.
  4. Jefford 2001, p. 86.
  5. Franks 2003, p. 183.

Bibliography






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