| Unit Name: | No. 41 Squadron Royal Air Force |
| Dates: |
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| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Allegiance: | King Charles III |
| Branch: | Royal Air Force |
| Type: | Flying squadron |
| Role: | Test and evaluation |
| Command Structure: | Air Warfare Centre |
| Garrison Label: | Home station |
| Garrison: | RAF Coningsby |
| Motto: | Seek and Destroy[1] |
| Anniversaries: | April 2016 (centenary) |
| Equipment Label: | Aircraft |
| Equipment: | Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 |
| Battle Honours: |
* Honours marked with an asterisk are emblazoned on the squadron standard |
| Website: | 41 Squadron RAF |
| Current Commander: | Wing Commander Lee 'Flash' Gordon |
| Notable Commanders: |
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| Identification Symbol Label: | Squadron tail badge |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Squadron badge heraldry |
| Identification Symbol 2: | A red double-armed cross on white background, originating from the squadron's association with St Omer, France which was its first overseas base in 1916 during the First World War. The cross is part of the town's arms. Approved by King George VI in February 1937.[4] |
| Identification Symbol 3 Label: | Post 1950 squadron roundel |
| Identification Symbol 4 Label: | Squadron codes |
| Identification Symbol 4: | PN (Jan 1939 – Sep 1939) EB (Sep 1939 – Feb 1951) FA–FZ (Jaguars) EB-A – EB-Z (2010 – present) |
No. 41 Squadron Royal Air Force is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF), currently operating as the Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) for the RAF's Typhoon, presently based at RAF Coningsby in the English county of Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom. Its current official abbreviated title is 41 TES. The squadron was originally formed in, during First World War as part of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and served on the Western Front as a ground attack and fighter squadron. Disbanded in 1919 as part of the post-war draw down, No. 41 Squadron was re-formed as an RAF squadron in 1923, and remained on home service until 1935, when it was deployed to Aden during the Abyssinian crisis.
During the Second World War, the squadron flew Supermarine Spitfire fighters, and saw action over Dunkirk and the during the Battle of Britain in the early years of the war. Combat operations were flown from Britain over German-occupied Europe during 1941–1944, before the squadron moved to the continent after the Normandy landings. During 1944–1945, the squadron supported the Allied advance into Germany, and it remained there until mid-1946 as part of the occupation force following the end of hostilities. In the post-war years, the squadron was disbanded and re-formed several times, operating a variety of jet aircraft in the fighter, reconnaissance, and interceptor roles. In 2006, the squadron was re-roled as the Fast Jet & Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit. It remained in this role until 2010, when it became the Test and Evaluation Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
No. 41 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was originally formed at Fort Rowner, RAF Gosport, in mid April 1916, with a nucleus of men from 28 Squadron RFC. However, on 22 May 1916, the squadron was disbanded again when it was re-numbered '27 Reserve Squadron RFC'.[5]
41 Squadron was re-formed on 14 July 1916[3] with a nucleus of men from 27 Reserve Squadron, and equipped with the Vickers F.B.5 'Gun Bus' and Airco D.H.2 'Scout'. These were replaced in early September 1916 with the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8, and it was these aircraft which the squadron took on their deployment to France on 15 October 1916. Eighteen aircraft departed Gosport for the 225miles flight to St. Omer, but only twelve actually made it, the others landing elsewhere with technical problems. The twelve pilots spent a week at St. Omer before moving to Abeele, where the ground crews reached them by road, and the remaining six pilots by rail, minus their aircraft.[6]
The F.E.8 was already obsolete as a pure fighter, and No. 41 used theirs mainly for ground attack. On 24 January 1917, the squadron claimed its first victories. These fell to Sergeant Pilot Cecil Tooms, who himself was killed in action only four hours later.[5] While equipped with F.E.8s, the squadron participated in the Battle of Arras (April–May 1917) and the Battle of Messines (June 1917). By this time, the unit had become the last 'pusher' fighter squadron in the RFC. In July 1917, No. 41 were re-equipped with DH 5 fighters, which proved disappointing; in October 1917, the squadron finally received S.E.5a fighters, with which they were equipped for the duration of the war.[6]
The squadron provided distinguished service in the Battle of Cambrai (November 1917), and subsequently in the German spring offensive (March 1918), and the Battle of Amiens (August 1918). 41 Squadron claimed its final victory of the war two days prior to the cessation of hostilities.[5] In the aftermath, the unit was reduced to a cadre of just 16 men on 7 February 1919, and returned to the United Kingdom. Their new base was Tangmere, but they were moved to Croydon, Surrey, in early October, and formally disbanded on 31 December 1919.[5]
During the war, some seventeen aces served with No. 41 Squadron, including; William Gordon Claxton, Frederick McCall, William Ernest Shields, Eric John Stephens, Frank Soden, Russell Winnicott, Geoffrey Hilton Bowman, Roy W. Chappell, Alfred Hemming, Frank Harold Taylor, Malcolm MacLeod, Loudoun MacLean, future Air Vice-Marshal Meredith Thomas, and William Gillespie. The unit had a remarkable number of Canadian aces in it; ten out of the seventeen. The squadron's pilots and ground crews were awarded four DSOs, six MCs, nine DFCs, two MMs, and four Mentions in Dispatches, for their World War I service with the unit. The pilots were credited with destroying 111 aircraft and 14 balloons, sending down 112 aircraft out of control, and driving down 25 aircraft and five balloons. Thirty-nine men were killed or died on active service, 48 were wounded or injured, and 20 pilots became Prisoners of War, including Australian Captain Norman Bruce Hair.[7]
The squadron reformed at RAF Northolt on 1 April 1923, equipped with the Sopwith Snipe. In 1924, it began receiving the first Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III biplanes.[8] On 27 July 1929, eleven aircraft from 41 Squadron flew to Calais to rendezvous with French aviation pioneer Louis Blériot and escort him back to Dover, in a re-enactment of the first crossing of the English Channel 20 years earlier.[9] On 9 October 1930, following the R101 airship disaster in Beauvais, France, 41 Squadron pilots and ground crew formed a part of the Guard of Honour for the Lying-in-State of the 48 victims in the Palace of Westminster. Amongst the dead were the Secretary of State for Air, Brig. Gen. Lord Christopher Thomson PC CBE DSO, and the Director of Civil Aviation, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker KCB AFC. Thousands filed past to pay their last respects.[10]
During the 1930s, displays, sports, competitions, tactical exercises, and flying practice were a part of regular activity. In the summer of 1934, 41 Squadron even performed a flying display for South Bucks Mothers' Union.[8] On 1 July 1935, 41 Squadron escorted an Imperial Airways aircraft to Brussels, with the Duke and Duchess of York on board, where they attend functions for British Week at the International Exhibition.[11] During this period, 41 Squadron was also visited by a number of British and foreign government and military dignitaries. One of the first was Japanese General Matsui Iwane who, after World War II, was held accountable and executed for the 1937 'Rape of Nanjing', in which his armies murdered an estimated 300,000 Chinese civilians. British dignitaries included Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, the Chief of Air Services, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Trenchard GCB DSO, the Air Officer Commanding in Chief Air Defence of Great Britain, Air Marshal Sir Edward Ellington KCB CMG CBE, and the Air Officer Commanding Fighting Area, Air Defence of Great Britain, Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Dowding, CB CMG.[8]
In October 1935, the squadron was sent to the Aden Province with 12 Squadron and 203 Squadron, to help provide a deterrent to Italy in the region during the Abyssinian crisis of 1935–36, and to protect Aden in case of an airborne or seaborne attack by Italian forces. Although 41 Squadron visited British Somaliland once, which bordered Abyssinia, the unit was otherwise not involved in the crisis, and spent much of their time in flying training and periodic mail runs to Perim Island and Kamaran Island.[8] On occasion, they assisted the resident unit, 8 Squadron, with air policing duties, and returned to the United Kingdom in August 1936.[12] They were then based at RAF Catterick, Yorkshire, from September 1936,[13] where they remained until May 1940.[8]
In April 1937, 41 Squadron's badge and motto, 'Seek and Destroy', are unveiled for the first time and presented to the squadron by the AOC in C, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding KCB CMG. The badge takes the form of a red double-armed cross on a white background, adapted from the arms of the French town of St. Omer, the location of the squadron's first operational overseas posting, in October 1916.[8]
On 30 December 1938, 41 Squadron was issued with the Supermarine Spitfire, becoming the third RAF squadron to receive them. By early February 1939, the squadron had received a full complement of twenty Mark.I Spitfires, at the cost of £129,130.[14]
Around 200 pilots served with 41 Squadron between 1 April 1923 and 2 September 1939. During this period, no battle honours were granted, nor any decorations awarded, but the era produced ten Air Commodores, nine Air Vice-Marshals, two Air Marshals, and two Air Chief Marshals. During these same years, eleven men were killed and three injured in flying accidents, and three injured in aircrew accidents on the ground.[15]
Following the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, 41 Squadron spent the first several months on monotonous routine patrols in the north of England. At the end of May 1940, the squadron flew south to RAF Hornchurch to participate in the evacuation of Dunkirk. Twelve days later, they returned to RAF Catterick, claiming six Axis aircraft destroyed and one probable, but also left behind two pilots, the squadron's first pilot killed in action, and their first lost as a prisoner of war.[8] [2] After resting for a few weeks, the squadron headed south again on 26 July 1940, to participate in the first phase of the Battle of Britain. In its two-week tour, the Squadron claimed 10 Axis aircraft destroyed, four probables and three damaged, for the loss of one pilot killed and a second wounded.[8]
Again, 41 Squadron returned north to Catterick for a few weeks rest, but returned to Hornchurch on 3 September 1940, where they remained until the end of February 1941. They were now in the thick of the Battle of Britain. The price was high, but so was the damage they inflicted on the Luftwaffe. On 5 September, the squadron experienced one of its blackest days. The Commanding Officer and OC, B Flight, were killed in action, and three other pilots were shot down and two were wounded in action; one of these was hospitalised for six months.[8]
On 31 October 1940, the Battle of Britain was considered officially over. 49 pilots flew with the squadron between 10 July and 31 October 1940. Of these, forty-two were British, two Canadian, two Irish, and two New Zealanders. Ten were killed and twelve wounded in action (44% casualties). The squadron claimed over 100 victories from July 1940 to the end of that year.[16] On 23 February 1941, the squadron returned to Catterick for a well-earned break. Only four pilots remained from the original 18 who landed in Hornchurch on 3 September 1940. However, in reality it is much worse: sixteen pilots had been killed, five wounded and hospitalised (who did not return) and fifteen otherwise posted away, in effect a 200% turnover since the unit's deployment to Hornchurch in early September. The squadron also now has its third Commanding Officer since then, and its fourth within ten months.[17]
Following five months rest in Catterick, during which the last Battle of Britain hardened pilots departed and new recruits joined from the British Commonwealth Air Training Programme, the squadron headed south to Merston, Sussex, on 28 July 1941, to join the Tangmere Wing, where the wing leader was Douglas Bader. There followed an intensive period of offensive activity over France.[18]
On 12 February 1942, 41 Squadron took part in the attack on the German Kriegsmarine's,, and after they escaped from Brest and made a dash up the Channel to the safety of their home ports. During these actions, 41 Squadron claimed three German aircraft destroyed and one damaged, but lost one pilot who failed to return.[19]
The squadron also supported the ill-fated Canadian landings at Dieppe (Operation Jubilee) on 19 August 1942, completing three squadron-strength missions over the beaches. The pilots returned from the third without the Officer Commanding, Sqn Ldr Geoffrey Hyde, who was hit by flak and killed; he was the squadron's only casualty that day.[20]
Tired, after a busy summer on the south coast fending off Me109s and FW190s fulfilling the Luftwaffe's 'hit and run' strategy, the squadron was taken off operations until February 1943 and sent to Llanbedr, Wales, for an extended period of rest. This heralded the start of an intensive period of turnover in the unit's ranks, as men were rested and fresh pilots brought in.[21]
In February 1943, the unit became the first of only two squadrons to receive the new Griffon-engine Spitfire Mk.XII. Having rested, re-equipped and trained on the new aircraft, the squadron was sent back onto operations in April 1943, and claimed their first definitive victory in over ten months on 17 April. This was also the first by the RAF in the Mk.XII Spitfire.[22]
From late June 1943, large scale bomber escorts to targets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, became a daily event, and Ramrod escorts to formations of between 50 and 150 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-26 Marauders became routine.[23]
41 Squadron provided air support in the lead-up to, and throughout the D-Day landings. On D-Day itself, 6 June 1944, three pilots were hit by flak over the bridgehead and one was killed. On 19 June, however, the squadron was pulled off air support for the bridgehead in France, and was deployed solely in the destruction of Germany's newest weapon, the V-1 flying bomb.[24] On 28 August 1944, the squadron claimed its last of 53 V1s destroyed during the war. Several pilots succeeded in bringing them down after expending all their ammunition, by flying alongside them and placing their own wingtips underneath that of the V1. The wind movement between both wingtips was sufficient to upset the V1's gyroscope and send crashing it to the ground.[25]
The squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.XIV in September 1944, and during the ensuing three months, participated in 'Big Ben' operations against V2 launch sites, in Operation Market Garden at Arnhem and Nijmegen, in operations in the Walcheren campaign, and in the Allied Oil Campaign over Germany.[26]
The squadron moved to the continent in early December 1944, making its base at Diest in Belgium. Ground targets were the squadron's chief prey as a member of 125 Wing, and the unit attacked anything moving on road, rail, or canal in Germany. Operating so close to the ground, flak also took its toll on pilots and aircraft. One pilot was killed, three wounded, and two shot down and taken prisoner.[26]
In April 1945, the squadron moved forward with the advancing front, and made its first base in Germany, just south-west of the town of Celle, 140miles due west of Berlin, and only a short distance south-east of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. During April and early May 1945, German resistance crumbled. 41 Squadron claimed 33 enemy aircraft destroyed, two probably destroyed, and three damaged in the air, and 21 damaged on the ground, in the 23 days preceding 3 May 1945 (the date of the squadron's final claim). Their own casualties for the same period were no pilots killed or wounded in action, and no aircraft lost to enemy action, although some did sustain combat damage.[27]
After the cessation of hostilities, the squadron was based a short time at Kastrup (Copenhagen), but then returned to Germany, where it became a part of the Allied occupying forces, 'BAFO'. By the end of the war, 41 Squadron had claimed 200 aircraft destroyed, 61 probably destroyed, 109 damaged, and 53 V-1s destroyed. On 31 March 1946, still based on the continent, 41 Squadron was disbanded by re-numbering to 26 Squadron.[28]
The squadron had two mascots during the war: 'Wimpy', a Bull Terrier with the tip of one ear missing, at Catterick in 1939–40, and 'Perkin', a large black French Poodle, in 1943–44.[29] The squadron's 325 World War II pilots were men from Britain, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Poland, White Russia, Rhodesia, South Africa, Trinidad, Uruguay, the United States, and Zululand.[30]
41 Squadron's pilots were awarded three DSOs, 21 DFCs, one DFM, and one Mention in Dispatches, for their World War II service with the unit. Sixty four were killed in action or died on active service, 58 were wounded in action or injured in accidents, three were shot down but evaded capture and returned to the United Kingdom, and 21 pilots were shot down and became Prisoners of War. The average age of a man who died in service with 41 Squadron during World War II was 23½.[31]
On 1 April 1946, only a day after being disbanded in Germany, 41 Squadron was re-formed at RAF Dalcross in Scotland as a fighter squadron, by re-numbering from 122 Squadron, and reverted to the Supermarine Spitfire, this time the Mk. F.21.[28]
The squadron flew its Spitfires for the last time on 18 August 1947, and became No. 41 Instrument Flying Rating Squadron, equipped with the Airspeed Oxfords & North American Harvard. However, in June the following year, the squadron reverted to fighter defence and was re-equipped with the De Havilland Hornet F.1, followed later by the F.3.[3]
41 Squadron became a day fighter unit again in January 1951 and entered the jet age, receiving its first jet-powered aircraft, the Gloster Meteor F.4. In April 1951 these were replaced by the Gloster Meteor F.8, and four years later the squadron received the Hawker Hunter F.5.[3] On 14 July 1957, the squadron was presented with a Standard displaying the unit's Battle Honours by the CAS, Air Marshal Sir Theodore McEvoy KCB CBE, who had served three years with 41 Squadron as a young officer,[32] following his graduation from RAF College, Cranwell in 1925.[33]
However, no amount of nostalgia would save the unit from the Government's budgetary axe. On 15 January 1958, as a part of a scheme to reduce the size of RAF Fighter Command, 41 Squadron fell to the same fate as 600 and 615 Squadrons had before it, and were also disbanded. With the departure of 41 Squadron from RAF Biggin Hill ceased to be a Fighter Command airfield, its infrastructure now deemed out of date for the requirements of modern warfare. The runways had become too short for the RAF's newest generation of aircraft and, as a result of encroaching development and civil air paths which now passed above, the base was no longer in a practical location. Fighter Command officially departed from the airfield on 1 March 1958.[34]
This gave 41 Squadron the curious distinction of being the last fighter squadron ever to be based at Biggin Hill. The departure of the unit marked the end of an era for the station in every sense of the word, as thereafter it was relegated to non-operational status, and only used by the London University Air Squadron.[34]
However, as with 41 Squadron's 1946 disbanding, this, too, was a mere technicality. On 16 January 1958, just a day after being disbanded, 141 Squadron, based at RAF Coltishall, near Norwich in Norfolk, dropped the '1' at the beginning of its number and was thus reborn as 41 Squadron. In doing so, they automatically absorbed 141's all-weather Gloster Javelin FAW.4 fighters and personnel.[35]
41 Squadron's standard, originally presented only six months previously, was handed over to 141 Squadron on 16 January 1958 in a short ceremony attended by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Pike, and by 11 Group's Air Officer Commanding, Air Vice-Marshal Victor Bowling, himself a veteran 41 Squadron pilot from 1935.[36]
Only remaining at Coltishall six months, the squadron moved to RAF Wattisham, near Ipswich, Suffolk, on 5 July 1958, where the Gloster Javelin FAW.4s were replaced by FAW.8s in January 1960. By this time, 56 Squadron had also joined them at the station. Whilst there, they hosted French Air Force Dassault Super Mystère fighters during President Charles de Gaulle's state visit in April 1960. 41 Squadron remained at Wattisham for approximately five-and-a-half years, before the unit was disbanded again, on 31 December 1963.[3]
On 1 September 1965, after a 20-month break, 41 Squadron was re-formed at RAF West Raynham, near Fakenham in Norfolk, but this time as a completely different structure. The unit remained firmly on the ground as a missile defence squadron, armed with Bloodhound Mk.II surface-to-air-missile (SAM).[37] Changes to the SAM programme, however, saw 41 Squadron disbanded yet again just five years later, on 18 September 1970.[3] The squadron standard was moved to the Church of St. Michael and St. George at RAF West Raynham, for safe-keeping.[3]
On 1 April 1972, at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the squadron was reborn as a tactical fighter reconnaissance and ground attack unit within 38 Group Air Support Command. To support them in their reconnaissance role, a 'Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre' or 'RIC' was formed. The RIC is composed of a number of Air Transportable Reconnaissance Exploitation Laboratories (ATREL), which enable the rapid developing of photographic images and their subsequent analysis. The ATRELs can be transported by air or road, and can be deployed with the squadron to forward operating bases.[3]
In this role, they were equipped with McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom FGR.2s, but these were soon deemed to be unsuitable for the unit. Over the ensuing years, a strategic decision was made to change the role of the RAF's Phantoms from a fighter to an interceptor. This amendment, however, created consternation within some circles, as it was felt the squadron should maintain its role as a fighter and ground attack unit. Consequently, it was resolved to disband 41 Squadron and re-form it elsewhere to enable it to do so.[3]
In preparation for this change, '41 Designate Squadron' was formed at RAF Coltishall, in north Norfolk, on 1 July 1976, and commenced training as a reconnaissance unit with SEPECAT Jaguar GR1 aircraft. The two squadrons operated independently of one another until 31 March 1977, when 41 Squadron was disbanded at Coningsby. This allowed the Coltishall-based 41 Designate Squadron to drop 'Designate' from their name, take possession of the standard, adopt the squadron badge, and become the new combat-ready 41 Squadron at RAF Coltishall a day later.[3]
41 Squadron's role changed to low-level reconnaissance and, in early 1978, it became part of SACEUR's Strategic Reserve. In 1980, the unit was assigned to the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force, and was subsequently involved in exercises at Bardufoss in Norway and Decimomannu in the Mediterranean.[38]
In support of its reconnaissance role, the unit formed a RIC at Coltishall to process and interpret the photographs made by pilots, using sensors located in a large external pod. The photographic film was taken to the MAREL's (Mobile Aerial Reconnaissance Exploitation Laboratories) for processing and interpretation. Ideally, a mission report would have been generated within 45 minutes of 'engines off'. Smaller 'air-portable' RICs were also used during off-base deployments.[39]
As a result of this ability, the squadron has been involved in a number of conflicts over two decades during the 1990s and 2000s. In early 1991, during the First Gulf War (Operation Granby, known by its American name, Desert Storm), a large number of reconnaissance and bombing missions were flown against Iraqi forces with Jaguar GR1 and GR1A aircraft as a part of the coalition forces.[3]
In its aftermath, the squadron was deployed to Incirlik, in south-west Turkey, where it participated in the defence of Iraq's Kurdish minority within the boundaries of the country's northern no-fly zone (Operations 'Warden' and 'Resinate North') until April 1993. It was during this period that the large external photographic pods were replaced with smaller, more versatile, medium level pods.[35]
Four months later, the squadron was deployed to southern Italy, where it flew policing duties over Bosnia in support of Operation Deny Flight until August 1995. It was during this time that one of the squadron's Jaguars became the first RAF aircraft to drop a bomb in anger over Europe since the end of World War II. The target was a Bosnian Serb tank.[3]
The squadron returned to home Coltishall in August 1995 for a well-earned rest. Despite the vital work they had performed in Iraq and Bosnia, however, the squadron found their photographic systems were inhibited by the use of photographic film, which required special handling and processing before any results could be viewed and analysed. This drawback was compounded by the inherent difficulties of moving hardcopy prints around the battlefield, particularly with the distances involved in modern warfare. To overcome these issues, the Jaguar Replacement Reconnaissance Pod (JRRP) was introduced in August 2000.[40]
The new system provided for the recording of a digital images by three cameras onto VHS-C super videotapes with electro optical sensors for day operations and infra-red sensors for night operations. Digital images were then analysed in the ATRELs through in a windows-based application, named 'Ground Imagery Exploitation System', or 'GIES'. The GIES allowed image analysts to edit images and send them electronically.[41]
This system was taken into battle on the Squadron's last operational deployment, during the Second Gulf War (Operation Telic) in Iraq in March–April 2003. During the operation, they were based at Incirlik, Turkey, once again, equipped with the more up-to-date Jaguar GR3.[38]
In July 2004, the Defence Secretary announced that 41 Squadron would be disbanded once again, on 31 March 2006, as a part of a re-organisation of the Defence Forces following a Government spending review, and the so-called Gershon efficiency study. A White Paper, titled 'Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities', foresaw the retirement of the RAF's Jaguar aircraft two years early and the closure of RAF Coltishall. Advances in technology, it reasoned, would mean air defence could be maintained with fewer aircraft, thus allowing older equipment to be withdrawn from service earlier than originally intended. The authors planned that the RAF's future air combat force would be based around the multi-role Typhoon and Joint Combat Aircraft, in co-operation with the Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR7/GR9. Furthermore, the paper intended to reduce Royal Air Force trained manned strength from 48,500 to 41,000 by 1 April 2008.[42]
As a result of these decisions, all of RAF Coltishall's squadrons would be directly affected. 16(R) (the Jaguar OCU) and 54(F) Squadrons, would be disbanded by 1 April 2005 and their aircraft disposed of, and 41 Squadron by 1 April 2006. 6 Squadron, with the last of the RAF's Jaguars, would be moved to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 1 April 2006, itself disbanded by 31 October 2007. RAF Coltishall itself would be finally closed in December 2006, thus ending an over 66 year history.[43]
The first of these draw-downs took place on 11 March 2005, when 16 and 54 Squadrons held a combined passing-out parade. However, their disbandment had little immediate effect on the activity at Coltishall, as most Jaguar airframes and personnel were absorbed into 6 and 41 Squadrons. However, with the departure of these latter squadrons in 2006, and the subsequent closure of the base in December, the close-knit RAF community was dispersed to other locations, and a quiet returned to the area, which has not existed since May 1940.[44]
The following senior leaders of the Royal Air Force all served with 41 Squadron at some time in their career during the Jaguar period: Sir Stephen Dalton, Sir Richard Garwood, Sir Chris Harper, Sir Jock Stirrup, Sir Charles John Thomson, and Sir Glenn Torpy.[45]
However, despite the Government's intention to disband 41 Squadron, and plans drawn up for final ceremonies to take place on the first weekend in April 2006, the unit was given a new lease on life only a short while before taking effect. Approval was received to move 41 Squadron to Coningsby with 6 Squadron on 1 April 2006, and to assume the role of the Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, or 'FJWOEU'.[3]
The Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU) was formed before it assumed the 41 Squadron number plate. It was created on 1 April 2004 from the merger of the Strike Attack OEU (SAOEU), the F3 OEU, and the Air Guided Weapons OEU (AGWOEU). The FJWOEU took over 41(F) Squadron's number plate on 1 April 2006, rescuing 41 Squadron from disbandment that would have otherwise resulted from the retirement of the RAF's Jaguar fleet.[3]
Their new aircraft consisted of Panavia Tornados and Harrier GR9s, and that same year, the squadron celebrated its 90th anniversary. It remained in the role of FJWOEU until 2010, during that time testing numerous weapons and defence systems that were subsequently deployed by British forces on the front line at various locations throughout the world, including Afghanistan.[46]
On 1 April 2010, the Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS), then based at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, was amalgamated into No. 41(Reserve) Squadron to create a new entity, 41 Squadron Test and Evaluation Squadron, or '41(R) TES', in which form it continues today.[46]
In September 2010, the squadron celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, holding an event at RAF Coningsby attended by families of pilots of the World War II era.[47] The squadron painted its current aircraft with World War II-era 'EB' codes, recognising various World War II pilots and their aircraft. Originally, some of these codes were applied to the squadron's Harriers, but when these were retired, the codes were then applied to the Squadron's Tornados, and subsequently Typhoons, that replaced them. They currently commemorate the following World War II aircraft:[48]
| code! | historic aircraft | date | original pilot ‡ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type | type | ||||||
| Typhoon FGR4 | ZJ947 | EB-L | Spitfire Ia | K9805 | Wg Cdr Edward A. Shipman AFC RAF | ||
| Typhoon FGR4 | ZK321 | EB-R | Spitfire Ia | P9428 | Sqn Ldr Hilary R. L. 'Robin' Hood DFC RAF | ||
| Typhoon FGR4 | ZJ914 | EB-G | Spitfire Ia | N3162 | Flt Lt Eric S. 'Lockie' Lock DSO DFC* MiD RAF | ||
| Typhoon FGR4 | ZJ912 | EB-J | Spitfire Ia | X4559 | Sqn Ldr George H. 'Ben' Bennions DFC RAF | ||
| Tornado GR4 | ZG775 | EB-Z | Spitfire IIa | P7666 | Gp Capt Donald O. Finlay DFC AFC RAF | ||
| Tornado GR4 | ZA560 | EB-Q | Spitfire Va | R7304 | WO William A. 'Bill' Brew RAAF | ||
| Typhoon FGR4 | ZK339 | EB-B | Spitfire XII | MB882 | Sqn Ldr Terence 'Terry' Spencer DFC TEM RAF | ||
| Typhoon FGR4 | ZJ914 | EB-H | Spitfire XIV | NH915 | Flt Lt Derek Rake OBE AFC & Bar | ||
41 Squadron was also in the spotlight on 29 April 2011, when two of its Tornado GR4s flew with two Typhoons from RAF Coningsby in the Royal Air Force flypast down The Mall and over Buckingham Palace for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. One of the Tornados was flown by the squadron's then Officer Commanding, Wg Cdr Rich Davies.[51] In 2012, to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games, 41 Squadron unveiled special tail markings on Tornado GR4, ZA614, EB-Z, to commemorate the squadron's link with the Olympic Games. Gp Capt Donald O. Finlay DFC AFC, who commanded the squadron from September 1940 to August 1941, had won Bronze in the Men Hurdles at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, won Silver in the same event at the 1936 Berlin Games, and read the Olympic Oath at the commencement of 1948 London Games.[52]
The first published history of 41 Squadron, Blood, Sweat, and Valour, was launched at the Royal Air Force Club in London in December 2012, and recounts the unit's wartime activity during the war years August 1942 to May 1945.[53] A second volume, entitled Blood, Sweat and Courage was launched at the Royal Air Force Club in London in December 2014, and covers the preceding war years, September 1939 to July 1942.[54] Another major change took place on 22 April 2013, when 41 Squadron took over the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s of fellow RAF Coningsby based No. 17(R) Test and Evaluation Squadron, which will have a new role, preparing for the introduction of the F-35B Lightning into Royal Air Force and Royal Navy service.[55]
41 Squadron's World War II era EB codes have been carried over onto three of their new Typhoon aircraft. They were ZJ930, coded EB-R for Sqn Ldr Hilary R. L. 'Robin' Hood DFC (OC 41 Sqn 1940); ZJ947 coded EB-L for Wg Cdr Edward 'Shippy' Shipman AFC (1936–1940); and ZK332, coded EB-J for Sqn Ldr George H. 'Ben' Bennions DFC (1936–1940). An additional Typhoon aircraft had also joined the Squadron, prompting the need for an eighth code, and the opportunity to honour another of the Squadron's World War II pilots. After having initially been coded EB-G for Flt Lt Eric S. 'Lockie' Lock DSO DFC* MiD RAF, the honour has gone to Gp Capt Derek S. V. Rake OBE AFC & Bar (1945) and Typhoon ZJ914 has been coded EB-H.[56]
41 Squadron celebrated its centenary in July 2016, by holding a parade and Gala Dinner at RAF Coningsby on 14 July, and a Friends and Families Open Day on 22 July. The 41 Squadron Association was also formed to coincide with the centenary.[57]
The squadron's Panavia Tornados were phased out in late 2017, and the last flight in this aircraft type took place on Friday 13 October 2017.[58] 41 Squadron retains its Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s, and continues to fly these aircraft.[59]
All World War II-era EB codes have now been removed from the Squadron's tailfins but one Tornado has been preserved as a gate guardian at MOD Sealand, marked EB-X, which includes the Squadron badge and Centenary (1916-2016) tail art.[60]
| Date | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 April 1916 | Formed as a fighter squadron (nucleus from 28 Squadron RFC) | |
| 22 May 1916 | Disbanded by renumbering to 27 Reserve Squadron RFC | |
| 14 July 1916 | Re-formed as 41 Squadron RFC (nucleus from 27 Reserve Squadron RFC) | |
| 31 December 1919 | Disbanded | |
| 1 April 1923 | Re-formed as a fighter squadron | |
| 31 March 1946 | Disbanded by renumbering to 26 Squadron | |
| 1 April 1946 | Re-formed by re-numbering from 122 Squadron | |
| 15 January 1958 | Disbanded | |
| 16 January 1958 | Re-formed by re-numbering from 141 Squadron | |
| 31 December 1963 | Disbanded | |
| 1 September 1965 | Re-formed as Bloodhound Mk. IIa SAM Defence Squadron | |
| 1 July 1970 | Disbanded | |
| 1 April 1972 | Re-formed as a fighter and ground attack squadron | |
| 31 March 1977 | Disbanded | |
| 1 April 1977 | Re-formed as a low-level reconnaissance squadron | |
| 1 April 2006 | Disbanded | |
| 1 April 2006 | Re-formed as Reserve Squadron (41(R) Squadron) and Fast Jet & Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU) | |
| 1 April 2010 | New Entity, re-structured as Test and Evaluation Squadron (41(R) TES) |
| Base | Location | Arrival | Base | Location | Arrival | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Rowner, Gosport[78] | Hampshire | 15 Apr 1916 | Westhampnett[79] | Sussex | 21 Jun 1943 | ||
| Fort Rowner, Gosport[80] | Hampshire | 14 Jul 1916 | Tangmere[81] | Sussex | 4 Oct 1943 | ||
| St. Omer | France | 15 Oct 1916 | Southend[82] | Essex | 7 Feb 1944 | ||
| Abeele | Belgium | 21 Oct 1916 | Tangmere | Sussex | 20 Feb 1944 | ||
| Hondschoote | France | 24 May 1917 | Friston | Sussex | 11 Mar 1944 | ||
| Abeele | Belgium | 15 Jun 1917 | Bolt Head | Devon | 29 Apr 1944 | ||
| Léalvillers | France | 3 Jul 1917 | Fairwood Common[83] | Glamorgan | 16 May 1944 | ||
| Marieux | France | 22 Mar 1918 | Bolt Head | Devon | 24 May 1944 | ||
| Fienvillers | France | 27 Mar 1918 | West Malling | Kent | 19 Jun 1944 | ||
| Alquines | France | 29 Mar 1918 | Tangmere[84] | Sussex | 26 Jun 1944 | ||
| Savy | France | 9 Apr 1918 | Westhampnett | Sussex | 27 Jun 1944 | ||
| Serny | France | 11 Apr 1918 | Friston | Sussex | 2 Jul 1944 | ||
| Estrée Blanche (Liettres) | France | 19 May 1918 | Lympne | Kent | 11 Jul 1944 | ||
| Conteville | France | 1 Jun 1918 | B.56 Evere[85] | Belgium | 4 Dec 1944 | ||
| St. Omer | France | 14 Aug 1918 | B.64 Diest/Schaffen | Belgium | 5 Dec 1944 | ||
| Droglandt | Belgium | 20 Sep 1918 | Y.32 Ophoven[86] | Belgium | 31 Dec 1944 | ||
| Halluin East | Belgium | 23 Oct 1918 | B.80 Volkel | Netherlands | 27 Jan 1945 | ||
| Tangmere | Sussex | 7 Feb 1919 | Warmwell[87] | Dorset | 7 Mar 1945 | ||
| Croydon | Surrey | 8 Oct 1919 | B.78 Eindhoven | Netherlands | 18 Mar 1945 | ||
| Northolt | Middlesex | 1 Apr 1923 | B.106 Twente | Netherlands | 7 Apr 1945 | ||
| Underway to Aden | Yemen | 4 Oct 1935 | B.118 Celle | Germany | 16 Apr 1945 | ||
| Khormaksar | Yemen | 20 Oct 1935 | B.160 Kastrup | Denmark | 9 May 1945 | ||
| Sheikh Othman | Yemen | 18 Mar 1936 | B.172 Husum | Germany | 21 Jun 1945 | ||
| Underway to Southampton | Hampshire | 10 Aug 1936 | B.158 Lübeck | Germany | 11 Jul 1945 | ||
| Catterick | Yorkshire | 25 Sep 1936 | Warmwell[88] | Dorset | 20 Aug 1945 | ||
| Wick | Caithness | 19 Oct 1939 | B.158 Lübeck | Germany | 6 Sep 1945 | ||
| Catterick[89] | Yorkshire | 25 Oct 1939 | B.116 Wunstorf | Germany | 30 Jan 1946 | ||
| Hornchurch | Essex | 28 May 1940 | B.170 Sylt | Germany | 28 Feb 1946 | ||
| Catterick[90] | Yorkshire | 8 Jun 1940 | B.116 Wunstorf | Germany | 29 Mar 1946 | ||
| Hornchurch[91] | Essex | 26 Jul 1940 | Dalcross | Scotland | 1 Apr 1946 | ||
| Catterick | Yorkshire | 8 Aug 1940 | Wittering | Cambridge | 8 Apr 1946 | ||
| Hornchurch[92] | Essex | 3 Sep 1940 | B.158 Lübeck | Germany | 29 Jun 1946 | ||
| Catterick[93] | Yorkshire | 23 Feb 1941 | Duxford | Cambridge | 9 Sep 1946 | ||
| Merston | Sussex | 28 Jul 1941 | Wittering | Cambridge | 30 Sep 1946 | ||
| Westhampnett[94] | Sussex | 16 Dec 1941 | Acklington | Northumberland | 11 Nov 1946 | ||
| Merston | Sussex | 1 Apr 1942 | Wittering | Cambridge | 20 Dec 1946 | ||
| Martlesham Heath[95] | Suffolk | 15 Jun 1942 | Church Fenton | Yorkshire | 17 Apr 1947 | ||
| Hawkinge | Kent | 30 Jun 1942 | Biggin Hill | Kent | 29 Mar 1951 | ||
| Debden | Essex | 8 Jul 1942 | Coltishall | Norfolk | 1 Feb 1958 | ||
| Longtown[96] | Cumberland | 4 Aug 1942 | Wattisham | Suffolk | 5 Jul 1958 | ||
| Llanbedr | Merioneth | 9 Aug 1942 | West Raynham | Norfolk | 1 Sep 1965 | ||
| Tangmere[97] | Sussex | 16 Aug 1942 | Coningsby | Lincolnshire | 1 Apr 1972 | ||
| Llanbedr | Merioneth | 20 Aug 1942 | Coltishall | Norfolk | 1 Apr 1977 | ||
| Eglinton[98] | Londonderry | 22 Sep 1942 | Thumrait AB4 | Oman | 13 Aug 1990 | ||
| Llanbedr | Merioneth | 30 Sep 1942 | Seeb AB[99] | Oman | 29 Aug 1990 | ||
| Tangmere[100] | Sussex | 8 Oct 1942 | Muharraq[101] | Bahrain | 7 Oct 1990 | ||
| Llanbedr[102] | Merioneth | 11 Oct 1942 | Incirlik[103] | Turkey | Sep 1991 | ||
| High Ercall | Salop | 25 Feb 1943 | Gioia del Colle[104] | Italy | Aug 1993 | ||
| Hawkinge | Kent | 13 Apr 1943 | Incirlik[105] | Turkey | Sep 2002 | ||
| Biggin Hill | Kent | 21 May 1943 | Coningsby | Lincolnshire | 1 Apr 2006 | ||
| Friston | Sussex | 28 May 1943 |
| Aircraft | Received | Aircraft | Received | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airco de Havilland DH.2 ‘Scout’ | July 1916 | Supermarine Spitfire Mk. F.21 | April 1946 | ||
| Vickers F.B.5 ‘Gun Bus’ | July 1916 | Airspeed Oxford AS.10 | August 1947 | ||
| September 1916 | August 1947 | ||||
| July 1917 | De Havilland Hornet F.1 | June 1948 | |||
| October 1917 | De Havilland Hornet F.3 | August 1948 | |||
| April 1923 | Gloster Meteor F.4 | January 1951 | |||
| Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III/IIIa | April 1924 | Gloster Meteor F.8 | April 1951 | ||
| Bristol Bulldog 105A Mk. IIa | October 1931 | Hawker Hunter F.5 | July 1955 | ||
| Hawker Demon Mk. I | July 1934 | Gloster Javelin FAW.4 | February 1958 | ||
| Hawker Fury Mk. II | October 1937 | Gloster Javelin FAW.8 | January 1960 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I | December 1938 | Bloodhound Mk. II S.A.M. | September 1965 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ia | September 1939 | McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 | April 1972 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IIa | October 1940 | SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 | July 1976 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ia | February 1941 | SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3 | May 1997 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IIa | March 1941 | SEPECAT Jaguar T4 or GR.3a | April 2006 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Va & Vb | July 1941 | Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR9 | April 2006 | ||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XII | February 1943 | April 2006 | |||
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV | September 1944 | Panavia Tornado GR4 | April 2006 | ||
| Hawker Tempest Mk. V | September 1945 | Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 | April 2013 |
| Name | Commenced | Name | Commenced | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Herbert Arthur Landon, DSO, OBE | 20 July 1916 | Raymond Brown Hesselyn, MBE, DFC, DFM & Bar | 19 March 1951 | ||
| Frederick James Powell, OBE (POW) | 3 August 1917 | Anthony Frederick Osborne, DFC | 30 April 1951 | ||
| Geoffrey Hilton Bowman, DSO, DFC, MC & Bar | 9 February 1918 | John Miller, CBE, DFC, AFC, FCA | July 1951 | ||
| Bernard Edward Smythies, DFC | 1 April 1923 | Maxwell Scannell OBE, DFC, AFC[106] | June 1953 | ||
| Raymond Collishaw, CB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC[107] | 1 October 1923 | James Castagnola, DSO, DFC & Bar[108] | September 1955 | ||
| Gilbert Ware Murlis-Green, DSO & Bar, MC & 2 Bars | 15 April 1924 | John William James Leggett, QCVSA | 1 February 1958 | ||
| Frederick Sowrey, DSO, MC, AFC | 8 February 1926 | David Windle Hutchinson-Smith, AFC[109] | October 1959 | ||
| Robert Stanley Aitken, CB, CBE, MC, AFC[110] | 1 September 1928 | John Frederick Pinnington[111] | 24 November 1961 | ||
| Patrick Huskinson, CBE, MC & Bar[112] | 6 February 1930 | William Kent AFC[113] | 25 September 1965 | ||
| Stanley Flamank Vincent, CB, DFC, AFC[114] | 24 October 1931 | Henry Ellis Angell DFC[115] | 6 December 1965 | ||
| John Auguste Boret, CBE, MC, AFC[116] | 1 May 1933 | George Henry Dodd | August 1968 | ||
| John Simon Leslie Adams | 4 March 1937 | Brian James Lemon MBE, AFC[117] | 1 April 1972 | ||
| Geoffrey Augustus Graydon Johnston, CBE | 28 August 1939 | Peter David Leonard Gover MBE, AFC, BSc | March 1974 | ||
| Hilary Richard Lionel Hood, DFC[118] | 22 April 1940 | Sir Charles John Thomson, GCB CBE, AFC | October 1976 | ||
| Robert Charles Franklin Lister | 8 September 1940 | Christopher Granville-White CBE | 4 December 1978 | ||
| Donald Osborne Finlay, DFC, AFC | 14 September 1940 | Hilton Henry Moses MBE | 8 March 1982 | ||
| Lionel Manley Gaunce, DFC[119] | 9 August 1941 | David Kenworthy Norriss, QCVSA | November 1984 | ||
| Petrus Hendrik Hugo, DSO, DFC & 2 Bars | 20 November 1941 | David Henry Milne-Smith | March 1987 | ||
| John Clarke Fee | 12 April 1942 | George William Pixton DFC, AFC | September 1989 | ||
| Geoffrey Cockayne Hyde | 28 July 1942 | Derek Stephen Griggs AFC, BA | March 1992 | ||
| Thomas Francis Neil, DFC & Bar, AFC | 3 September 1942 | Sir Christopher Nigel Harper KBE | October 1994 | ||
| Bernard Ingham, DFC | 25 July 1943 | John P. Maloney | January 1997 | ||
| Ian George Stewart Matthew, DFC | 20 November 1943 | Graham A. Wright, BSc, HCSC | August 1999 | ||
| Arthur Allan Glen, DFC & Bar | 26 January 1944 | Mark William Gardner Hopkins, MBE, MA, MSc | March 2002 | ||
| Robert Hugh Chapman | 28 May 1944 | Richard M. J. MacCormac, MA | September 2004 | ||
| Douglas Ian Benham, OBE, DFC, AFC | 28 August 1944 | Gary Martin Waterfall, CBE | 1 April 2006 | ||
| John Bean Shepherd, DFC & 2 Bars[120] | 8 April 1945 | Andrew Michael Myers, MBE, MA | 8 June 2007 | ||
| Henry Ambrose, DFC & Bar | 28 January 1946 | Richard Andrew Davies, CBE, MA | November 2009 | ||
| Peter Wilson Lovell, DFC, AFC | 1 April 1946 | Mark Owen Rodden | 6 June 2012 | ||
| William Hoy, DFC, AFC[121] | 20 January 1948 | Steven Berry, MBE, MEng | 5 December 2014 | ||
| Harold Herbert Moon | 13 October 1948 | James Jody McMeeking | 15 September 2017 | ||
| James Wallace, DSO, DFC, AFC[122] | November 1949 | Lee Gordon | 1 April 2020[123] |
| Name | Date of Award | |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguished Service Order[124] | 6 | |
| CLAXTON, William G. | 2 Nov 1918 | |
| LANDON, Joseph H. A. | 4 Jun 1917 | |
| MCCALL, Frederick R. G. | 3 Aug 1918 | |
| LOCK, Eric S. | 17 Dec 1940 | |
| HUGO, Petrus H. | 29 May 1942 | |
| BURNE, Thomas R. | 29 May 1945 | |
| Military Cross | 6 | |
| BAKER, Valentine H. | 24 Jul 1917 | |
| CHAPPELL, Roy W. | 22 Jun 1918 | |
| DENISON, Amos A. | 3 Feb 1917 | |
| MACLEAN, Loudoun J. (Bar) | 1 Feb 1918 | |
| TAYLOR, Frank H. | 22 Jun 1918 | |
| WINNICOTT, Russell | 18 Mar 1918 | |
| Distinguished Flying Cross | 30 | |
| CLAXTON, William G. | 3 Aug 1918 | |
| CLAXTON, William G. (Bar) | 21 Sep 1918 | |
| HEMMING, Alfred S. | 2 Nov 1918 | |
| MACLEOD, Malcolm P. | 3 Jun 1919 | |
| MCCALL, Frederick R. G. | 3 Aug 1918 | |
| SHIELDS, William E. | 2 Nov 1918 | |
| SHIELDS, William E. (Bar) | 8 Feb 1919 | |
| SODEN, Frank O. | 8 Feb 1919 | |
| STEPHENS, Eric J. | 3 Jun 1919 | |
| RYDER, E. Norman | 19 Apr 1940 | |
| HOOD, Hilary R. L. | 11 Aug 1940 | |
| WEBSTER, J. Terence | 20 Aug 1940 | |
| BENNIONS, George H. | 1 Oct 1940 | |
| LOCK, Eric S. | 1 Oct 1940 | |
| LOCK, Eric S. (Bar) | 22 Oct 1940 | |
| MACKENZIE, John N. | 15 Nov 1940 | |
| LOVELL, Anthony D. J. | 26 Nov 1940 | |
| BUSH, Charles R. | 14 Oct 1941 | |
| MARPLES, Roy | 14 Oct 1941 | |
| BEARDSLEY, Robert A. | 17 Oct 1941 | |
| WINSKILL, Archie L. | 6 Jan 1942 | |
| FINLAY, Donald O. | 10 Apr 1942 | |
| GLEN, Arthur A. | 29 May 1942 | |
| GLEN, Arthur A. (Bar) | 5 Nov 1943 | |
| BENHAM, Douglas I. (Bar) | 8 May 1945 | |
| REID, Daniel J. | 1 Jun 1945 | |
| COLEMAN, Patrick T. | 24 Jul 1945 | |
| COWELL, Peter | 24 Jul 1945 | |
| STEVENSON, Ian T. | 24 Jul 1945 | |
| SHEPHERD, John B. (2nd Bar) | 14 Sep 1945 | |
| PIXTON, George W. | 17 Jan 1991 | |
| Distinguished Flying Medal | 1 | |
| PALMER, Wilfred | 17 Oct 1941 | |
| Military Medal | 2 | |
| BRIFFAULT, Lister, Cpl Mech[125] | 15 Jul 1919 | |
| WOOD, James, AM2[126] | 15 Jul 1919 | |
| Mention in Despatches | 5 | |
| CLAXTON, William G. | 8 Nov 1918 | |
| KNOWLES, John W., Chf Mech[127] | 11 Jul 1919 | |
| O’CONNOR, Martin, Snr Mech[128] | 11 Jul 1919 | |
| SHIELDS, William E. | 11 Jul 1919 | |
| LOCK, Eric S. | 17 Mar 1941 | |
| Croix de Guerre (Belgium) | 2 | |
| BOWMAN, Geoffrey H. | 15 Jul 1919 | |
| MacLEOD, Malcolm P. | 15 Jul 1919 | |
| Croix de Guerre (France) | 2 | |
| GILLESPIE, William J. (with Palm) | 22 Aug 1919 | |
| MARCHANT, Clarence H. (with Palm) | 12 Feb 1918 |
| World War I[129] | World War II[130] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Date of Capture | Name | Date of Capture | ||
| BUCKNALL, Claude V. | 5 Oct 1918 | APPLETON, Arthur S. | 18 December 1944 | ||
| CARTER, Guy L. | 8 Aug 1918 | BREW, William A. | 27 August 1941 | ||
| CLARK, Frederick S. | 29 Oct 1917 | BULL, Alan L. | 12 August 1941 | ||
| CLATON, William G. | 17 Aug 1918 | CHAPMAN, Raymond | 12 August 1941 | ||
| COOKE, Philip B. | 28 Sep 1918 | DRAPER, Gilbert G. F. | 7 August 1941 | ||
| CRAWFORD, Charles | 24 Sep 1918 | GRAHAM, Peter B. | 1 September 1944 | ||
| DEANE, George S. | 26 Nov 1916 | HARDING, Ross P. | 13 February 1945 | ||
| DWYER, Neville Augustus | 22 Sep 1918 | HAYWOOD, Douglas | 27 August 1943 | ||
| FRASER, Andrew | 3 May 1917 | HENRY, David J. V. | 10 February 1945 | ||
| HAIGHT, John L. | 28 Sep 1917 | HIND, Peter[131] | 31 August 1941 | ||
| HAIR, Norman B. | 7 Jun 1917 | HOARE, Reginald M.[132] | 1 April 1943 | ||
| HALL, Ernest O. W | 27 Oct 1918 | PALMER, Wilfred | 12 April 1942 | ||
| HEWAT, Harry B. | 28 Sep 1918 | PARRY, Hugh L.[133] | 7 February 1944 | ||
| ISBELL, Arthur T. | 21 Mar 1918 | PRICKETT, Leslie A.[134] | 17 December 1943 | ||
| MacGOWN, John C. | 7 Jul 1917 | ROOD, Albert van | 12 April 1942 | ||
| MILANI, Rudolph S. | 28 May 1918 | SLACK, Thomas A. H. | 23 August 1944 | ||
| MITCHELL, William | 28 Sep 1918 | STAPLETON, William A. | 1 June 1940 | ||
| POWELL, Frederick J. | 2 Feb 1918 | STOK, Bram van der[135] | 12 April 1942 | ||
| SMITH, A. F. | 28 Sep 1918 | TEBBIT, Donald F. J. | 22 February 1945 | ||
| STURGESS, Thomas M. | 26 Jun 1917 | WAGNER, Herbert A. | 2 June 1944 | ||
| TELFER, Harry C. | 28 Sep 1918 | WILLIAMS, Marx G. | 18 August 1941 |
| Name[136] | Period | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WINSKILL, Archie L. | Aug–Nov 1941 | Evaded and returned to UK | |
| SLACK, Thomas A. H. | Jul–Aug 1943 | Evaded and returned to UK | |
| PRICKETT, Leslie A. | Aug–Dec 1943 | Evaded for four months, but captured | |
| MAY, Stanley H. | Sep–Oct 1943 | Evaded and returned to UK | |
| PARRY, Hugh L. | Sep 1943 – Mar 1944 | Evaded for six months, but captured | |
| STOK, Bram van der | March 1944 | Escaped in ‘Great Escape’ & returned to UK |
| Name[137] | Date of Injury | Service on 41 Sqn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October 1940 | 16 February 1936 – 1 October 1940 | ||
| LANE, Roy | 26 August 1940 | 6 April-ca 27 September 1943 | |
| 17 November 1940 | 18 June-17 November 1940 | ||
| WHALE, F. Victor | 11 December 1944 | 7 March 1945 – 12 February 1946 | |
| WOOLLARD, Frederick G. | 18 July 1944 | 18 December 1943 – 18 July 1944 |
| Name[138] | Nationality | Date | Name | Nationality | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916-1919 | 1939–1945 | ||||||
| ALEXANDER, Thomas M. | British | 17 Aug 1918 | CHATTIN, Peter W. | British | 3 Sep 1944 | ||
| ARBERY, Ernest E. | British | 6 Jun 1917 | COPE, Arthur R. | Australian | 9 Mar 1943 | ||
| BAILEY, Louis J. | British | 17 Jun 1917 | COPLEY, John J. H. | British | 14 Sep 1939 | ||
| BARWELL, Humphrey E. | British | 3 Feb 1918 | CROKER, Eric E. | New Zealander | 2 Jun 1941 | ||
| BROWNING, Stanley F. | British | 3 May 1917 | DUNSTAN, Bruce P. | British | 12 Feb 1942 | ||
| BUSH, John S. de L. | British | 25 Aug 1917 | EAST, Walter R. | British | 3 May 1943 | ||
| CHAPMAN, Alfred J. | British | 18 Sep 1917 | FLEMING, Douglas | Canadian | 23 Nov 1941 | ||
| CHIPCHASE, Benjamin | British | 20 Mar 1918 | GAMBLEN, Douglas R. | British | 29 Jul 1940 | ||
| CODY, Samuel F. L. | British | 23 Jan 1917 | GARVEY, Leonard A. | British | 30 Oct 1940 | ||
| DOUGLAS, Frederick W. | Canadian | 12 Aug 1918 | GAUNCE, Lionel M. | Canadian | 19 Nov 1941 | ||
| ECCLES, Charley G. | British | 25 May 1917 | GILDERS, John S. | British | 21 Feb 1941 | ||
| EDWARDS, Arthur W. | British | 10 Oct 1917 | GILLITT, Frank N. | British | 22 Oct 1942 | ||
| FRASER, Alistair H. | British | 11 Aug 1918 | GOODALL, Bernard B. | New Zealander | 15 Aug 1942 | ||
| GORDON, John A. | Canadian | 12 Aug 1918 | GRAY, James A. B. | British | 3 Oct 1943 | ||
| HOLMAN, Gerald C. | British | 17 Sep 1917 | HARRIS, Albert | British | 18 Oct 1939 | ||
| JACKSON, Harold | British | 7 Jun 1917 | HARRISON, Ronald | British | 22 Oct 1942 | ||
| JONES, Harold E. | British | 22 Nov 1917 | HIND, Peter | British | 8 Jul 1942 | ||
| MacGREGOR, Donald A. D. I. | British | 30 Nov 1917 | HOGARTH, Rycherde H. W. | South African | 18 Jul 1943 | ||
| MARTIN, Frederick W. H. | Canadian | 9 Aug 1918 | HOGG, Ralph V. | British | 10 Dec 1940 | ||
| McARDLE, Hugh F. | British | 18 Sep 1917 | HOOD, Hilary R. L. | British | 5 Sep 1940 | ||
| McCONE, John P. | Canadian | 24 Mar 1918 | HUNT, Leonard | British | 16 Sep 1941 | ||
| MITCHELL, William | British | 10 Oct 1918 | HYDE, Geoffrey C. | British | 19 Aug 1942 | ||
| MORRIS, Walter A. | British | 2 Oct 1918 | JENKIN, Thomas E. | British | 5 May 1942 | ||
| NICHOLLS, Edward C. H. R. | British | 20 Sep 1918 | JONES, Horace | British | 18 Oct 1939 | ||
| O'LONGAN, Paul C. S. | Irish | 1 Jun 1917 | JURY, Richard D. | British | 18 Aug 1941 | ||
| PAYNE, Hubert | British | 4 Jan 1917 | LANGLEY, Gerald A. | British | 15 Sep 1940 | ||
| PERKINS, Thorold | British | 31 May 1917 | LECKY, John G. | British | 11 Oct 1940 | ||
| PINK, Alan L. | British | 30 Oct 1918 | LEGARD, William E. | British | 1 Jun 1940 | ||
| STANLEY, Frederick | British | 26 Oct 1917 | LLOYD, Philip D. | British | 15 Oct 1940 | ||
| SWANN, Gerald H. | British | 18 Oct 1917 | McADAM, John | British | 20 Feb 1941 | ||
| TAYLOR, Robert E. | Canadian | 17 Sep 1917 | MORGAN, Harry P. D. | British | 27 Aug 1941 | ||
| THOMPSON, William G. | British | 14 Jul 1917 | MOTTERSHEAD, Clifford H. | British | 2 Mar 1945 | ||
| TOOMS, Cecil S. | British | 24 Jan 1917 | MURRIN, Wilfred F. | British | 18 May 1943 | ||
| TRIMBLE, Alan V. | British | 25 Aug 1918 | ODDY, Clifford | British | 17 Jul 1944 | ||
| TUCKER, Donald C. | British | 24 Mar 1918 | O'NEILL, Desmond H. | Irish | 11 Oct 1940 | ||
| TURNBULL, John S. | British | 17 Jun 1918 | OVERALL, Horace E. H. | Canadian | 6 Nov 1939 | ||
| WEISS, Edward S. | British | 22 Nov 1917 | OXENHAM, Russel E. G. | British | 24 Sep 1942 | ||
| WHITEHEAD, Reginald M. | British | 22 Nov 1917 | POYNTON, T. Rex | Zululand | 23 Apr 1943 | ||
| WINNICOTT, Russell | British | 6 Dec 1917 | ROBINSON, Kenneth B. | Irish | 7 Jun 1944 | ||
| SCOTT, Thomas R. | British | 22 Oct 1942 | |||||
| 1923–1939[139] | SCOTT, William J. M. | British | 8 Sep 1940 | ||||
| SHEA, David J. | Canadian | 13 Mar 1944 | |||||
| ADDAMS, Anthony C. | British | 16 Jun 1926 | SHEPHERD, John B. | British | 22 Jan 1946 | ||
| ALLDAY, Francis | British | 9 Jun 1936 | SHORT, Roger L. | British | 17 Jul 1944 | ||
| BAILEY, Allan S. | British | 9 Jun 1936 | THOMAS, John I. | British | 24 Apr 1943 | ||
| BAKER, Frank | British | 18 May 1934 | VALIQUET, Charles N. | Canadian | 9 May 1942 | ||
| BRADBURY, Geoffrey | British | 20 May 1928 | VAN GOENS, Ryklof | Dutch | 17 Aug 1944 | ||
| MITCHELL, Kenneth | British | 18 Jul 1939 | VINCENT, Arthur | British | 18 Oct 1939 | ||
| ST. GEORGE-TAYLOR, Harold | British | 9 Oct 1924 | VYKOUKAL, Karel J. | Czech | 21 May 1942 | ||
| SAWYER, Wilfred | British | 6 Aug 1930 | WAINWRIGHT, Derek W. | British | 10 Jun 1942 | ||
| SERJEANT, George V. | British | 16 Mar 1939 | WATTS, Edward G. H. | British | 12 Apr 1942 | ||
| SLOWEY, Henry E. | New Zealander | 23 Aug 1932 | WEBSTER, J. Terence | British | 5 Sep 1940 | ||
| VAUGHAN-FOWLER, Denis G. | British | 7 Aug 1931 | WHITEFORD, Cyril J. L. | Rhodesian | 13 Oct 1941 | ||
| . | |||||||
| 1939–1946 | 1946 – present | ||||||
| . | |||||||
| ALLAN, Reginald C. | Australian | 20 Jul 1942 | SHEPHERD, John B. | Canadian | 22 Jan 1946 | ||
| ALLEN, John J. | Australian | 20 Jun 1942 | MUNROE, John P. J.[140] | British | 17 Apr 1956 | ||
| ANGUS, Robert A. | British | 20 Feb 1941 | COULSTON, Roger T.[141] | British | 13 Oct 1956 | ||
| BACHE, Leslie L. | British | 13 Oct 1941 | TAYLOR, Earl[142] | American | 11 July 1958 | ||
| BALASSE, Maurice A. L. | Belgian | 23 Jan 1945 | ROE, Brian | British | 21 May 1983 | ||
| BEDNARZ, Jozef | Polish | 1 Feb 1943 | MESSENGER, Michael J. | British | 21 May 1983 | ||
| BLITZ, Morris | British | 13 Oct 1940 | ARMSTRONG, Paul T. | British | 21 May 1983 | ||
| BODKIN, W. Fred | Canadian | 28 Aug 1941 | SWASH, Derrick | British | 21 May 1983 | ||
| BOYD, Robert J. | British | 6 Sep 1943 | WINSHIP, Stuart | British | 21 May 1983 | ||
| BOYLE, John G. | Canadian | 28 Sep 1940 | MANNHEIM, Andrew S.[143] | British | 17 Jun 1987 | ||
| BRIGGS, Michael F. | British | 2 Apr 1941 | NOBLE, Greg[144] | British | 23 Jan 1996 | ||
| CHALDER, Harry H. | British | 10 Nov 1940 |