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No. 4 Squadron RAF
No. 4 Squadron, also known as No. IV Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Since November 2011, it has operated the BAE Hawk T2 from RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. The squadron provides weapons and tactics training for student pilots after they have completed their conversion to jet aircraft with No. XXV(F) Squadron. Between 1970 and January 2011, the squadron operated various variants of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier and British Aerospace Harrier II.
No. 4 Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. Operating a mixture of aircraft including early versions of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 and Breguet biplane, the squadron quickly moved to Netheravon where it remained until the outbreak of the First World War. The more useful aircraft in its inventory were sent to France under the command of Major G. H. Rayleigh on 16 August 1914, to carry out reconnaissance in support of the British Expeditionary Force. On 19 August Lieutenant G. W. Mapplebeck flew the squadron's first mission over France, a reconnaissance flight searching for German cavalry in the vicinity of Gembloux, Belgium. Other aircraft remained in England to carry out anti-Zeppelin patrols.
The contingent in France was reinforced on 20 September by the personnel who had remained behind in England, forming C Flight, equipped with the Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn. It concentrated on the reconnaissance role, standardising on the B.E.2 in 1916. In the Battle of the Somme, the squadron flew contact patrols keeping track of the position of advancing troops at low level, in addition to more regular reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions. It re-equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 in June 1917, in time to take part in the Battle of Messines and the Battle of Passchendaele. During this period William Robinson Clarke, the first black pilot to serve for Britain, flew for the squadron. It remained equipped with the R.E.8 until the Armistice with Germany on 11 November 1918 ended the fighting. The squadron returned to the United Kingdom in February 1919 as a cadre.
No. 4 Squadron returned to full strength on 30 April 1920 at Farnborough, equipped with Bristol F.2 Fighters. Part of the squadron moved to Aldergrove near Belfast in November 1920 as a result of the Irish War of Independence, moving to Baldonnel Aerodrome near Dublin in May 1921, before rejoining the rest of the squadron at Farnborough in January 1922. The squadron deployed on Royal Navy aircraft carriers when they sailed to Turkey on HMS Ark Royal and Argus during the Chanak crisis in August 1922, returning to Farnborough in September 1923. When the 1926 General Strike broke out, the squadron's aircraft were used to patrol railway lines to deter feared sabotage.
In October 1929, the elderly Bristol Fighters were replaced with new Armstrong Whitworth Atlas, purpose-designed for the squadron's army co-operation role. These in turn were replaced by Hawker Audaxes in December 1931. In February 1937, it moved from Farnborough to RAF Odiham, soon re-equipping with the Hawker Hector, a more powerful derivative of the Audax. In January 1939, it discarded its Hector biplanes in favour of the new monoplane Westland Lysander.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the squadron moved to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Following Germany's invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, the squadron was frequently forced to change bases by the approach of the advancing German armies, being withdrawn to the UK on 24 May. Losses had been heavy, with 18 aircrew killed, while 60% of the groundcrew were lost. It continued in the coastal patrol and air-sea rescue role while training for its main army co-operation role after returning to the UK.
In 1942, the squadron changed its mission from the army co-operation role, where it would operate fairly low-performance aircraft from airstrips close to the front-line, to that of fighter-reconnaissance, receiving the more modern Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang, with the latter soon replacing Tomahawk, flying low-level attack and reconnaissance flights against targets on the continent.
In August 1943, it joined the Second Tactical Air Force in support of the planned invasion of Europe, changing to the pure reconnaissance mission in January, and replacing its Mustangs with the Mosquito PR.XVI and Spitfire PR.XI. It discarded its Mosquitoes in June, moved to France in August, and briefly supplemented its Spitfires with a few Hawker Typhoons for low-level reconnaissance. It retained its Spitfires at VE Day, moving to Celle in Germany to carry out survey operations in support of the British Army of Occupation until it was disbanded on 31 August 1945.
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No. 4 Squadron RAF
No. 4 Squadron, also known as No. IV Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Since November 2011, it has operated the BAE Hawk T2 from RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. The squadron provides weapons and tactics training for student pilots after they have completed their conversion to jet aircraft with No. XXV(F) Squadron. Between 1970 and January 2011, the squadron operated various variants of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier and British Aerospace Harrier II.
No. 4 Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. Operating a mixture of aircraft including early versions of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 and Breguet biplane, the squadron quickly moved to Netheravon where it remained until the outbreak of the First World War. The more useful aircraft in its inventory were sent to France under the command of Major G. H. Rayleigh on 16 August 1914, to carry out reconnaissance in support of the British Expeditionary Force. On 19 August Lieutenant G. W. Mapplebeck flew the squadron's first mission over France, a reconnaissance flight searching for German cavalry in the vicinity of Gembloux, Belgium. Other aircraft remained in England to carry out anti-Zeppelin patrols.
The contingent in France was reinforced on 20 September by the personnel who had remained behind in England, forming C Flight, equipped with the Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn. It concentrated on the reconnaissance role, standardising on the B.E.2 in 1916. In the Battle of the Somme, the squadron flew contact patrols keeping track of the position of advancing troops at low level, in addition to more regular reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions. It re-equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 in June 1917, in time to take part in the Battle of Messines and the Battle of Passchendaele. During this period William Robinson Clarke, the first black pilot to serve for Britain, flew for the squadron. It remained equipped with the R.E.8 until the Armistice with Germany on 11 November 1918 ended the fighting. The squadron returned to the United Kingdom in February 1919 as a cadre.
No. 4 Squadron returned to full strength on 30 April 1920 at Farnborough, equipped with Bristol F.2 Fighters. Part of the squadron moved to Aldergrove near Belfast in November 1920 as a result of the Irish War of Independence, moving to Baldonnel Aerodrome near Dublin in May 1921, before rejoining the rest of the squadron at Farnborough in January 1922. The squadron deployed on Royal Navy aircraft carriers when they sailed to Turkey on HMS Ark Royal and Argus during the Chanak crisis in August 1922, returning to Farnborough in September 1923. When the 1926 General Strike broke out, the squadron's aircraft were used to patrol railway lines to deter feared sabotage.
In October 1929, the elderly Bristol Fighters were replaced with new Armstrong Whitworth Atlas, purpose-designed for the squadron's army co-operation role. These in turn were replaced by Hawker Audaxes in December 1931. In February 1937, it moved from Farnborough to RAF Odiham, soon re-equipping with the Hawker Hector, a more powerful derivative of the Audax. In January 1939, it discarded its Hector biplanes in favour of the new monoplane Westland Lysander.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the squadron moved to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Following Germany's invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, the squadron was frequently forced to change bases by the approach of the advancing German armies, being withdrawn to the UK on 24 May. Losses had been heavy, with 18 aircrew killed, while 60% of the groundcrew were lost. It continued in the coastal patrol and air-sea rescue role while training for its main army co-operation role after returning to the UK.
In 1942, the squadron changed its mission from the army co-operation role, where it would operate fairly low-performance aircraft from airstrips close to the front-line, to that of fighter-reconnaissance, receiving the more modern Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang, with the latter soon replacing Tomahawk, flying low-level attack and reconnaissance flights against targets on the continent.
In August 1943, it joined the Second Tactical Air Force in support of the planned invasion of Europe, changing to the pure reconnaissance mission in January, and replacing its Mustangs with the Mosquito PR.XVI and Spitfire PR.XI. It discarded its Mosquitoes in June, moved to France in August, and briefly supplemented its Spitfires with a few Hawker Typhoons for low-level reconnaissance. It retained its Spitfires at VE Day, moving to Celle in Germany to carry out survey operations in support of the British Army of Occupation until it was disbanded on 31 August 1945.