No. 247 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 247 Squadron was formerly a squadron
of the Royal Air Force
. It was also known as No.247 (China British) Squadron in recognition of the donations made by the British colonies, which at the outbreak of the Second World War, were established on the Chinese coast. The financial gift to provide two fighter squadrons also included the badge in the form of a scroll with Chinese characters Cheu Feng meaning "fierce wind" or Hurricane, and the motto "Rise from the East". The squadron was heavily involved in air operations during the Second World War, and the defence of the United Kingdom during the early years of the Cold War
.
on 20 August 1918 by the amalgamation of No. 336 and 337 Flights of the Royal Naval Air Service
. The Squadron was equipped with Felixstowe F2A flying boats and its role was reconnaissance and anti-submarine work in the North Sea. With the cessation of hostilities, the squadron was disbanded on 22 January 1919.
(Plymouth) on 1 August 1940, flying Gloster Gladiator
biplanes the defence of the south west of England including the ports of Plymouth
and Falmouth
. The squadron's first action came on 25 September 1940, when a force of 24 Dornier Do 17
s escorted by 12 Messerschmitt Bf 110
s flew over the English Channel
from France and crossed the coast at Start Point, heading towards Plymouth. Four of the Squadron's Gladiators attempted an attack, but the formation was eventually broken up by Hurricanes from Exeter. Two Dorniers managed to reach the target, and bombs fell into the harbour. Too fast for the Gladiators to get into position, the raiders made their escape.
The Luftwaffe's tactics changed to night bombing of Britain during the autumn of 1940, and the Gladiators adopted a night defence role. Although several visual night interceptions were made (aided by ground control radar), the obsolete Gladiator had no success against the heavy bombing of the city of Plymouth.
No. 247 Squadron was re-equipped with the Hawker Hurricane
on 24 December 1940, and continued to operate by day and night. Due to the poor airfield conditions a detachment was made to RAF St Eval
with its better facilities. Even though the Hurricane was an improvement, results in night interception were poor and made little impact in defending Plymouth and Exeter during the Blitz
. After a short move to RAF Portreath, the squadron moved to RAF Predannack
on 18 June 1941. It was from there on 7 July that the squadron's first 'kill' was made when a Junkers Ju 88
was shot down during a night raid on Falmouth. Various methods were adopted to improve the night fighting capability, including operating in formation with Turbinlite
aircraft of 1457 Flight
. This bizarre concept consisted of a high powered searchlight attached to the nose of a radar fitted Douglas Havoc, with the intention of illuminating the target, to enable the Hurricane to make its attack. There are no known results of this being a success. The Hurricane was also tried with radar equipment, but soon heavier, improved performance machines like the Bristol Beaufighter
replaced the aircraft in the night-fighting role.
As well as continuing its night defence role the squadron was involved in early offensive 'intruder' attacks against Luftwaffe aerodrome in northern France. When the Hawker Typhoon
replaced the Hurricane, these type of operations in daylight continued. No. 247 was heavily involved in attacks prior to and including D-Day
. Targets included transport systems, and weapon emplacements as well as providing close air support to ground forces. On 27 June 1944, the Squadron moved to Coulombs
in Normandy
, beginning the subsequent drive through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany.
. However the radical change of equipment came in March 1946 when the squadron became the first unit to operate the de Havilland Vampire
jet fighter. No.247 Squadron formed part of the UK's air defence during the early cold war years. The Vampire was replaced by the improved version of the Gloster Meteor
, and then the successful Hawker Hunter
fighter.
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. It was also known as No.247 (China British) Squadron in recognition of the donations made by the British colonies, which at the outbreak of the Second World War, were established on the Chinese coast. The financial gift to provide two fighter squadrons also included the badge in the form of a scroll with Chinese characters Cheu Feng meaning "fierce wind" or Hurricane, and the motto "Rise from the East". The squadron was heavily involved in air operations during the Second World War, and the defence of the United Kingdom during the early years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Formation and early history (1918–1919)
No. 247 Squadron was first formed in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on 20 August 1918 by the amalgamation of No. 336 and 337 Flights of the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
. The Squadron was equipped with Felixstowe F2A flying boats and its role was reconnaissance and anti-submarine work in the North Sea. With the cessation of hostilities, the squadron was disbanded on 22 January 1919.
The Second World War
Formed from the Shetland Fighter Flight No. 247 Squadron was reformed at RoboroughRoborough
Roborough is a village in the South Hams of Devon, England. It lies just outside the northern boundary of the city of Plymouth on the main road to Tavistock, and is a popular dormitory village....
(Plymouth) on 1 August 1940, flying Gloster Gladiator
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...
biplanes the defence of the south west of England including the ports of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
. The squadron's first action came on 25 September 1940, when a force of 24 Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
s escorted by 12 Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
s flew over the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
from France and crossed the coast at Start Point, heading towards Plymouth. Four of the Squadron's Gladiators attempted an attack, but the formation was eventually broken up by Hurricanes from Exeter. Two Dorniers managed to reach the target, and bombs fell into the harbour. Too fast for the Gladiators to get into position, the raiders made their escape.
The Luftwaffe's tactics changed to night bombing of Britain during the autumn of 1940, and the Gladiators adopted a night defence role. Although several visual night interceptions were made (aided by ground control radar), the obsolete Gladiator had no success against the heavy bombing of the city of Plymouth.
No. 247 Squadron was re-equipped with the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
on 24 December 1940, and continued to operate by day and night. Due to the poor airfield conditions a detachment was made to RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
with its better facilities. Even though the Hurricane was an improvement, results in night interception were poor and made little impact in defending Plymouth and Exeter during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. After a short move to RAF Portreath, the squadron moved to RAF Predannack
Predannack Airfield
Predannack Airfield is situated near Mullion on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula in the United Kingdom. The runways are operated by the Royal Navy and today it is used as a satellite airfield and relief landing ground for nearby RNAS Culdrose.-World War II:...
on 18 June 1941. It was from there on 7 July that the squadron's first 'kill' was made when a Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
was shot down during a night raid on Falmouth. Various methods were adopted to improve the night fighting capability, including operating in formation with Turbinlite
Turbinlite
The Helmore/GEC Turbinlite was a 2,700 million candela searchlight fitted in the nose of a number of British Douglas Havoc night fighters during the early part of the Second World War and around the time of The Blitz....
aircraft of 1457 Flight
No. 1457 Flight RAF
No. 1457 Flight was formed at RAF Colerne on 15 September 1941, and was equipped with Turbinlite Douglas Boston and Douglas Havoc aircraft. On operations they cooperated with the Hawker Hurricanes of 247 Squadron. By 15 November 1941 the flight moved to RAF Predannack, Cornwall. During its...
. This bizarre concept consisted of a high powered searchlight attached to the nose of a radar fitted Douglas Havoc, with the intention of illuminating the target, to enable the Hurricane to make its attack. There are no known results of this being a success. The Hurricane was also tried with radar equipment, but soon heavier, improved performance machines like the Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
replaced the aircraft in the night-fighting role.
As well as continuing its night defence role the squadron was involved in early offensive 'intruder' attacks against Luftwaffe aerodrome in northern France. When the Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...
replaced the Hurricane, these type of operations in daylight continued. No. 247 was heavily involved in attacks prior to and including D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
. Targets included transport systems, and weapon emplacements as well as providing close air support to ground forces. On 27 June 1944, the Squadron moved to Coulombs
Coulombs
Coulomb or Coulombs may refer to:* Charles-Augustin de Coulomb , French physicist, also:** Coulomb, a unit of electric charge** Coulomb's law, in electrostatics** Coulomb blockade, an increased resistance of certain electronic devices...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, beginning the subsequent drive through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany.
Post War
After the war, the Squadron was re-equipped briefly with the Typhoon's successor, the Hawker TempestHawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
. However the radical change of equipment came in March 1946 when the squadron became the first unit to operate the de Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
jet fighter. No.247 Squadron formed part of the UK's air defence during the early cold war years. The Vampire was replaced by the improved version of the Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
, and then the successful Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
fighter.
Missile Defence
Defence cuts and a change of strategy for the RAF in the late 50's led to the squadron's second disbandment in 1957. In 1960 the squadron reformed as a Bristol Bloodhound surface to air missile unit, before being disbanded for the final time on 31 December 1963.Squadron Association
An association of former serving members of the Squadron was formed in 1987 and continues to the present day. An annual reunion is held normally in September.Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1918 | Jan 1919 | Felixstowe F.2 Felixstowe F.2 |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bruce, J.M. Flight, 2 December 1955, pp. 842–846.* Bruce, J.M. Flight, 16 December 1955, pp. 895–898.* Bruce, J.M. Flight, 23 December 1955, pp. 929–932.... |
a |
| Jan 1940 | Feb 1941 | Gloster Gladiator Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it... |
Mk.II |
| Dec 1940 | Jun 1941 | Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... |
Mk.I |
| Jun 1941 | Jan 1942 | Hawker Hurricane | Mks.IIa & IIb |
| Jan 1942 | Feb 1943 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.IIc |
| Jan 1943 | Aug 1945 | Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied... |
Mk.Ib |
| Aug 1945 | May 1946 | Hawker Tempest Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war.... |
Mk.II |
| Mar 1946 | Feb 1949 | de Havilland Vampire De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served... |
F.1 |
| Oct 1948 | Dec 1949 | de Havilland Vampire | F.3 |
| Nov 1949 | May 1952 | de Havilland Vampire | FB.5 |
| Apr 1952 | Jun 1955 | Gloster Meteor Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force... |
F.8 |
| Jun 1955 | Jul 1955 | Hawker Hunter Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary... |
F.1 |
| May 1955 | Mar 1957 | Hawker Hunter | F.4 |
| Mar 1957 | Dec 1957 | Hawker Hunter | F.6 |
| Jul 1960 | Dec 1963 | Bristol Bloodhound SAM Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles... |