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No.4 Sqn RAF |
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Name : No.4 Sqn RAF Founded : 16th September 1912 Country : UK More Details : In futurum videre - To see into the future |
Known Service Details : | |||||||
Pilot or Aircrew | Rank | Start of Service | End of Service | Known Dates | Aircraft | Airframes | Notes |
Pilot Officer | unknown | 9th May 1940 | L6852 Lysander "Bounced on landing and overturned, P/O William B. ADAMSON (pilot) RAF - killed Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, France LAC SATCHELL (pass) unhurt Killed in Action | ||||
Pilot Officer | unknown | 14th May 1940 | Lysander L4745 Missing on tactical reconnaissance mission. Crew: P/O (33505) David Murray BARBOUR (pilot) RAF killed. Cpl (534506) Raymond Henry WATERS (AG) RAF killed. Killed in Action | ||||
flying officer | 17th April 1913 | 1st May 1914 | First squadron he joined after becoming a F/O after serving in the army as a Officer, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. | ||||
Flying Officer | unknown | 10th April 1944 | Killed in Action | ||||
Pilot Officer | unknown | 13th May 1940 | Lysander P9060 Took off 07.30 hrs from Monchy-la-Gache. Flew over German positions on banks of Gete river. Shot down by Lt Horst Braxator from 2./JG1. (De Decker/Roba: 1.JG1). Plane crashes in field next to Outgaarden/Goetsenhoven road Aircraftman 2nd Class (Air Gnr.) Edin Mold, RAF 626134, 4 Sqdn., age 23, 13/05/1940, Outgaarden Communal Cemetery, B Pilot Officer (Pilot) Peter W. Vaughan, RAF 33493, 4 Sqdn., age unknown, is buried, Outgaarden Communal Cemetery, B Killed in Action | ||||
sgt | unknown | 14th May 1940 | Missing on tactical reconnaissance mission. Crew: P/O (33505) David Murray BARBOUR (pilot) RAF killed. Cpl (534506) Raymond Henry WATERS (AG) RAF killed. In Louvain cemetery Belgium is the joint grave of two unknown RAF airmen dated 14-05-1940 These graves are believed to be these men Killed in Action | ||||
| Pilots and Aircrew for : No.4 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Adamson, William B Click the name above to see a profile of Adamson, William B
| Adamson, William B L6852 Lysander "Bounced on landing and overturned, P/O William B. ADAMSON (pilot) RAF - killed Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, France LAC SATCHELL (pass) unhurt | |
| Barbour, David Murray Click the name above to see a profile of Barbour, David Murray
| Barbour, David Murray | |
| Brown, Les Click the name above to see a profile of Brown, Les | Brown, Les First joined the war as soldier in 1939. He soon realised that he would much prefer to be fighting in the air rather than on the ground and soon joined the RAF and No. 4 Squadron. He amassed a total of 1500 hours flying Mosquitoes. In his flying career he flew 31 different types of aircraft. | |
| Fairhurst, Edward Tim Click the name above to see a profile of Fairhurst, Edward Tim
| Fairhurst, Edward Tim Wing Commander Edward (Tim) Fairhurst DFC was born on April 14th 1918 at Mirfield in Yorkshire and educated at Shrewsbury School. He joined the Territorial Army in 1936 and was commissioned into the 7th West Yorkshire Regiment. With little activity after the outbreak of war, he responded to a request for Army officers to transfer to the RAF to train as pilots. He completed his flying training in November 1940 when he was posted to No 4 Squadron, flying the Lysander. In October 1941 he was posted to D Flight No1 PRU (Spitfires), which later became No 541 Squadron. In September 1942 he flew to Russia as OC PRU detachment and operated there with red star markings in place of RAF roundels. He was promoted to Sqd Ldr, converted to Mosquitoes and posted across the airfield as OC A Flight 544 Sqdn. Fairhurst went to America to brief the USAAF on photographic operations before returning to the UK. In September 1944 he was posted back to 541 Sqn (Spitfires) as CO and remained there until the end of the war. By the end of the war he had flown 88 long-range photographic sorties. He was twice mentioned in despatches, was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre avec Palme and received the Territorial Decoration. After two years as a civilian, Wing Commander Edward (Tim) Fairhurst rejoined the RAF in May 1947 and flew Spitfires in Malaya before going to Hong Kong. Following a period selecting men for officer and aircrew training, he spent the final two years of his service as the permanent president of a court martial standing board. He retired in 1965, when he became a civil servant and worked for the MoD as a positive vetting officer. In old age he was invited to the Russian embassy to be presented with the Arctic Star. Tim Fairhurst died on April 25th 2009 aged 91. | |
| Holt, Felton Vesey Click the name above to see a profile of Holt, Felton Vesey
| Holt, Felton Vesey Air Vice Marshal Felton Vesey Holt CMG, DSO, RAF (23 February 1886–23 April 1931) was a squadron and wing commander in the Royal Flying Corps who became a brigadier general in the newly established Royal Air Force just before the end of the First World War. During the inter-war years Holt remained in the Air Force, serving in several staff appointments before becoming Air Officer Commanding Fighting Area. Holt was killed in a flying accident not long after taking up his final appointment. Having carried out an inspection of RAF Tangmere, he had taken off in his DH.60M Moth K1838, with his PA flying another Moth when a formation of Siskins, seeing his PA’s aircraft decided to pay him an aerial salute. Unfortunately, the formation dived directly at the AVM, whom they could not see and the 43 Sqn Siskin J8893 piloted by Sgt Charles George on the left of the formation caught the wing of his Moth. Going into a spin, the pilot recovered and the AVM took to his parachute, but they were too low, the AVM being killed when he hit the ground without a fully deployed parachute and Flt Lt Henry Michael Moody MC (32) the pilot when the aircraft hit the ground. The inquest brought a verdict of accidental death. DH.60M Moth K1838, 24 Sqn, Northolt Collision with 43 Sqn Siskin J8893, Seahurst Park, near Tangmere AVM Felton Vesey Holt CMG DSO (45) killed Flt Lt Henry Michael Moody MC (32) killed Sgt Charles George Wareham unhurt in Siskin | |
| Turnbull, Ian Alexander Click the name above to see a profile of Turnbull, Ian Alexander
| Turnbull, Ian Alexander Killed on 10th April 1944 aged 23 after his No.4 Sqn Spitfire Mk.PRXI PA901 failed to return from a high level photographic sortie over Knocke-Hult. His name is on the Runnymede memorial. Son of John Rutherford Turnbull, M.C., and Dorothy Helena Wellesley Turnbull; husband of Margaret Turnbull, of Glapwell, Derbyshire. | |
| Vaughan, Peter W Click the name above to see a profile of Vaughan, Peter W
| Vaughan, Peter W Lysander P9060 Took off 07.30 hrs from Monchy-la-Gache. Flew over German positions on banks of Gete river. Shot down by Lt Horst Braxator from 2./JG1. (De Decker/Roba: 1.JG1). Plane crashes in field next to Outgaarden/Goetsenhoven road Aircraftman 2nd Class (Air Gnr.) Edin Mold, RAF 626134, 4 Sqdn., age 23, 13/05/1940, Outgaarden Communal Cemetery, B Pilot Officer (Pilot) Peter W. Vaughan, RAF 33493, 4 Sqdn., age unknown, is buried, Outgaarden Communal Cemetery, B | |
| Water, Raymond Henry Click the name above to see a profile of Water, Raymond Henry
| Water, Raymond Henry Missing on tactical reconnaissance mission. Crew: P/O (33505) David Murray BARBOUR (pilot) RAF killed. Cpl (534506) Raymond Henry WATERS (AG) RAF killed. | |
Known Individual Aircraft of No.4 Sqn RAF : | ||||||||
Type | Serial | Codes | First Flew | Squadron History | Aircrew History | History Notes | Engine | Factory |
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09/10/1941 | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Supermarine (dispersal) | ||||
05/12/1941 | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Supermarine (dispersal) | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
15/12/1942 | no information | no information | Merlin 61 | Chattis Hill | ||||
23/04/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 61 | Chattis Hill | ||||
22/06/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
29/06/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
07/08/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
13/08/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 45 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 50 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
10/09/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
12/10/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
NK-T | - | no information | no information | Merlin XII | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | |||
- | no information | no information | Merlin XII | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
27/10/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
11/11/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
14/12/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
30/12/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
08/12/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
09/12/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
11/12/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
16/12/1943 | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | |||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 63 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Chattis Hill | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 50 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | |||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | |||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | |||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | |||||
- | no information | no information | Griffon 65 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | Aldermaston | ||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 70 | |||||
- | no information | no information | Merlin 66 | Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory | ||||
- | no information | no information | Griffon 65 | Keevil | ||||
4D-V | - | no information | no information | Merlin 266 | ||||
| Aircraft for : No.4 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with No.4 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
BE2C ![]()
Production Began : 0 Retired : 0 Number Built : 0 | BE2C The early models of the B.E. 2 had already served in the RFC for two years prior to the outbreak of war, and were among the aircraft that arrived with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914. Like all service aircraft of this period, they had been designed at a time when the qualities required by a warplane were largely a matter for conjecture, in the absence of any actual experience of the use of aircraft in warfare. The type that replaced the B.E.2a and B.E.2b in the reconnaissance squadrons of the RFC in 1915 was the B.E.2c, which had also been designed before the war. The most important difference in the new model was an improvement in stability – a genuinely useful characteristic, especially in aerial photographic work, using the primitive plate cameras of the time, with their relatively long exposures. A suitable engine was not available in sufficient quantities to replace the air-cooled Renault – the RAF 1a being essentially an uprated version of the French engine – When bombs were to be carried or maximum endurance was required the observer had to be left behind, so it was still necessary to have him sit over the centre of gravity, in front of the pilot. In this awkward position his view was poor, and the degree to which he could handle a camera (or, later, a gun) was hampered by the struts and wires supporting the centre section of the top wing. In practice the pilot of a B.E.2c handled the camera, and the observer, when he was armed at all, had a rather poor field of fire to the rear, having, at best, to shoot back over his pilot's head. The vulnerability of the B.E.2c to fighter attack became plain in late 1915, with the advent of the Fokker Eindecker. British ace Albert Ball summed it up as "a bloody awful aeroplane". Unable to cope with such a primitive fighter as the Fokker E.I, it was virtually helpless against the newer German fighters of 1916-17. The aircraft's poor performance against the Fokker, and the failure to improve the aircraft or replace it caused great controversy in England, with Noel Pemberton Billing attacking the B.E.2c and the Royal Aircraft Factory in the House of Commons on 21 March 1916, saying that RFC pilots in France were being "rather murdered than killed" This prompted the setting up of two enquiries; one into the management of the Royal Aircraft Factory, and another into the high command of the Royal Flying Corps, the latter headed by a judge. These reports largely cleared both Factory management and the RFC commanders responsible for ordering the B.E.2, but the supervisor of the Factory, Mervyn O'Gorman, was effectively dismissed by a "sideways promotion", | |
Lysander ![]()
Manufacturer : Westland Aircraft Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1946 Number Built : 1786 | Lysander The first Lysanders entered service in June 1938, equipping squadrons for army co-operation and were initially used for message-dropping and artillery spotting. When war broke out in Europe, the earlier Mk Is had been largely replaced by Mk IIs, the older machines heading for the Middle East. Some of these aircraft, now designated type L.1, operated with the Chindits of the British Indian Army in the Burma Campaign of the Second World War. Four regular squadrons equipped with Lysanders accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France in October 1939, and were joined by a further squadron early in 1940. Following the German invasion of France and the low countries on 10 May 1940, the Lysanders were put into action as spotters and light bombers. In spite of occasional victories against German aircraft, they made very easy targets for the Luftwaffe even when escorted by Hurricanes. Withdrawn from France during the Dunkirk evacuation, they continued to fly supply-dropping missions to Allied forces from bases in England; on one mission to drop supplies to troops trapped at Calais, 14 of 16 Lysanders and Hawker Hectors that set out were lost. 118 Lysanders were lost in or over France and Belgium in May and June 1940, of a total of 175 deployed. With the fall of France, it was clear that the type was unsuitable for the coastal patrol and army co-operation role, being described by Air Marshal Arthur Barratt, commander-in-chief of the British Air Forces in France as "quite unsuited to the task; a faster, less vulnerable aircraft was required." Nevertheless, throughout the remainder of 1940, Lysanders flew dawn and dusk patrols off the coast and in the event of an invasion of Britain, they were tasked with attacking the landing beaches with light bombs and machine guns.[9] They were replaced in the home-based army co-operation role from 1941 by camera-equipped fighters such as the Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang carrying out reconnaissance operations, while light aircraft such as the Taylorcraft Auster were used to direct artillery. Some UK-based Lysanders went to work operating air-sea rescue, dropping dinghies to downed RAF aircrew in the English Channel. Fourteen squadrons and flights were formed for this role in 1940 and 1941. In August 1941 a new squadron, No. 138 (Special Duties), was formed to undertake missions for the Special Operations Executive to maintain clandestine contact with the French Resistance. Among its aircraft were Lysander Mk IIIs, which flew over and landed in occupied France. While general supply drops could be left to the rest of No. 138's aircraft, the Lysander could insert and remove agents from the continent or retrieve Allied aircrew who had been shot down over occupied territory and had evaded capture. For this role the Mk IIIs were fitted with a fixed ladder over the port side to hasten access to the rear cockpit and a large drop tank under the belly. In order to slip in unobtrusively the Lysanders were painted matte black; operations almost always took place within a week of a full moon, as moonlight was essential for navigation. The aircraft undertook such duties until the liberation of France in 1944. The Lysanders flew from secret airfields at Newmarket and later Tempsford, but used regular RAF stations to fuel-up for the actual crossing, particularly RAF Tangmere. Flying without any navigation equipment other than a map and compass, Lysanders would land on short strips of land, such as fields, marked out by four or five torches. They were originally designed to carry one passenger in the rear cockpit, but for SOE use the rear cockpit was modified to carry two passengers in extreme discomfort in case of urgent necessity. The pilots of No. 138 and from early 1942, No. 161 Squadron transported 101 agents to and recovered 128 agents from Nazi-occupied Europe. The Germans knew little about the British aircraft and wished to study one. Soldiers captured an intact Lysander in March 1942 when its pilot was unable to destroy it after a crash, but a train hit the truck carrying the Lysander, destroying the cargo | |
Mosquito ![]()
Manufacturer : De Havilland Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1955 Number Built : 7781 | Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built. | |
Mustang ![]()
Manufacturer : North American | Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. | |
Spitfire ![]()
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. | |
Vampire ![]()
| Vampire Full profile not yet available. | |
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