The Wartime Memories Project

- RAF Aqir during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

RAF Aqir



 

17th Feb 1941 Withdraw

24th February 1941 Flight of Hurricanes received

21st April 1941 Retreat

8th May 1941 Squadron Reassembled

14th May 1941 Hostile action

18th May 1941 Back to Iraq

24th May 1941 Move to Palestine

25th May 1941 Detachment to Haifa

June1941 Detachment to Cyprus

8th June 1941 Operation Exporter

1st July 1941 Stood down

20th July 1941 Relocated

16th August 1941 Invasion of Iran

18th August 1941 Back on patrol

16th September 1941 Into Syria

June 1942 Move to Palestine

July 1942 Detachment

16th July 1942 Detachment to the Middle East

August 1942 Transfer of ground crew

1st August 1942 Into Egypt

27th September 1942 Liberator lost over Crete

1st November 1942 Situation Report

November 1942 Move to India begins

8th November 1942 Aircraft and aircrew move to 40 Squadron

10th November 1942 Wellington crews posted to 40 Squadron

11th November 1942 Signals Squadron loses last Wellington bomber

15th January 1943 Squadron disbanded and new squadron formed

15th April 1943 Wellington destroyed by fire

16th April 1943 Visit by A-O-C 212 Group

May 1943 Back to Egypt

13th July 1943 Detachment


If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Those known to have served at

RAF Aqir

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The 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



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Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.




Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.

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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.



Want to know more about RAF Aqir?


There are:31 items tagged RAF Aqir available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Donald Lack 31 Squadron

My father Donald Lack joined the RAF and after his basic training with 5 Air School and 26 Air school, went to the 76 Operational Training Unit to be trained to fly on heavy bombers, which was based at RAF Aqir in Palestine during WWII.

After he completed his training he was posted to the 31 Squadron of the South African Air Force where he flew operational sorties as co-pilot on B-24 Liberator, a 4 engine heavy bomber. This Squadron was initially based at RAF Kilo 40, a base north of Cairo in Egypt but moved to Celone (near Foggia in Italy) in June 1944. Father stayed in the RAF in Italy after Squadron 31 SAAF left in December 1945 and my father was posted to RAF 159 MU till June 1946.

I am still researching my father's history in 31 Squadron and need to find more details covering sorties during 1945. My father died in 1988 and he had been back to Italy in the early 1980s.

Donald Lack







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    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

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