41 Squadron RAF Standard

This standard was presented to 41(F) Squadron on 14th. July 1957 at RAF Biggin Hill and laided up on 27th. July 1986 in All Saints church, Scottow, Norfolk on the occasion of the squadron's 70th. anniversary.

 

Squadron motto:

Seek and Destroy

 

Squadron crest:

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.

 

Squadron codes:

PN: January 1939 to September 1939

EB: September 1939 to February 1951

FA to FZ: Jaguars

EB-A to EB-Z: 2010 to present

 

41 Squadron was formed in 1916 during First World War as part of the Royal Flying Corps and served on the Western Front as a ground attack and fighter squadron. Disbanded in 1919 as part of the post-war draw down, 41 Sqn. 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 Spitfires 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 1944–45, 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 RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron.

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 22nd. May 1916, the squadron was disbanded again when it was re-numbered 27 Reserve Squadron, RFC.

41 Sqn. was re-formed on 14th. July 1916 with a nucleus of men from 27 Reserve Sqn. 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 15th. October 1916. Eighteen aircraft departed Gosport for the 225-mile flight to St. Omer, but only 12 actually made it, the others landing elsewhere with technical problems. The 12 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. The F.E.8 was already obsolete as a pure fighter, and 41 Sqn. used theirs mainly for ground attack. On 24th. January 1917 the squadron claimed its first victories. These fell to Sgt. Plt. Cecil Tooms, who himself was killed in action only four hours later. 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 41 Sqn. 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. 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 Sqn. claimed its final victory of the war two days prior to the cessation of hostilities. In the aftermath, the unit was reduced to a cadre of just 16 men on 7th. 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 31st. December 1919.

During the war seventeen aces served with 41 Sqn. including ten Canadian aces of the seventeen. The squadron's pilots and ground crews were awarded four DSO's, six MC's, nine DFC's, two MM's and four Mentions in Dispatches for their World War I service. 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.

The squadron reformed at RAF Northolt on 1st. April 1923, equipped with the Sopwith Snipe. In 1924, it began receiving the first Armstrong Whitworth Siskin III biplanes. On 27th. July 1929 eleven aircraft from 41 Sqn. 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. On 9th. October 1930 following the R101 Airship disaster in Beauvais, France, 41 Sqn. 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.

During the 1930s, displays, sports, competitions, tactical exercises and flying practice were a part of regular activity. On 1st. July 1935, 41 Sqn 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.

In October 1935 the squadron was sent to the Aden Protectorate to help provide a presence in the region during the Abyssinian crisis of 1935–36, returning to the UK in August 1936. They were then based at RAF Catterick, Yorkshire, from September 1936 where they remained until May 1940.

In April 1937, 41 Squadron's badge and motto, 'Seek and Destroy', were 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.

On 30th. December 1938, 41 Sqn. 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 20 Mark I Spitfires, at the cost of £129,130.

Around 200 pilots served with 41 Sqn. between 1st. April 1923 and 2nd. September 1939, during these years eleven men were killed and three injured in flying accidents and three were injured in aircrew accidents on the ground.

Following the declaration of war on 3rd. September 1939, 41 Sqn. spent the first several months on 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 enemy 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. After resting for a few weeks, the squadron headed south again on 26th. July 1940, to participate in the first phase of the Battle of Britain. In its two-week tour, the Squadron claimed 10 enemy aircraft destroyed, four probable's and three damaged for the loss of one pilot killed and a second wounded.

Again, 41 Sqn. returned north to Catterick for a few weeks rest, but returned to Hornchurch on 3rd. 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 5th. 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. On 31st. October 1940, the Battle of Britain was considered officially over. 49 pilots flew with the squadron between 10th. July and 31st. October 1940. Of these, 42 were British, 2 Canadian, 2 Irish and 2 New Zealanders. 10 were killed and 12 wounded in action (44% casualties). The squadron claimed over 100 victories from July 1940 to the end of that year.

On 23rd. 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 3rd. September 1940. However, in reality it is much worse: 16 pilots had been killed, five wounded and hospitalised (who did not return) and 15 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. Following five months of rest at Catterick the squadron headed south to Merston, Sussex on 28th. July 1941 to join the Tangmere Wing, led by Douglas Bader. There followed an intensive period of offensive activity over France.

On 12th. February 1942, 41 Sqn. took part in the attack on the German Kriegsmarine's Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after they escaped from Brest, France 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. The squadron also supported the ill-fated Canadian 'Operation Jubilee' landings at Dieppe on 19th. August 1942, completing three squadron strength missions over the beaches. The pilots returned from the third without their OC, Sqn Ldr. Geoffrey Hyde, who was hit by flak and killed.

Tired, after a busy summer on the south coast fending off Me. 109's and FW. 190's 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 arrived. 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 their new aircraft, the squadron was sent back onto operations in April 1943 and claimed their first definitive victory in over ten months on 17th. April. This was also the first by the RAF in the Mk. XII Spitfire.

From late June 1943, large scale bomber escorts to targets in France, Belgium and the Netherlands became a daily event and 'Ramrod' escorts of formations of between 50 and 150 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-26 Marauders became routine. 41 Sqn. provided air support leading up to, and throughout the D-Day landings. On D-Day itself, 6th. June 1944, three pilots were hit by flak over the bridgehead and one was killed. On 19th. 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. On 28th. August 1944, the squadron claimed its last of 53 V1's 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.

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. 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. In April 1945, the squadron moved forward with the advancing front and made its first base in Germany, just southwest of the town of Celle, 140 miles (225 km) due west of Berlin. During April and early May 1945 German resistance crumbled. 41 Sqn. 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 3rd. 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. 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, British Air Forces of Occupation (BAFO). By the end of the war, 41 Sqn. had claimed 200 aircraft destroyed, 61 probably destroyed, 109 damaged and 53 V-1's destroyed. On 31th. March 1946, still based on the continent, 41 Sqn. was disbanded by re-numbering to 26 Sqn.

During WW II the squadron had two mascots, at Catterick in 1939-40 they had 'Wimpy', a bull terrier with the tip of one ear missing and in 1943-44 they had 'Perkin', a large black French poodle.. The squadron's 325 pilots during World War II 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. For their World War II service, 41 Squadron's pilots were awarded three DSO's, 21 DFC's, one DFM and one Mention in Dispatches. Sixty four of them 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 were shot down and became Prisoners of War (POW). The average age of a man who died in service with 41 Sqn. during World War II was 23½.

On 1st. April 1946, only a day after being disbanded in Germany, 41 Sqn. was re-formed at RAF Dalcross in Scotland as a fighter squadron, by re-numbering from 122 Sqn. and flying the Spitfire Mk. F.21.

The squadron flew its Spitfires for the last time on 18th. 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.

41 Sqn. became a day fighter unit again in January 1951 and entered the jet age receiving the Gloster Meteor F.4. In April 1951 these were replaced by the F.8 and four years later the squadron received the Hawker Hunter F.5. On 14th. July 1957, the squadron was presented with this Standard displaying the unit's Battle Honours by the CAS, Air Marshal Sir Theodore McEvoy KCB CBE, who had served three years with 41 Sqn. from 1925. The standard is now laid up at All Saints church, Scottow in Norfolk,

On 15th. January 1958 the squadron was disbanded. On 16th. January 1958, just a day later, 141 Sqn. based at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, was re-numbered as 41 Sqn, and in doing so 41 Sqn. automatically absorbed 141's all-weather Gloster Javelin FAW.4 fighters and personnel. Only remaining at Coltishall six months, the squadron moved to RAF Wattisham, Suffolk, on 5th. July 1958, where the Javelin FAW.4's were replaced by FAW.8's in January 1960. 41 Sqn. stayed at Wattisham for five-and-a-half years before it was disbanded again, on 31st. December 1963.

On 1st. September 1965, 41 Sqn. was re-formed at RAF West Raynham, Norfolk as a missile defence squadron, armed with Bloodhound Mk. II surface-to-air-missile (SAM) until it was disbanded again on 18th. September 1970.

On 1st. April 1972, at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the squadron was reborn as a tactical fighter reconnaissance and ground attack unit equipped with McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom FGR.2's. The Phantom's were considered unsuitable for the role and consequently it was decided to disband 41 Sqn. and re-form it elsewhere with more suitable aircraft. In preparation for this change, 41 Designate Sqn. was formed at RAF Coltishall, in Norfolk on 1st. July 1976 and it commenced training as a reconnaissance unit with SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 aircraft. The two squadrons operated independently of one another until 31st. March 1977 when 41 Sqn. was disbanded at Coningsby, this allowed 41 Designate Sqn. to drop 'Designate' from their name and take possession of the squadron standard, adopt the squadron badge, and become the new combat ready 41 Squadron at Coltishall a day later

The role of 41 Sqn. 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 in the Mediterranean. In early 1991, during the First Gulf War, a large number of reconnaissance and bombing missions were flown against Iraqi forces with Jaguar GR.1A as a part of the coalition forces. In its aftermath, the squadron was deployed to Incirlik, in southwest Turkey, where it participated in maintaining the northern 'no-fly' zone in defence of Iraq's Kurdish minority.

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 unit'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. The squadron returned to Coltishall in August 1995.

The Squadron's last operational deployment was during the Second Gulf War in Iraq in March–April 2003. During the operation, they were based at Incirlik, Turkey, equipped with the more up to date Jaguar GR.3.

The squadron was to be disbanded once again on 31st. March 2006, however approval was received to move the squadron to RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire on 1st. April 2006 as 41(R) Sqn. to assume the role of the Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, or 'FJWOEU'. Their new aircraft consisted of Panavia Tornado's and Harrier GR. 9's. The squadron remained in the role of FJWOEU until 2010. On 1st. April 2010, the Boscombe Down based Fast Jet Test Squadron (FJTS) was amalgamated into 41(R) Squadron to create a new entity, 41 Squadron Test and Evaluation Squadron (41 TES Sqn.)

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. The squadron painted up its aircraft with World War II '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 applied to the Tornado's and subsequently Typhoons, that replaced them. The pilots and WW2 aircraft honoured were:

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Sqn. Ldr. Hilary Richard Lionel 'Robin' Hood, DFC, RAF, Sqn CO who flew Spitfire Mk. Ia in September 1940, coded EB-R, serial P9428 applied to Tornado GR.4 ZA447 / EB-R, later to Typhoon FGR.4, ZK 321 / EB-R.

'Robin' Hood died on 5th. September 1940, aged 32. The exact cause of his death remains unconfirmed, although one of the five combat claims made by JG 54 probably relate to this casualty. Hood was reported to have baled out, but his parachute became entangled with his Spitfire which crashed, engine-less and minus its port wing, near Nevendon, Essex. There is speculation that Hood was buried in a German war grave by mistake.

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P/O, later Flt. Lt. Eric Stanley 'Lockie' Lock, DSO, DFC*, MiD, RAF who flew Spitfire Mk. Ia in September 1940, coded EB-G, serial N3162 applied to Tornado GR4 ZA600 / EB-G, later to Typhoon FGR.4, ZJ 914 / EB-G.

Eric Lock died 3rd. August 1941, aged 22. He crash landed in the English Channel off Calais, France after his Spitfire was damaged by ground fire. He was posted missing in action, he was never seen again.

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P/O, later Wg. Cdr. Edward A Shipman, AFC, RAF who flew Spitfire Mk. Ia in August 1940, coded EB-L, serial K9805 applied to Tornado GR4 ZA611 / EB-L, later to Typhoon FGR.4, ZJ 947 / EB-L.

Edward Shipman died in 1998.

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Flt. Lt., later Sqn. Ldr. Terence 'Terry' Spencer, DFC, TEM, RAF who flew Spitfire Mk. XII in September 1944, coded EB-B, serial MB 882 applied to Tornado GR4 ZD996 / EB-B, later to Typhoon FGR.4, ZK 339 / EB-B.

'Terry' Spencer died on 8th. February 2009 in hospital in Odiham, Hampshire of cancer, aged 90, less than 24 hours after his wife of 62 years died.

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Sgt. Plt. William Aubrey 'Bill' Brew, RAAF who flew Spitfire Mk. Va in August 1941, coded EB-Q serial R7304 applied to Harrier GR.9 ZD328 / EB-Q, later to Tornado GR.4, ZA 560 / EB-Q.

'Bill' Brew was flying as part of 'Circus 26' on 27th. August 1941 when he was attacked at 28,000 ft. by three Me 109F's of JG 2 near St. Omer, France. A fourth Me 109 attacked and shot the starboard aileron away causing the controls becoming useless, Brew bailed-out at approx. 22,000 ft. He was captured and became a POW. He escaped five times in all but was always recaptured. He died on 6th December 2004 in Australia.

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P/O, later Sqn. Ldr. George H. 'Ben' Bennions, who flew Sptifire Mk. Ia in September 1940, coded EB-J serial X4559 applied to Harrier GR9 ZD437 / EB-J, later to Typhoon FGR.4, ZJ912 / EB-J.

George Bennions was severely wounded on 1st. October 1940. That morning he scrambled X4559 to intercept Me 109's. He shot down one before a shell exploded in his cockpit, damaging his eyes and severely injuring his right arm and leg. Badly burned and bleeding heavily he struggled to bail out, and somehow managed to open his parachute before losing consciousness. He was found in a field near Hatfield, Hertfordshire and taken to hospital where swift action saved his right eye, but nothing could be done for the left. Bennions was transferred to Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, West Sussex where he was one of 'Archie's Guinea Pigs', one of the first pilots in the care of Sir Archibald McIndoe, the pioneer of plastic surgery for the treatment for severe burns. In October 1943, Bennions commanded a ground control interception unit that was sent ashore at Ajaccio on Corsica. As he left the landing craft an enemy glide bomb exploded and he received shrapnel wounds. For the second time he became a patient of McIndoe. He died on 30th. January 2004, aged 90.

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Sqn. Ldr. later Gp. Capt. Donald O. Finlay, DFC, AFC, RAF, who flew Spitfire MK. IIa in November 1940, coded EB-Z serial P7666 applied to Harrier GR.9 ZD503 / EB-Z, later to Tornado GR.4, ZG 775 / EB-Z (with special tail markings celebrating his achievements in the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games).

Donald Finlay was a member of Milocarian Athletic Club and Surrey Athletics Club. He represented Great Britain in three Olympics, both pre and post World War II were he won bronze at Los Angeles in 1932 and silver at Berlin in 1936 both in the 110 m hurdles. He was the British Team Captain in London in 1948. At the 1934 Empire Games he won gold in the 120 yards hurdles. He won eight AAA title and he was the AAA indoor champion in both 1937 and 1938. In 16 international meetings, he only lost two hurdles races

Finlay was severely injured and paralysed in a road accident in 1966 which led to his death on 19 April 1970, aged 60 at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.

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With the 'Reserve' status now dropped the squadron is now know as '41 TES'. The squadron's Panavia Tornado's were phased out in late 2017, and the last flight in this aircraft type took place on Friday 13th. October 2017. 41 Sqn. retains its Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4's and will continues to fly these aircraft into the future.

 

Battle Honours:

Western Front 1916-1918*

Somme 1916*

Arras, Cambrai 1917*

Somme 1918*

Lys

Amiens*

Dunkirk

Battle of Britain 1940*

Home Defence 1940-1944*

Fortress Europe 1940-1944*

Dieppe*

France and Germany 1944-1945*

Arnhem

Walcheren

Gulf 1991

 

Honours marked with an asterisk, may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard.

 

Done