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RAF Squadrons (Numbers 11-19)
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Peter Padley
Former Warrant Officer Class One (Garrison Sergeant Major) Peter A Padley MBE
Served in the British Army from 1962 until 2000 as a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).
Served with a variety of units including Parachute and Commando Forces on active duty and operations in many theatres around the world.
Former Parachute Instructor and founder member of 3 military Parachute Teams.
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11 (F) Squadron RFC Initially formed at Netheravon on 14 February 1915, was equipped with the 2 seat Vickers Gunbus fighter a month before deploying to Northern France in July 1915 as the first dedicated fighter squadron to enter WWI, hence the letter ‘F’, for Fighter, included in the squadron title. 11 Squadron flew this obsolete aircraft for a year before being re-equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory FE2 fighter in June 1916 which was eventually replaced by the Bristol Fighter in 1918. It was while flying the obsolete Gunbus that 2nd Lt GSM Insall won the Victoria Cross in November 1915 in an action over German lines. The squadron, as with many others, was disbanded in late 1919.
Reformed as a bomber squadron at Andover in early 1923 the squadron was equipped with the Airco DH 9A Light Bomber. Moved almost immediately to RAF Bircham Newton, close to Kings Lynn in Norfolk, the squadron re-equipped with the Fairey Fawn Bomber a year later before moving back to their roots at Netheravon in May 1924. 11 Squadron moved to India and operated the Westland Wapiti, a general purpose biplane, from Risalpur, India, in an Army Co-operation role. The squadron re-equipped with the Hawker Hart in 1932, which they operated until July 1939, when they took delivery of the Bristol Blenheim Fighter Bomber. 11 Squadron was redeployed to Singapore in August 1939 and was to operate in the Middle and Far East areas of operations during WWII. In 1943 the squadron re-equipped with the Hawker Hurricane Ground Attack aircraft and flew in support of General Slim’s XIV Army in Burma. At the end of WWII in the Far East the squadron was moved to Japan where it remained until being disbanded in early 1948.
In October 1949 the squadron reformed in Germany where they flew a variety of fighter aircraft, namely the de Havilland Mosquito, Vampire and Venom, until being disbanded again in 1957. Reformed yet again, this time in early 1959, the squadron was equipped with the Gloster Meteor night fighter. The Meteor was replaced with the Gloster Javelin, which remained in squadron service until the squadron disbanded again in 1966. 1967 saw the squadron reformed again and equipped with the English Electric Lightning. The squadron was to fly the Lightning until 1988 when disbanded again although being reformed a few months later and equipped with the Panavia Tornado F3, an aircraft it was to operate until October 2005 when disbanded again.
Announced as the second RAF Squadron to be equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon 11 Squadron reformed in March 2007. Because of the squadron’s new role as the RAF’s ‘lead’ Typhoon multi-role squadron the (F) designation has been dropped. The squadron operates from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire in the Air Defence Role.
12 Squadron
No. 12 Squadron was formed in 1915 at Netheravon in Wiltshire from members of crew and aircraft from No. 1 Squadron. It is currently an Offensive Support squadron flying Tornado GR4’s and is based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland.
13 Squadron
No 13 Squadron was formed in 1915 at Gosport in Hampshire. It is currently an Offensive Support squadron flying Tornado GR4’s and is based in RAF Marham in Norfolk.
14 Squadron
No. 14 Squadron was formed in 1915 at Shoreham, West Sussex from members of crew and aircraft from No. 3 Reserve Squadron. It is currently an Offensive Support squadron flying Tornado GR4’s and is based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland.
15 Squadron (XV (Reserve) Squadron)
Formed at Farnborough on 1st March 1915 the first role of15 Squadron RFC was as a Flying Training Unit but 9 months after its inception the squadron, equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory BE2C, was moved to France where they were tasked with carrying out reconnaissance sorties. As with most squadrons, and with the need for post WWI economies, the squadron was disbanded shortly after the war.
The squadron reformed at Martlesham Heath in early 1924 but instead of becoming an operational squadron they were part of the ‘trial’ fleet of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE). The squadron remained as an integral part of the A&AEE until 1934 when it reformed as an operational squadron, equipped with the Hawker Hart, and relocated to RAF Abingdon in Oxfordshire. Prior to the outbreak of WWII 15 Squadron was re-equipped with the Fairey Battle Light Bomber and on the outbreak of hostilities crossed to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force. Returning to England a few months later they briefly flew the Bristol Blenheim Fighter Bomber in the Ground Attack Role until re-equipping with the Vickers Wellington, again for a short time, until becoming one of the first squadron’s to receive the Short Stirling Heavy Bomber.
Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert donated a Short Stirling to the squadron in memory of her three sons who had been killed while serving in the Royal Air Force. The aircraft was named ‘MacRobert’s Reply’ and to date there have been four aircraft to have borne this name. The first aircraft was ‘written off’ in a collision at RAF Lossiemouth with a Spitfire while taxiing with the second aircraft bearing the name being hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashing near Middlefart, Denmark, in May 1942 – there was only one survivor. The third and fourth MacRobert’s Reply’ were a Blackburn Buccaneer and a Panavia Tornado respectively.
The Stirlings of 15 Squadron were replaced by the better performing heavy bomber, the Avro Lancaster, in 1943 and it was with the Lancaster that the squadron flew bombing raids for the remainder of the war and into the more peaceful post war period until eventually re-equipping with the Avro Lincoln in 1947. They flew the Lincoln for four years before becoming one of 8 squadrons to be equipped with the Boeing Washington ‘Superfortress’ in the nuclear strike role. 15 Squadron flew the Washington for two years until entering the ‘jet age’ and re-equipping with the English Electric Canberra B2 bomber, an aircraft they flew until disbandment in July 1957.
Reformed at RAF Cottesmore in September 1958 the squadron flew the Handley Page ‘V’ Bomber for 5 years before being disbanded again 6 years later. During this period 15 Squadron was ‘stood up’ for offensive action during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 and was deployed to the Far East during the Malaysian Confrontation. Reforming at RAF Honington in 1970 the squadron was equipped with the Blackburn Buccaneer S2B, and later moved to RAF Laarbruch in Germany where they were employed in the conventional and nuclear bomber role. The squadron was to fly the Buccaneer for 13 years until converting onto the Panavia Tornado GR1 in 1983. The first Tornado GR1 squadron in Germany one of their primary tasks was the delivery of the WE 177 nuclear bomb should the need ever arise. After briefly disbanding, 15 Squadron was reformed and sent to Bahrain as part of the Allied Air Forces deployed on Operation Desert Storm – The First Gulf War – and it was on the second ultra low level sortie to crater Iraqi runways that Flight Lieutenants John Peters and John Nichol were shot down by Iraqi ground forces, taken prisoner and tortured. With no capability to deliver laser guided bombs it was 15 Squadron that first operated in close cooperation with the Buccaneers of 12 Squadron RAF to drop laser guided munitions.
In 1992, under ‘Options for Change’, 15 Squadron became a Reserve Squadron and was redesignated the Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit and is currently located at RAF Lossiemouth.
