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No. 48 Squadron Royal Air Force
No 48 Squadron was formed at Netheravon on the 15th of April 1916. After almost a year of training at Rendcomb aerodrome, it was re-equipped with the first Brisfit fighters and sent to France where they spent the remainder of the war. Following the Armistice the squadron remained in France until it moved to India in June 1919, but was renumbered as No. 5 Squadron on 1 February 1920.
No. 48 Squadron was reformed on 25 November 1935 at RAF Bicester from a nucleus of personnel provided by 'C' Flight of No 101 Squadron, and in December moved to Manston where it formed part of the School of Air Navigation. In March 1936 No.48 received the first Avro Ansons, a multi-purpose aircraft used for both reconnaissance and light bombing. During that year the Squadron was enlarged to eighty aircraft to cope with the number of pupil navigators.
In September 1938 No. 48 joined Coastal Command and moved to RAF Eastchurch. No.48 Squadron moved to RAF Thorney Island a few days before the outbreak of WW2. Upon the outbreak of war No.48 squadron began to fly anti-submarine patrols off the Channel coast, operating from a number of different stations as required.
During the course of the war 48 Squadron served at the following locations:
- 25 August 1939-16 July 1940: Thorney Island
- 16 July 1940-24 July 1941: Hooton Park
- Detachment to RAF Limavady 16 July 1942 to 31st October 1941
- 24 July-20 October 1941: Stornoway
- 20 October 1941-6 January 1942: Skitten
- 6 January-23 September 1942: Wick
- 23 September-19 November 1942: Sumburgh
- 19 November-23 December 1942: Gosport
- 23 December 1942-21 February 1944: Gibraltar
- 21-24 February 1944: Bircham Newton
- 24 February 1944-August 1945: Down Ampney
- August 1945-16 January 1946: Patenga, India
4th Sep 1939 Five Blenheims lost; first airmen taken PoW
6th Jan 1940 Aircraft Lost
28th May 1940 Dunkirk
June 1940 Detachment
16th July 1940 Relocated for Coastal patrols
December 1940 Patrols
7th August 1941 Conversion
20th October 1941 Coastal Command Squadron relocated
6th Jan 1942 On the Move
23rd Sept 1942 Anti-submarine role
19th Nov 1942 On the Move
23rd December 1942 Hudsons arrive in Gibraltar
24th Feb 1944 On the Move
1st Jun 1944 Preparations
2nd Jun 1944 Preparations
3rd Jun 1944 Preparations
4th Jun 1944 Preparations
5th Jun 1944 Ops
6th June 1944 Airlift
6th Jun 1944 Drops Made
6th June 1944 In Action
6th June 1944 Gliders
7th June 1944 Resupply
17th September 1944 Gliders
18th September 1944 Gliders
19th September 1944 Supplies
20th September 1944 Supplies
21st September 1944 Supplies
22nd September 1944 Supplies
23rd September 1944 Supplies
24th Sept 1944 Battle of Arnhem
24th September 1944 Ops Cancelled
25th September 1944 Supplies
24th March 1945 Gliders
August 1945 On the Move
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Logbooks
Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession?
If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you.
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Those known to have served with No. 48 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Best Robert.
- Carless Clifford. Sgt. (d.10th Feb 1942)
- Holmes Winifred.
- Hunter Douglas Chisholm. Pilot Officer (d.7th Jan 1942)
- King Edward.
- Mclean John Joseph. LAC.
- Newns Paul. F/Sgt. (d.23rd Oct 1943)
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
Records of No. 48 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources.
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Want to know more about No. 48 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2034 items tagged No. 48 Squadron Royal Air Force 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. |
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Edward "Ginger" King 48 Squadron I was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on Ansons flying Coastal Command out of Wick. I married WAAF Winifred Holmes, ambulance driver and chief's car driver. Does anyone know me, Win or of the whereabouts of Bob Best?
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F/Sgt. Paul Newns 48 Squadron (d.23rd Oct 1943) Paul Newns trained with No.3 ITW 17th of May 1941 to 7th of August 1941.
Whilst serving with 48 Squadron off Gibraltar his Hudson was practicing dive bombing when it failed to pull out of a dive.
All on board were killed.
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LAC. John Joseph Mclean 48 Sqd. Jack McClean served as an Airframes fitter with 48 Squadron.
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Pilot Officer Douglas Chisholm "Pym" Hunter 48 Squadron (d.7th Jan 1942) My uncle Douglas Chisholm Hunter was based in Wick with 48 Squadron. He was killed in action and my grandmother (who lost two brothers killed in action in WW1) thought that Douglas had been killed on a bombing raid over Bergen, Norway. As my father, his brother, died in 1956 and their sister died in 2006 I am now trying to find out as much as I can about Douglas. He went to Highgate School in North London. I have a few pictures of him as a young boy but nothing else.
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