No. 294 Squadron RAF

No. 294 Squadron RAF
Active	24 Sep 1943 - 8 Apr 1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Air-sea rescue
Part of	RAF Middle East Command
Motto	Latin: Vita ex undix abrepta (Translation: "Life snatched from the waves")[1]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	An eagle volant, carrying in the claws a lifebelt[1]
Squadron Codes	FD (Sep 1943 - Apr 1946)[2]

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.

History

No. 294 Squadron was formed at Berka, near Benghazi, Libya on 24 September 1943 from the former air-sea rescue Flight. Equipped with the Vickers Wellington and Supermarine Walrus in the air search and rescue (ASR) role. The squadron aircraft were detached to various airfields around the eastern Mediterranean. In October 1943 the squadron moved to LG.91 (Landing Ground 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]

From	To	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
September 1943	March 1944	Vickers Wellington	Mk.Ic	Twin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.
September 1943	April 1946	Supermarine Walrus	Mks.I, II	Single pusher-engined biplane rescue amphibian
March 1944	November 1944	Vickers Wellington	Mk.XI	Twin-engined bomber operated in the search and rescue role.
May 1944	April 1946	Vickers Wellington	Mk.XIII	Special ASR version of the twin-engined bomber
November 1944	April 1946	Vickers Warwick	Mk.I	Twin-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]

From	To	Base	Remark
24 September 1943	5 October 1943	Berka, Libya	Dets. at RAF Limassol, RAF Lakatamia Cyprus; LG.07; Mellaha, Libya; Derna, Libya; Gambut, Libya
5 October 1943	29 March 1944	LG.91/Amriya South, Egypt	Dets. 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 1944	6 June 1945	RAF Idku, Egypt	Dets at Gambut 3, Libya; Berka III, Libya; RAF El Arish, Egypt and RAF Nicosia, Cyprus
6 June 1945	8 April 1946	RAF Basra, Iraq	Dets. at RAF Sharjah, Trucial States; RAF Masirah, Oman and RAF Muharraq, Bahrain

Commanding officers

Officers commanding No. 294 Squadron RAF, data from^[5]

From	To	Name
September 1943	December 1943	F/Lt. S.A.M. Morrison
January 1944	February 1945	W/Cdr. R.G.M. Walker, DFC
February 1945	June 1945	W/Cdr. D.B. Bennett, DFC

See also

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Halley 1988, p. 351.
2. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 71.
3. ^ ^{a b} Rawlings 1982, p. 252.
4. ^ ^{a b} Jefford 2001, p. 86.
5. ^ ^{a b} Franks 2003, p. 183.

Bibliography

• Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
• Franks, Norman. Beyond Courage: Air Sea Rescue by Walrus Squadrons in the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas, 1942-1945. London: Grub Street, 2003. ISBN 1-904010-30-X.
• Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF(Retd). RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-853100-536-1. (second revised edition 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.)
• Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 

External links

• squadron histories for nos. 291-295 squadron
• squadron history on MOD site