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Sarang tebuan jangan dijolok - Never stir up a hornets nest
100 Squadron formed at Hingham, Norfolk on 23 February 1917, and moved to France a month later. On arrival it was issued with modified FE2B two-seat pushers biplanes and operations against aerodromes, railway stations and rail junctions commenced. On the night of 5/6 April 1917, when eleven FE2b aircraft attacked Douai airfield, where Manfred von Richthofen's 'Flying Circus' was based; Richthofen referred to this raid in his book, 'Der Rote Kampfflieger'. By the end of the year, No 100 in conjunction with No 55 Squadron, RFC and Naval 'A' Squadron had formed the nucleus of what was to become the Independent Force used for the strategic bombing of Germany with its Handley Page 0/400 heavy bombers.
After the War, the unit remained on the continent for a year before transferring to Baldonnel in Ireland and re-equipping with Bristol Fighters. With the division of the island in 1922, the Squadron returned to England and bombing duties, this time with Vimys and DH9As.
After the end of the war, the squadron remained on the continent until September 1919 as a cadre before transferring to RAF Baldonnel, near Dublin and re-forming to full strength, re-equipping with Bristol F.2 Fighters for army co-operation. Close air support operations were flown during the Irish War of Independence. Following the end of hostilities the squadron was moved to Spitalgate, Lincs. in February 1922 and converted to bombing, this time with Vickers Vimys and DH9As.[4]
In May 1924, the unit flew Fairey Fawn. With these aircraft, In September of that year, the squadron took Hawker Horsley aircraft on complement and in November 1930 moved to Donibristle, Fife, converting to torpedo-bombing. and designated as 'No. 100 (Torpedo-Bomber) Squadron' in 1933.
In November 1932, took delivery of Vickers Vildebeest and with this aircraft the squadron was deployed as part of the operation to defend Singapore, arriving at Seletar in January 1934.
ancient aircraft stood little chance of stopping the Japanese advance, and eventually the Squadron, and its sister Vildebeest unit, No 36, had been decimated.
On 15 December 1942, No 100 Squadron reformed at Waltham as a night-time heavy bomber squadron and was part of No. 1 Group, RAF Bomber Command. In January 1943, the squadron received the first of its new complement of Avro Lancasters; the first operation of the squadron was on 4 March 1943 against a U-Boat base at St Nazaire. A few days later the squadron was involved in a raid against Nuremberg in Germany and from then on, in support of Bomber Command's strategic role against Germany, took part in every major raid.
At the end of 1943, the squadron had completed the second largest number of successful operations of units within No. 1 Group Bomber Command and had the lowest 'loss' rate. On the night of 16/17 December 1943, the squadron received orders to attack Berlin. The raid became known as 'Black Thursday' as Bomber Command lost 25 aircraft on the raid and 28 in crashes at fog-shrouded airfields
Surviving the post-war defence cuts and moving to Malaya to join Operation Firedog with its Lincolns during 1950. Four years later, No 100 moved to Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising, before returning to England and converting to the Canberra. The Canberras were used for trials work in conjunction with British nuclear tests in the Pacific, before disbanding again in 1959. Reformed at Wittering as part of the V-Force until September 1968 following withdrawal of the Blue Steel stand-off weapon. No 100 Squadron returned to Canberra flying when it was reformed at West Raynham in February 1972, this time to provide target towing facilities for RAF fighter squadrons, later undertaking specialist electronic warfare training before the Canberras were finally retired at the end of 1991 and replaced by the Hawk. With the closure of its base, RAF Wyton, the unit moved to Finningley, relocating to Leeming in 1995
100 Squadron now operates in a mixed target facilities role along with exercise and training support which include WSO training, and dedicated aircraft to support the Joint Forward Air Controllers Training and Standards Unit.
| No.100 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Hawk T Mk.1A XX194 CO by G Henderson. A Hawk trainer of No.100 Sqn. |
The Annals of 100 Squadron. Major C Gordon Burge. 100 Squadron was a pioneer night bombing unit, and was the first to be raised specifically for that purpose by Hugh Trenchard, the father of the RAF who contributes a foreword to this history, commending the squadron, and its willingness to go out and bomb in all weathers, and the ability of its groundcrew to keep their aircraft airbourne in all conditions. . This book traces the squadrons story from its formation in March 1917 to the Armistice in November 1918. Equipped with F.E.2B and BE2 aircraft, the squadron, based at Izel Le Hameau airfield, commenced its life with a raid against Douai aerodrome. In May 1917 the squadron transferred to Trexennes airfield near Aire, where, according to the author the concert pitch of the Squadrons work was achieved. Forced to evacuate this site during the German advance of 1918, 100 transferred to Ochey in Alsace-Lorriane from where it carried out night raids on Germany itself. - including on Frankfurt, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. Shortly before the war ended, the squadron took delivery of the new and advanced Handley-Page bombers. This full history of the squadrons activities included many photographs of its men, its machines, and reconnaisance shots of the damage it did. |
| No.100 Sqn RAF Aircraft details |
 Beaufort Manufacturer : Bristol Built : 1821 | Beaufort The Beaufort was developed from the Bristol Blenheim - originally built in 1934 as an executive aircraft for the proprietor of the Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere, who wanted a fast plane capable of carrying six passengers. Equipped with two Bristol Mercury engines, the Bristol Type 142, as it was then called, was 30 mph (48km/h) faster than the RAF's latest biplane fighter, the Gloster Gauntlet. Beauforts first saw service with Royal Air Force Coastal Command and then the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm from 1940. They were used as torpedo bombers, conventional bombers and mine-layers until 1942, Some of the Beaufort's actions were attacks on warships of the German Kriegsmarine. The first attack was on 21 June 1940, when nine Beauforts of 42 Squadron attacked the German battleship Scharnhorst off the Norwegian coast. No torpedoes were available at RAF Wick and a dive bombing attack was carried out using two 500 lb (230 kg) bombs. The Beauforts encountered Messerschmitt Bf 109s protecting the battleship and only four returned; shortly after, Beauforts were grounded for modifications to their Taurus engines. In early April 1941, after an air raid on Brest by Bomber Command, the German battleship Gneisenau had to move out of dry-dock because of an unexploded bomb. Photo reconnaissance revealed that the ship was in the inner harbour. An estimated 1,000 flak guns of all calibres protected the base and adding complication to the danger was the realisation that Gneisenau was only about 500 yd (460 m) from a harbour mole, requiring extremely accurate torpedo drops. The aircraft would be forced into a steep banking turn during the escape to avoid rising ground surrounding the harbour. In spite of these dangers 22 Squadron, based at RAF St Eval, was ordered to make a torpedo attack, timed to take place just after dawn on 6 April 1941. It was planned to attack the torpedo nets thought to be protecting the ship, using three Beauforts armed with bombs; another three Beauforts would then attack the ship with torpedoes. Following heavy rain that had drenched the airfield, the bomb-carrying aircraft became bogged down. Because of a sea mist, the other three Beauforts arrived at Brest independently; one, flown by F/O Kenneth Campbell, managed to penetrate the harbour and torpedo Gneisenau but was shot down immediately afterwards. Campbell was awarded the VC and his Observer, Sergeant J. P. Scott of Canada, the Distinguished Flying Medal. The other two crew members were Sgts R. W. Hillman and W. Mallis; all were lost. On the night of 12/13 June 1941, 13 Beauforts of 42 Squadron, based at RAF Leuchars and a detachment of five Beauforts of 22 Squadron from Wick, were sent out to find the cruiser Lützow and an escort of four destroyers, which had been sighted near Norway. At midnight, a signal from a Blenheim of 114 Squadron confirmed the position of the ships but most of the Beauforts failed to find them.[43] One 42 Squadron aircraft piloted by Flight Sergeant Ray Loviett (who had become separated from the main force) took Lützow by surprise (the Beaufort had been mistaken for a Junkers Ju 88, known by the ships to be on patrol in the area) and without a defensive shot being fired, Loviett's torpedo hit her on the port side. One Beaufort found Lūtzow limping back to port and attacked but was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109; Lützow was under repair for six months. During the famous Operation Cerberus, the "Channel Dash" by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which took place from 12 February 1942, three Beaufort units, with 33 serviceable aircraft were available: 22 Squadron was under orders to move to Singapore. 42 Squadron, based at Leuchars in Scotland, were supposed to move to Manston but had been delayed by snow. Only 86 and 217 squadrons were in position to attack the German ships. Of the 33 Beauforts, 28 eventually set out to attack the German ships: 13 failed to find them, three were shot down and on one the torpedo failed to release. Only 11 Beauforts sighted the battleships and launched torpedoes, none of which struck a target. One of the conclusions reached by a later Court of Inquiry was that a faster, longer-ranged torpedo bomber than the Beaufort was needed. Bristol was already working on a torpedo carrying conversion of the Beaufighter and were later to develop the Brigand. when they were removed from active service and were then used as trainer aircraft until being declared obsolete in 1945. Beauforts also saw considerable action in the Mediterranean; Beaufort squadrons based in Egypt and on Malta The Beaufort was particularly successful from Malta. No. 217 Squadron was based there from June to July 1942, when it was replaced by No. 86 Squadron. From Malta the Beaufort played an important role in denying Rommel desperately needed supplies. by attacking Axis shipping supplying Rommel's Deutsches Afrikakorps in North Africa. Although it was designed as a torpedo-bomber, the Beaufort was more often used as a medium day bomber. The Beaufort also flew more hours in training than on operational missions and more were lost through accidents and mechanical failures than were lost to enemy fire. The Beaufort was adapted as a long-range heavy fighter variant called the Beaufighter, which proved to be very successful and many Beaufort units eventually converted to the Beaufighter.[ |
 Canberra Manufacturer : English Electric | Canberra The English Electric Canberra first flew on Friday 13 May 1949 when its performance created a sensation. Such was the quality of the original design that in May 1951, when the first B2 Canberras entered service with No 101 Squadron at RAF Binbrook they could out manoeuvre all the fighters of the period and fly with impunity more than 10,000 feet above them. Operated by 17 airforces in more than 20 different variants, Canberras have been to war at Suez and in India, in Vietnam and the Falklands campaign, and in 1996 Canberra PR9s were engaged in operational reconnaissance flights over Bosnia and in other regions. It is widely and justifiably regarded as one of the greatest aircraft designs of all time. |
 Horsley Manufacturer : Hawker Built : 128 | Horsley The Hawker Horsley was the last wooden aircraft to be constructed by Hawker. It was designed initially in 1923 but modified in 1925 to meet the need for torpedoes. In January 1927, No.11 Squadron were equipped with Horsleys and then No.100 Squadron. In 1928, No.33 and No.15 Squadron were also equipped with Horsleys. The first torpedo bomber versions were used by No.36 squadron from June 1928, being sent to Singapore shortly thereafter. No Horsleys were built after February 1934. The Horsleys remained in service in the day-bombing role until 1934, with 504 Squadron's Horsleys being replaced by Westland Wallaces in March 1934. No 36 Squadron at Singapore retained the Horsely in the Torpedo bomber role until July 1935.[16] The last Horsley, a Merlin-powered testbed flew its final flight at RAE Farborough on 7 March 1938. A total of 124 Horsleys were built, including six aircraft for the Hellenic Naval Air Service and the two Dantorps built for Denmark |
 Lancaster Manufacturer : Avro Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. |
Lincoln Manufacturer : Avro Built : 624 | Lincoln he first RAF Lincolns joined No. 57 Squadron at East Kirby in 1945. No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron RAF began re-equipping with Lincolns at RAF Spilsby during August 1945. However, 75 (NZ) Sqn received just three aircraft before VJ Day. In the postwar Royal Air Force, the Lincoln equipped many bomber squadrons. Nearly 600 Lincolns were built to equip 29 RAF squadrons, mainly based in the United Kingdom. They were partially replaced by 88 Boeing Washingtons, on loan from the USAF, which had longer range and could reach targets inside the Iron Curtain. Small numbers remained in use with Nos 7, 83 and 97 Squadrons until the end of 1955, when they were replaced by the first of the V bombers. RAF Lincolns were used in combat during the 1950s, in Kenya against the Mau-Mau, operating from Eastleigh, and also served in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency, against insurgents aligned to the Malayan Communist Party. In Malaya, Lincolns operated from Changi and Tengah, More than 3,000 sorties were flown during their 7 1⁄2-year deployment, with half a million pounds of bombs dropped. This equated to 85% of the bomb tonnage dropped during the Malayan emergency. On 12 March 1953, a RAF Lincoln (RF531 "C") of Central Gunnery School was shot down 20 mi (32 km) NE of Lüneburg, Germany by several Soviet MiG-15s as it flew to Berlin on a radar reconnaissance flight, resulting in the deaths of the seven crew members. In November 1955, four Lincolns of No. 7 Squadron RAF were detached for duties in British territories in the Middle East. In Bahrain, they carried out border patrols of the then Trucial States. When 7 Sqn was disbanded in December 1955, the four detached crews and aircraft became No. 1426 Flight RAF, officially a photographic reconnaissance unit. It was later sent to Aden, carrying out patrols in the lead up to the Aden Emergency. As the RAF Lincolns became unserviceable due to wear and tear, they were replaced by jet aircraft. The Lincolns of Bomber Command were phased out from the mid-1950s and were completely replaced by jet bombers by 1963. The last Lincolns in RAF service were five operated by No. 151 Squadron, Signals Command, at RAF Watton, Norfolk, which were retired on 12 March 1963. From late 1946, Australian-built Lincolns were phased into No. 82 Wing RAAF at RAAF Amberley, replacing the Consolidated Liberators operated by 12, 21 and 23 Squadrons. In February 1948, these units were renumbered 1, 2 and 6 Squadrons respectively; a fourth RAAF Lincoln squadron, No. 10 was formed on 17 March 1949 at RAAF Townsville as a reconnaissance unit. RAAF Lincolns took part in operations in Malaya in the 1950s, operating alongside RAF examples. The RAAF based the B.Mk 30s of No.1 Squadron at Tengah, for the duration of operations in Malaya. The RAAF Lincolns were retired in 1961, with the MR.Mk 31s of No. 10 Squadron being the final variant to see service in Australia. |
Vildebeest Manufacturer : Vickers Built : 209 | Vildebeest The Vildebeest entered service with No 100 Squadron at RAF Donibristle in October 1932 and was soon equipping four front line units, two in the UK and two in Singapore. The Vincent, entered service with No 84 Squadron at RAF Shaibah, Iraq in 1934 and, by 1937, was equipping six Middle East squadrons. At the outbreak of the Second World War, 101 Vildebeests were still in service with the RAF. The two British-based squadrons flew coastal patrol and convoy escort missions until 1940 when their Vildebeests were replaced by the Bristol Beaufort. The two Singapore-based squadrons were still waiting for their Beauforts when Japan invaded Malaya in December 1941 and the obsolete biplanes had to be deployed against the Japanese attackers, making an abortive torpedo attack on a Japanese cruiser off Kota Bharu on 8 December. The Vildebeests continued to attack the Japanese as their forces advanced down Malaya, sustaining heavy losses from Japanese fighters, particularly when no fighter cover could be provided. On 26 January 1942, the Japanese landed at Endau, 250 miles from Singapore, and 12 Vildebeests of 100 and 36 Squadrons were sent to attack the landings. Despite an escort of Brewster Buffalo and Hawker Hurricane fighters, five Vildebeests were lost. The attack was repeated later that day by eight Vildebeests of 36 Squadron and three Fairey Albacores, resulting in six more Vildebeests and two Albacores being shot down. The surviving Vildebeests were withdrawn to Java on 31 January and attacked another Japanese landing force off Rembang, claiming eight ships sunk but sustaining further losses. The final two Vildebeests of 36 Squadron attempted to escape to Burma on 6 March but were lost over Sumatra. The last Vildebeests in RAF service, operated by 273 Squadron at Ceylon were retired in March 1942 |
| No.100 Sqn RAF Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Peter Bond Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Peter Bond Bomb Aimer 100 & 156 Pathfinder Squadrons |
Warrant Officer Percy Cannings DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Warrant Officer Percy Cannings DFM Percy, as a Mid Upper Gunner, completed a full Tour with 100 Sqn before being transferred to the Pathfinder Force where he completed another full Tour with 97 Sqn. |
Ronald Clark DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Ronald Clark DFC Volunteered for flying duties in 1941 and after interviews completed initial training in Paignton. A flying grading course followed at Kingstown near Carlisle surprisingly near my family, before being sent as Ambassadors for Britain across the Atlantic to be trained by the USAAF. After more initial training to learn the American way, not a bad way, we embarked on the flying training and after receiving the silver wings, the next port of call was Bournemouth in a hotel which shortly afterwards was demolished by the Luftwaffe. Several courses preceded our arrival at Lindholme heavy conversion unit before joining the Battle of the Ruhr with No 100 Squadron based at Waltham near Grimsby. My crew and I were assigned a brand new Lancaster III EE139 which we almost did for on our twenty-fourth trip with her to Manheim, but she went on to complete 120 operations before being unceremoniously scrapped. Little did we think that over 60 years later she would be recalled to life by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. After a period of instructing I was then posted to No 7 Sqdn for deployment to the Far East, which was stymied by the dropping of the atomic bomb, I did a lot more instructing before applying for a secondment to BOAC. |
Lishman Y Easby Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Lishman Y Easby Lishman Y. Easby (Wireless Operator) joined the RAF in 1941 after service in the Home Guard. He was selected for training as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner but after training as a W/Op he was posted to Coastal Command 159Gp HQ, Liverpool, and served in 1942 as a ground wireless operator. Later in the year he was called for training as a W/op (air) which was followed by an air-gunner course. Following this he was posted to an Operational Training Unit and joined Ron Clark and his crew as a W/op on 4 engined aircraft – the two jobs were separate. The crew were later posted for further training, first on Halifax and then on Lancasters; then posted to 100 Sqn, Waltham, near Grimsby, where they were given a brand new Lancaster which they named the Phantom of the Ruhr. Their Flight Engineer, Harold Bennett DFM painted its name and insignia on the nose of the aircraft. The same name today adorns the Lancaster which flies as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. In the Phantom they completed 21 ops to Germany and two to Italy, after which the Phantom was taken in for extensive repairs due to enemy damage. The crew completed a further four ops which then completed their tour. For their 27th op the crew were transferred to 625 Sqn Kelstern (Lincs) which turned out to be their final operation and they were then disbanded. Lishman Easby was then posted to OTU near Shrewsbury to help with the training of new crews. Later he was posted to 298 Sqn Transport Command with another pilot (Ian Forbes) and crew where they received training in towing Horsa Gliders in preparation for an airborne attack on Singapore. However, the war ended suddenly and the Sqn was posted to India and eventually to Burma to take part in Operation Hunger. This entailed dropping sacks of rice on isolated villages thus saving them from famine. This ended his service and he was released from service in 1946. He agreed to his name being held in reserve as a Minute Man until aged 45. During this time he could be called back in an emergency for immediate service. However, this never happened. |
Flight Lieutenant Les Fletcher DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Flight Lieutenant Les Fletcher DFC* Initially trained as a pilot in America and was posted to 100 Squadron in the spring of 1943 on Lancasters. Completing a full tour and after a spell training he was posted to 571 Squadron Light Night Strike Force, where he completed two tours on Mosquitos. He finally ended the war flying Yorks for the Diplomatic Service. |
Squadron Leader Martin Withers, DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Squadron Leader Martin Withers, DFC Joined the RAF in 1968. In 1971, he was posted to 44 Sqn at RAF Waddington as a Vulcan co-pilot, remaining there on 50 Sqn as a captain until 1976. After 3 years as a Jet Provost QFI at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, he returned to RAF Scampton as a QFI on the Vulcan Operational Conversion Unit. When the OCU closed, he moved again to RAF Waddington as Pilot Leader and Squadron QFI on 101 Sqn. The following year, during the Falklands War, he and his crew were selected to fly 2 of the 5 Black Buck missions. Martin Withers was the captain on XM607, the first Vulcan to bomb in anger during the Falklands War. On 1 May 1982, just one month after the Argentine invasion, Withers and his crew completed Black Buck One, the longest distance bombing mission in history until that time, and one of the most significant, attacking Port Stanley airfield during an 8,000 mile, 16 hour flight from their base at Ascension Island. for which he was awarded the DFC, with the other crewmembers being Mentioned in Dispatches. With the final demise of the Vulcan squadrons, he returned to No1 FTS at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, where he served as squadron commander and Deputy Chief Instructor, until leaving the RAF in 1991, having flown over 5500 hours (2000 on Vulcans). Since then he has accumulated a further 9500 hours on a variety of airliners, and is now flying the Boeing 767. |
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