Squadron Leader Grant T Taylor - Signed Aviation Art

Semper aggessus - Always having attacked

o. 23 Squadron formed at Fort Grange, Gosport on 1 Sep 1915 under the command of one of the RAF's most experienced operational pilots - Captain Louis Strange. After a brief period attempting to counter German airship flights over London, the Squadron moved to France with its FE2Bs initially employed on escort duties. By early 1917, Spad single-seaters had arrived, and were being used on offensive patrols over the front and low-level strafing attacks against German troops By the end of the War, the Squadron had converted to Dolphins, and flew these until disbanded at the end of 1919. On 1 July 1925, No. 23 Squadron reformed at Henlow with Snipes, but these were replaced shortly after with Gloster Gamecocks. In 1931, the Squadron was tasked with carrying out trials on the new Hawker Hart two-seaters, taking the production version, known as Demons, on strength in 1933 n 1938 it became a night-fighter squadron using the Bristol Blenheim. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, these were replaced by the Douglas Havoc and later the de Havilland Mosquito. Between 1942 and 1944 the squadron was based on Malta. It then returned to England and served as an intruder squadron, targeting German night fighters, over western Europe. 23 Sqn was disbanded, following the war's end, in September 1945 The squadron was reformed on 1 September 1946 as a night fighter squadron operating the de Havilland Mosquito.[8] It received jet aircraft in the form of de Havilland Vampire NF.10s in 1953, replacing them with de Havilland Venom NF.2s in June 1954. The squadron acquired Venom NF.3 in 1957.but was soon replaced with Gloster Javelin all-weather fighter, beginning a long period operating in the air defence role. The squadron has a strong heritage in the air defence role, operating Gloster Javelins, Lightnings, Phantoms and Tornado F3s. The squadron first acquired Phantoms on 1 November 1975 at RAF Coningsby before moving to RAF Wattisham for just under 10 years. Then in October 1983 the squadron deployed to Stanley airfield, Falkland Islands after their recapture from Argentina, arriving there on 1 November. They remained here until 31 October 1988 when its duty was assumed by 1435 Flight. The squadron then reformed on 1 November 1988 at RAF Leeming with the Panavia Tornado which it operated until 26 February 1994, when the unit was disbanded. The squadron assumed the Airborne Early Warning role upon reformation in April 1996, sharing the RAF's Sentry AEW1 fleet with No. 8 Squadron. The squadron disbanded on 2 October 2009, when it amalgamated with No 8 Squadron.

Impiger et acer - Energetic and keen

No 29 Squadron was formed at Gosport on 7 November 1915 from a nucleus supplied by No 23 Squadron, and after training moved to France in March 1916 as the third squadron to be fully equipped with fighters. Its DH2s were engaged in escort duties to protect the slow and vulnerable reconnaissance aircraft over the Western Front ,By late 1916 the DH.2 was outclassed by new German fighters, but No. 29 kept its pushers until March 1917, when it was re-equipped with Nieuport 17s. These were replaced with later Nieuport types, such as the Nieuport 24bis, as these became available. Due to a shortage of the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a the squadron retained its Nieuports until April 1918, being replaced by SE5As, which were used for the rest of the war on fighter and ground -attack missions. After a short period in Germany, the squadron Squadron was reduced to a cadre and in August 1919 returned to Spittlegate in the UK, in August 1919 where it was disbanded on 31 December 1919. The squadron was reformed on 1 April 1923, initially equipped with Sopwith Snipes. These were replaced by Gloster Grebes in January 1925, In turn, these were replaced by the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin IIIA in March 1928 and Bristol Bulldogs in June 1932. In March 1935, the squadron received two-seater Hawker Demons, which it operated until 1938. This included service in Egypt from October 1935 to 1936, during the Abyssinian crisis. The squadron also operated a few old Fairey Gordons for night patrols in Egypt. No 29 began the Second World War with its Blenheims, which at the period operated as day fighters – especially on convoy protection patrols. From June 1940 it became a night fighter squadron, receiving some of the first Beaufighters in November, though it was February 1941 before the squadron was fully equipped with the new fighter. Various marks of the de Havilland Mosquito were flown by the squadron from May 1943 culminating in the Mosquito NF30. From the middle of 1944 most of the squadron’s missions took it over the continent. The Mosquitoes continued to serve until replaced by Meteors in August 1951 at Tangmere. In January 1957 the squadron Squadron moved north, first to Northumberland and then in July 1958 to Scotland, conversion to Javelins taking having taken place in November 1957. In February 1963, No 29 was moved to Cyprus and in December 1965 went detached to Zambia for nine months on detachmentduring the Rhodesian crisis. In May 1967 the squadron Squadron returned to the UK to become are-equip with Lightnings squadron, disbanding on 31 December 1974. No 29 reformed at Coningsby as a Phantom squadron on 1 January 1975. A detachment was provided for the defence of the Falklands as soon as the airfield at Stanley was capable of operating Phantoms at the endin August of 1982. This became No 23 Squadron in March 1983 The Squadron swapped its Phantoms for Tornado F3 fighters in 1987 remaining at Coningsby until disbanded in October 1998. Five years later, the squadron was reformed, this time as the Typhoon operational conversion unit (OCU) based at BAE Systems' Warton airfield. In April 1987, No 29 Squadron became the first operational squadron to be equipped with the Tornado F3, deploying to Saudi Arabia after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and flying throughout Operation DESERT STORM in the air-defence role. The Squadron was again disbanded in October 1998.

Nil nos tremefacit - Nothing shakes us

No. 55 Squadron was formed at Castle Bromwich on 27 April 1916. It initially operated as a training unit, flying a mixture of types, including the Avro 504, Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 and the Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8, but in January 1917 it changed its role to a day-bomber squadron and re-equipped with the Airco DH.4, being the first squadron to receive the new light bomber. It took these to France on 6 March that year as part of 9th Wing, flying its first bombing mission against Valenciennes railway station on 23 April 1917 in support of the Battle of Arras. It became part of the Independent Air Force as part of No 41 Wing based at Azelot, carrying out daylight strategic bombing missions against targets in Germany. 55 Squadron developed tactics of flying in wedge formations, bombing on the leader's command and with the massed defensive fire of the formation deterring attacks by enemy fighters. Despite heavy losses, 55 Squadron continued in operation, the only one of the day bombing squadrons in the Independent Force which did not have to temporarily stand down owing to aircrew losses. The squadron flew 221 bombing missions during the war, dropping approximately 141 long tons (143,000 kg) of bombs during the war. Following the Armistice on 11 November 1918, 55 Squadron was briefly used to run airmail services to British forces, before returning to the United Kingdom and losing its aircraft in January 1919, formally disbanding on 22 January 1920 On 1 February 1920, the unit was reformed at Suez with the renumbering of No 142 Squadron, and the unit embarked its DH9s on board HMS Ark Royal for transport to Turkey as part of 'Q' Force, assisting the Army in the defence of Constantinople and the Dardenelles. Two months later in August, the Squadron took up 'air policing' duties in Iraq, a task that was to last for the next 19 years. Wapitis (1930) and Vincents (1937) subsequently replaced the DH9s and the Squadron's first monoplane, the Blenheim, arrived in March 1939. Between September 1939 and June 1940, the Squadron patrolled the Suez region until Italy joined the War and bombing raids over Libya began. In March 1942, Baltimores replaced the Blenheims, and the unit supported the Eighth Army as it advanced through the Eastern Desert and into Italy. After re-equipping with Bostons in October 1944, No 55 remained in Italy, transferring to Hassani, Greece in September 1945 and receiving Mosquitos. The Squadron was disbanded in November 1946 and remained absent from the RAF's Order of Battle until 1 September 1960, when it reformed at Honington with Victors as part of Bomber Command's famous 'V' Force. May 1965 saw No 55 begin air-to-air refuelling duties, a role it continued until the retirement of the very last Victors in 1993. During this time, the Squadron took part in Operation Corporate, alongside its fellow Victor squadron, No 57, 55 Squadron provided tanker support during the Falklands War in 1982, including for the Operation Black Buck raids, where they refuelled Avro Vulcan bombers to allow them to reach the Falklands from Ascension Island. 55 Squadron's Victors went to war again in 1991, when it was deployed to the Gulf as part of Operation Granby, Britain's response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, refuelling coalition aircraft during Operation Desert Storm. It disbanded on 15 October 1993, the last Squadron to operate the Victor. With the end of the Victors, No 55 was disbanded,

Uspiam et passim - Everywhere unbounded

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