RAF squadrons using the Handley page

ChrisM · 5 April 2005, 02:11 AM

I don't know the full extent of mail services between Belgium and Cologne in 1919 but certainly 206 Squadron RAF had a regular run between Spa and Cologne in the first half of that year. They were based at Bickendorf and operated their surviving DH9s (and possibly the odd DH9A). It appears that the observer's position in this type was quite adequate to accommodate the volume of cargo being carried. One pilot lost his life providing this service.

Chris

b_wilkin · 5 April 2005, 06:40 AM

That's really interesting. Do you know who was the commander of 206 squadron ?
Were they doing the travel from Spa to Koln in one fly or did they stopped during the travel ?

ChrisM · 5 April 2005, 07:18 AM

The Squadron Commander of 206 at that time was Major C.T. Maclaren, OBE, Croix de Guerre. “A” Flight Commander was Captain R.N.G. Atkinson, MC, DFC and bar, Croix de Guerre and Captain R.E. Burn, DFC, commanded “B” Flight.

A 206 observer, Lt. J.S. Blanford, wrote in later life a detailed memoir of his time with the squadron, including their stay at Bickendorf. This was subsequently published in the Cross & Cockade Great Britain Journal Vol. 7 No. 4 1976 and Vol. 8 No. 1 1977. But unfortunately it contains only a very short mention of the air mail service. Other members of this forum might be able to point you towards other published sources.

The maximum endurance of the DH9 during operations seems to have been over three hours at the very least and a non-stop Spa/Cologne journey would therefore have been well within its capability. I have only seen mention of a mail service between Spa and Cologne and intermediate collection or delivery points seem unlikely.

Chris

b_wilkin · 5 April 2005, 12:25 PM

By any chance, do you know if an english squadron was based in the belgium city of Liege (Luttich in deutsch and Luik in flemish) ? I heard a HP squadron was based there but I can't find informations exept in the local newspapers.

john_g · 6 April 2005, 01:27 AM

These are the details I have on the squadrons concerned.

This information was collated by the Cross & Cockade International e-group last year.

All dates shpuld be treated with caution, this is because there are variations between posting, arrival or depature from the unit.

John-g

No 58 Sqn
08/06/1916 ?
??/03/1918 Maj J H S Tyssen
25/06/1918 Maj D Gilley DFC
06/05/1919 Capt E D Fanshaw
??/05/1919 Capt J Henderson
07/07/1919 Maj I T Lloyd
01/02/1920 renumbered as No 70 Sqn

No 70 Sqn
22/04/1916 ?
??/07/1916 Maj G A K Lawrence DSO [Killed 28 /01/1917]
31/12/1916 Maj A W Tedder
22/06/1917 Maj M H B Nethersole
16/11/1917 Maj H B R Grey-Edwards MC
05/01/1918 Maj J H S Tyssen ?
04/08/1918 Maj E L Foot MC
08/11/1918 Maj G W Murlis Green DSO* MC*
01/01/1919 Maj P Huskinson MC
29/08/1919 Maj G A Lawrence DSO
??/??/1919 ?
22/01/1920 DB

No 97 Sqn
01/12/1917 ?
10/12/1917 Capt L W Hall
??/03/1918 Capt F W Ward
01/04/1918 Capt S G Gilmour
04/04/1918 Maj V A Albrecht MC
04/02/1920 Sqn Ldr J C Quinnell DFC
01/04/1920 renumbered No 60 Sqn

No 100 Sqn
11/02/1917 ?
23/02/1917 Lt Col M G Christie DSO, MC
17/12/1917 Maj W J Tempest DSO, MC
13/06/1918 Maj C G Burge
??/??/1919 post-war service

No 115 Sqn
01/12/1917 ?
15/04/1918 Capt J W James
15/07/1918 Maj W E Gardner DSC
??/??/1919 ?
18/10/1919 DB

No 134 Sqn

01/03/1918 Formed
04/07/1918 Disbanded

No other details

No 144 Sqn
29/04/1918 Maj A H Peck DSO MC*
20/10/1918 ?

No 166 Sqn
13/06/1918 Formed
28/12/1918 Maj T Maxwell-Scott
07/02/1919

No other details

No 167
18/11/1918 Formed
21/05/1919 DB

No other Details

No 207 Sqn (previously No 7(N) Sqn RNAS)

??/03/1916 Sqn Cdr E R C Nanson
??/12/1916 Sqn Cdr C L Courtney
05/04/1917 Sqn Cdr J W K Allsop
27/06/1917 Sqn Cdr J T Babington
01/01/1918 Sqn Cdr H A Buss
20/02/1918 Sqn Cdr H Stanley-Adams DSC
24/05/1918 Maj G L Thomson
26/07/1918 Maj T A Batchelor
07/08/1918 Maj G R Elliott DSO
05/06/1919 Maj M H B Nethersole
20/01/1920 DB

No 214 Sqn (previously No 14(N) Sqn RNAS)

09/12/1917 Sqn Cdr/Maj H G Brackley DSO DSC
26/03/1919 Maj W L Welsh DSC
??/07/1919 Maj ?? Brown
01/02/1920 absorbed by No 216 Sqn

No 215 Sqn (previously No 15(N) Sqn RNAS)

01/04/1918 Maj J F Jones DSC DFC
27/07/1918 Maj G L Thomson DSC DFC
11/11/1918 at least
??/??/19?? ?
18/10/1919 DB

No 216 Sqn (previously No 16(N) Sqn RNAS)

08/01/1918 Sqn Cdr K S Savory
28/01/1918 Sqn Cdr H A Buss DSC
01/04/1918 Maj H A Buss DSC
23/08/1918 Maj W R Read MC DFC AFC
05/03/1919 Maj H A Buss DSC
30/12/1919 Sqn Ldr C H Nicolas
??/01/1920 Sqn Ldr Nicholas (post-war service)

No 274 Sqn

??/??/1918 Maj C H Darley DSC* DFC [Killed flying 28/09/1919]

No 67 Sqn (Previously No 1 Sqn AFC)

12/09/1916 Maj T Foster-Rutledge
??/04/1917 Maj R Williams
06/02/1918 redesignated No 1 Sqn AFC

Graeme · 6 April 2005, 10:23 AM

To put the COs in context with the use of Handley Page bombers:

No 58 Squadron was in France (Fauquembergues and Proven) before departing for Egypt on 2 May 1919

I’m not aware of No 67 Squadron (No 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps) using Handley Pages although the unit used a variety of types before standardising on the Bristol Fighter in February 1918.

No 70 Squadron was equipped with Camels from July 1917 to February 1919; it received Snipes in December 1918 and did not receive O/400s until February 1920 by which time it was based at Heliopolis.

No 97 Squadron was in France (Xaffevillers and St Inglevert) with O/400s from August 1918 to 3 March 1919 when it returned to Ford; it departed for India on 19 July 1919.

No 100 Squadron used O/400s in France (Xaffevillers and Ligescourt) from August 1918 to September 1919 when it returned to the UK.

No 115 Squadron used O/400s in France (Roville-sur-Chenes and St Ingelvert) from September 1918 to March 1919 when it returned to the UK.

No 134 Squadron never became operational.

No 144 Squadron formed at Port Said on 20 March 1918; it returned to the UK until December 1918 and disbanded in February 1919.

No 166 Squadron received V/1500s in October 1918 but remained in the UK and saw no active service. The squadron disbanded on 31 May 1919.

No 167 Squadron received V/1500s in November 1918 but remained in the UK and saw no active service. The squadron disbanded on 21 May 1919.

No 7 Squadron RNAS (later No 207 Squadron RAF) received its first HPs about April 1917 when Allsop took command of the unit. It re-equipped with O/400s in April 1918. The squadron returned to the UK in August 1919 and disbanded on 20 January 1920.

No 14 Squadron RNAS (later No 214 Squadron RAF) was formed out of 7A Squadron in December 1917. It used O/100s and O/400s on the Western Front until July 1919 when it departed for Egypt; it disbanded there on 1 February 1920.

No 15 Squadron RNAS (later No 215 Squadron RAF) formed out of personnel from Nos 7 and 14 Squadrons RNAS in March 1918. It used O/100s and O/400s, returned to the UK in February 1919 and disbanded 18 October 1919.

No 16 Squadron RNAS (later No 216 Squadron RAF) formed in January 1918. It used O/100s and O/400s on the Western Front until May 1919 when it departed for Egypt.

No 274 Squadron did not receive V/1500s until June 1919. The squadron was only ever based in the UK and disbanded on 30 January 1920 (its personnel going to No 207 Squadron).

Graeme