Great War>The War in the Air

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No. 5 Squadron Royal Flying Corps    The Royal Flying Corps was constituted in 1912 and in August 1913 a single flight of No. 3 Squadron, was detached to create No. 5 Squadron, based at Farnborough. The squadron's aircraft were four Maurice Farman, Longhorns and three Avro 504s. The squadron was engaged in testing new aircraft types alongside the adjacent Royal Aircraft Experimental Factory. On 28th of May 1914 No. 5 Squadron moved to Netheravon for battle training equipped with one flight of Sopwiths and two flights of Henry Farmons. Then on 6th of July 1914, it moved to Fort Grange, Gosport, intended as a home base for the squadron. The Sopwith’s proved unsatisfactory and were replaced with Avros. No. 5 Squadron proceeded to France in August 1914 in a reconnaissance role, becoming specialized observers for artillery flying the BE2 and from May 1917 the RE8. It was redesignated No. 5 Squadron, Royal Air Force in April 1918. At the end of the war they moved to Germany. 14th August 1914 Deployment to France 18th Aug 1914 Aircraft Lost 21st August 1914 Friendly fire 22nd August 1914 Reconnaissance casualties 23rd August 1914 Retreat 25th Aug 1914  25th August 1914 First air combat success 26th August 1914 Find Sir Douglas Haig 31st August 1914  Narrow escape 4th September 1914 On the move 9th September 1914 German Army turned back 12th September 1914 Aeroplanes destroyed in a storm 28th September 1914 Scout aeroplanes go to France 12th October 1914 RFC Moves 26th October 1914 Aircraft markings altered 10th December 1914  10th March 1915 Attacks   10th March 1915 Attacks   8th Jun 1915 Aircraft damaged 29th Jun 1915 Aircraft Lost 8th Aug 1915 Aircraft Lost 27th Aug 1915 Aircraft damaged 1st Sep 1915 Aircraft damaged 7th Sep 1915 Aircraft damaged 4th Nov 1915 Aircraft damaged 8th Nov 1915 Aircraft Lost 26th Nov 1915 Aircraft damaged 17th Jan 1916 Aircraft damaged 23rd Jan 1916 Aircraft damaged   1st Feb 1916 Orders 29th Feb 1916 Aircraft damaged 12th Mar 1916 Aircraft damaged 1st Apr 1916 Aircraft Lost 23rd Apr 1916 Aircraft damaged 30th Apr 1916 Aircraft damaged 18th May 1916 Aircraft damaged 18th May 1916 Aircraft damaged 25th May 1916 Aircraft damaged 26th May 1916 Aircraft damaged 2nd Jun 1916 Aircraft damaged 1st July 1916 Observation 3rd Jul 1916 Aircraft damaged 3rd Jul 1916 Aircraft Lost 9th Jul 1916 Aircraft damaged 10th Jul 1916 Aircraft damaged 25th Jul 1916 Aircraft damaged 29th Jul 1916 Aircraft damaged 2nd Aug 1916 Aircraft Lost 2nd August 1916 Mass bombing raids 5th Aug 1916 Aircraft damaged 6th Aug 1916 Aircraft Lost 9th Sep 1916 Aircraft damaged 22nd Sep 1916 Aircraft damaged 22nd Sep 1916 Aircraft damaged 28th Sep 1916 Aircraft Lost   11st Oct 1916 Aircraft damaged 17th Oct 1916 Aircraft damaged 26th Oct 1916 Aircraft damaged 26th Oct 1916 Aircraft damaged 5th Nov 1916 Aircraft damaged 5th Nov 1916 Aircraft damaged 17th Nov 1916 Aircraft damaged 26th Dec 1916 Aircraft Lost 26th Dec 1916 Aircraft Lost 27th Dec 1916 Aircraft damaged 2nd April 1917 Training 5th April 1917 Training 12th of July 1917  Back Areas Shelled    21st March 1918 Withdraw under artillery fire 11th of April 1918 Quiet...and then...   5th Aug 1918  8th August 1918 In Action 13th August 1918 Special Order 25th August 1914 Repeated moves 8th Sept 1919  If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about No. 5 Squadron Royal Flying Corps? There are:75 items tagged No. 5 Squadron Royal Flying Corps available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with No. 5 Squadron Royal Flying Corps during the Great War 1914-1918. Strange MC, DSO.. Louis. Lt.Col. All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of No. 5 Squadron Royal Flying Corps from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? 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We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. 225787 Lt.Col. Louis Strange MC, DSO. 80th Wing Louis Strange was born in Tarrant Keyneston, Dorset where his family were land-owners and farmers. In 1912 he joined the Dorset Yeomanry but determined to become a pilot. He obtained a pilot’s certificate and became an instructor to the Royal Aero Club at Hendon, and also took part successfully in a number of air-races, before being posted to the RFC's Central Flying School at Upavon in May, 1914. Strange was formally commissioned as a second-lieutenant in The Dorsetshire Regiment on 30 July 1914 on attachment to the Royal Flying Corps. In August 1914 he was despatched to join No.5 Squadron RFC at Gosport and on 15/16 August the squadron flew to Maubeuge, France. Strange was noted for his inventive mind, variously devising mounts to enable Lewis and Vickers machine guns to be attached to aircraft, designing under-wing bomb racks and home-made petrol bombs that his observer would drop by hand from their biplane onto the convoys of German troops and transport. He invented a safety strap that allow the observer to "stand up and fire all round over top of plane and behind", and a bomb chute to drop 7-pound shrapnel bombs through a steel tube set in the floor of the Avro 504. In early 1915 he was promoted to Captain and posted to No. 6 Squadron as Flight Commander. He earned the Military Cross by carrying out one of the first tactical bombing missions. On 21st of September 1915 Louis Strange was promoted to Major and appointed commander of the new No. 23 Squadron RFC at Gosport, Hampshire. In March 1916 he was appointed to establish the No. 1 School of Air Gunnery at Hythe in Kent before being promoted again later in the year to Lieutenant-Colonel and to establish the No. 2 School of Air Gunnery at Turnberry. In April 1917 he became Assistant Commandant at the Central Flying School. On 26th of June 1918 Strange returned to active combat when he was given command of the newly formed 80th Wing, RAF, comprising seven Squadrons - two of which were Australian - tasked with undertaking massed raids on the enemy airfields. During the next five months he was to be awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. His DSO citation specifically mentions operations on 30 October 1918, when "he accompanied one of these raids against an aerodrome; watching the work of his machines, he waited until they had finished and then dropped his bombs from one hundred feet altitude on hangars that were undamaged; he then attacked troops and transport in the vicinity of the aerodrome. While thus engaged he saw eight Fokkers flying above him; at once he climbed and attacked them single-handed; having driven one down out of control he was fiercely engaged by the other seven, but he maintained the combat until rescued by a patrol of our scouts." Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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