No. 194 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
194 Squadron RAF, though formed as a training unit in Egypt and ended as a casualty evacuation unit in Malaya
, was for most of its active service life a RAF transport
squadron that flew in South East Asia.
in Egypt
on 9 August 1917, it disbanded on 21 July 1918 into No. 16 Training Depot Station.
, Punjab on 13 October 1942 as a transport unit equipped with Hudsons
. It maintained mail and passenger routes in India until it became an airborne forces
squadron in September 1943. Douglas Dakotas
had started to arrive in May and, with the departure of the last Hudsons in September, No. 194 began paratroop training. In February 1944, supply-dropping flights to Chindit army units in Burma began and continued for the rest of the war. In January 1945 a casualty evacuation flight was attached to the squadron and Stinson Sentinels were used to pick up casualties form small jungle strips. After the end of the war, the squadron was engaged in general transport duties until disbanding at Mingladon on 15 February 1946. The squadron badge commonly used by the squadron depicted a flying elephant and the Squadron had adopted the motto ‘The Friendly Firm’ and although their entire fleet of aircraft carried this crest throughout the Burma campaign, Royal Charter never officially recognized it (That same crest can be seen on all three books about the squadron).
in Malaya from the Casualty Evacuation Flight with Westland Dragonfly HC.2
helicopters for co-operation with security forces in Malaya. Bristol Sycamore HC.14s
were received in October 1954, but it was June 1956 before the last Dragonfly left. On 3 June 1959, the squadron merged with No. 155 Squadron RAF
to become No. 110 Squadron RAF
.
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, was for most of its active service life a RAF transport
Military transport aircraft
Military transport aircraft are typically fixed and rotary wing cargo aircraft which are used to deliver troops, weapons and other military equipment by a variety of methods to any area of military operations around the surface of the planet, usually outside of the commercial flight routes in...
squadron that flew in South East Asia.
Formation and World War I
Formed as a training squadron in no. 20 (or no. 32 Group) at RAF El AmiriyaRAF El Amiriya
RAF El Amiriya is a former Royal Air Force military airfield in Egypt, located approximately 16 km south-southwest of Alexandria; 180 km northwest of Cairo...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on 9 August 1917, it disbanded on 21 July 1918 into No. 16 Training Depot Station.
World War II
No. 194 squadron was reformed at RAF LahoreWalton Airport
Walton Airport is situated near Model Town, 10 km from the city centre of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province in Pakistan. It caters to general aviation and is used by several flying clubs...
, Punjab on 13 October 1942 as a transport unit equipped with Hudsons
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
. It maintained mail and passenger routes in India until it became an airborne forces
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
squadron in September 1943. Douglas Dakotas
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
had started to arrive in May and, with the departure of the last Hudsons in September, No. 194 began paratroop training. In February 1944, supply-dropping flights to Chindit army units in Burma began and continued for the rest of the war. In January 1945 a casualty evacuation flight was attached to the squadron and Stinson Sentinels were used to pick up casualties form small jungle strips. After the end of the war, the squadron was engaged in general transport duties until disbanding at Mingladon on 15 February 1946. The squadron badge commonly used by the squadron depicted a flying elephant and the Squadron had adopted the motto ‘The Friendly Firm’ and although their entire fleet of aircraft carried this crest throughout the Burma campaign, Royal Charter never officially recognized it (That same crest can be seen on all three books about the squadron).
Post-war
On 1 February 1953, No. 194 reformed for a second time at SembawangSembawang
Sembawang is an area in the Northern-most portion of Singapore, encompassing the largest land mass within the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Sembawang Constituency is Khaw Boon Wan. The constituency jurisdiction extends into the Woodlands...
in Malaya from the Casualty Evacuation Flight with Westland Dragonfly HC.2
Westland Dragonfly
|-See also:-External links:* Westland entry in the helis.com database*...
helicopters for co-operation with security forces in Malaya. Bristol Sycamore HC.14s
Bristol Sycamore
-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
were received in October 1954, but it was June 1956 before the last Dragonfly left. On 3 June 1959, the squadron merged with No. 155 Squadron RAF
No. 155 Squadron RAF
RAF No. 155 Squadron operated Westland Whirlwind HR4 at Kuala Lumpur approximately 1955–59....
to become No. 110 Squadron RAF
No. 110 Squadron RAF
-Formation and World War I:No. 110 Squadron RFC was formed on 1 November 1917, at Rendcomb, Gloucestershire and was equipped with B.E.2c aircraft. The squadron moved to Kenley the following year and re-equipped with the DH.9A - the first squadron to employ this aircraft. Its original complement of...
.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1917 | July 1918 | Airco DH.6 Airco DH.6 The Airco DH.6 was a British military trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Skyhook", the trainer became a widely used light civil aircraft in the postwar era.... , Avro 504 Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during... and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 |
|
| October 1942 | September 1943 | Lockheed Hudson Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter... |
Mk.VI |
| May 1943 | February 1946 | Douglas Dakota Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made... |
Mks.I, III |
| Dec 1944 | February 1946 | Douglas Dakota | Mk.IV |
| January 1945 | September 1945 | Stinson Sentinel | Mk.I |
| February 1953 | June 1956 | Westland Dragonfly Westland Dragonfly |-See also:-External links:* Westland entry in the helis.com database*... |
HC.2 |
| October 1954 | June 1959 | Bristol Sycamore Bristol Sycamore -See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*... |
HC.14 |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1917 | 21 July 1918 | RAF El Amiriya RAF El Amiriya RAF El Amiriya is a former Royal Air Force military airfield in Egypt, located approximately 16 km south-southwest of Alexandria; 180 km northwest of Cairo... , Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... |
|
| 13 October 1942 | 18 February 1943 | RAF Lahore Walton Airport Walton Airport is situated near Model Town, 10 km from the city centre of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province in Pakistan. It caters to general aviation and is used by several flying clubs... , Punjab |
Dets. at RAF Tezpur Tezpur Airport Tezpur Airport is located in Tezpur in the state of Assam, India. It is also known as Salonibari Airport based on the village/township of Salonibari where it is located.... , Assam Assam Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country... and RAF Dum Dum Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose... , West Bengal West Bengal West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP... |
| 18 February 1943 | 18 September 1943 | RAF Palam Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India, situated in West Delhi, 16 km southwest of New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in India in... , Delhi Delhi Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census... |
|
| 18 September 1943 | 8 February 1944 | RAF Basal, Punjab | Det. at RAF Chaklala PAF Base Chaklala PAF Base Chaklala is an active Pakistan Air Force airbase located in Chaklala Rawalpindi, Punjab province, Pakistan. It also forms part of Islamabad International Airport.-History:The base was originally operated by the Royal Air Force as R.A.F... , Rawalpindi Rawalpindi Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad... , Punjab |
| 8 February 1944 | 9 February 1944 | RAF Comilla Comilla Comilla is a city in south-eastern Bangladesh, located along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. It is the administrative center of the Comilla District, part of the Chittagong Division. The Eastern Wing of Bangladesh Highway Police is located in Comilla.... , Bengal Bengal Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous... |
|
| 9 February 1944 | 1 September 1944 | RAF Agartala Agartala Airport -World War II:During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Tenth Air Force 4th Combat Cargo Group, which flew C-46 Commando transport aircraft over Burma... , Tripura Tripura Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are... |
Det. at RAF Imphal Imphal Airport -World War II:Imphal Airport was a major Allied supply base. The Allies could fly men, equipment and supplies into the airstrips at Imphal so although cut off by land, the town was not without a lifeline... , Manipur Manipur Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of... |
| 1 September 1944 | 2 November 1944 | RAF Imphal, Manipur | |
| 2 November 1944 | 10 December 1944 | RAF Basal, Punjab | |
| 10 December 1944 | 19 March 1945 | RAF Agartala, Tripura | Det. at RAF Imphal, Manipur and from January 1945 to September 1945 at RAF Kangla, Manipur and Monywa Monywa Monywa is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 136 km northwest of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin.-Transport:... , Sagaing Division Sagaing Division Sagaing Region is an administrative region of Burma , located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east... , Burma |
| 19 March 1945 | 21 August 1945 | Akyab Sittwe -Economy:In February 2007, India announced a plan to develop the port, which would enable ocean access from Indian Northeastern states, so called "Seven sisters", like Mizoram, via the Kaladan River.... , Arakan Rakhine State Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between... , Burma |
Dets. at Monywa, Sagaing Division, Burma; Wangjing, Manipur Wangjing, Manipur Wangjing is a town and a nagar panchayat in Thoubal district in the Indian state of Manipur.-Geography:Wangjing is located at . It has an average elevation of 766 metres .-Demographics:... and Meiktila Meiktila Meiktila is a city in central Myanmar, located on the banks of Lake Meiktila in Mandalay Division, at the junctions of the Bagan-Taunggyi, Yangon-Mandalay and Meiktila-Myingyan highways. Because of its strategic position, Meiktila is home to Myanmar Air Force's central command and Meiktila Air... , Mandalay Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region .... , Burma |
| 21 August 1945 | 15 February 1946 | RAF Mingaladon Yangon International Airport Yangon International Airport , located in Mingaladon, at north of downtown Yangon, is the primary international airport of Myanmar and the second largest airport in the country.... , Burma |
|
| 2 February 1953 | 1 May 1953 | RAF Sembawang, Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
Det. at RAF Kuala Lumpur RAF Kuala Lumpur RAF Kuala Lumpur was an RAF station in the Federation of Malaya and saw extensive use during the Malayan Emergency.-Military:The airfield was home to:* No 155 Squadron operating Whirlwind Mk4 helicopters.... , Malaya British Malaya British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries... |
| 1 May 1953 | 3 June 1959 | RAF Kuala Lumpur, Malaya | Merged here with 155 Sqn No. 155 Squadron RAF RAF No. 155 Squadron operated Westland Whirlwind HR4 at Kuala Lumpur approximately 1955–59.... to form 110 Sqn No. 110 Squadron RAF -Formation and World War I:No. 110 Squadron RFC was formed on 1 November 1917, at Rendcomb, Gloucestershire and was equipped with B.E.2c aircraft. The squadron moved to Kenley the following year and re-equipped with the DH.9A - the first squadron to employ this aircraft. Its original complement of... |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| October 1942 | June 1944 | W/Cdr. Wing Commander (rank) Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries... A.C. Pearson |
| June 1944 | December 1944 | W/Cdr. R.T. Chisholm |
| December 1944 | June 1945 | W/Cdr. R.C. Crawford |
| June 1945 | August 1945 | S/Ldr. Squadron Leader Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these... P.M. Bristow |
| August 1945 | February 1946 | W/Cdr. D. Penman, DSO Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September... , DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
| February 1953 | 1955 | S/Ldr. G.R.G. Henderson, AFC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... |
| 1955 | 1957 | S/Ldr. C.R. Turner |
| 1957 | June 1959 | S/Ldr. F. Barnes |