No. 100 Squadron RAF

No. 100 Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Active	1917–1918 (RFC) 1918–1942 1942–1959 1962–1968 1972–2022
Disbanded	31 March 2022
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying squadron
Motto(s)	Sarang tebuan jangan dijolok (Malayfor 'Never stir up a hornet's nest')
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	In front of two bones insaltire,a skull. The badge was the official version of a motif used by the squadron on theWestern Frontin 1917. Approved byKing George VIin November 1937.
Squadron roundel
Squadron codes	RA(Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) HW(Dec 1942 – Apr 1951) AS/GB(1946) CA–CZ(Hawks)

Number 100 Squadronis a formerRoyal Air Forcesquadron. It last operated theBritish Aerospace Hawk T1,providing 'aggressor' aircraft for air combat training fromRAF LeeminginNorth Yorkshire,UK.

History

First World War

No. 100 was established on 23 February 1917 atHinghaminNorfolkas theRoyal Flying Corps' first squadron formed specifically as a night bombing unit and comprised elements of the Home Defence Wing.Its first commanding officer was MajorGrahame Christie.

The unit was mobilised and crossed fromPortsmouthon 21 March 1917 toFranceand was first based at St Andre-aux-Bois, where it received twelveRoyal Aircraft Factory F.E.2Bs aircraft on complement. These aircraft had been withdrawn from other units where they had operated in daylight, so modifications were required to adapt them for 100 Squadron's operational role.

On 1 April 1917, the unit moved to Izel-le-Hameau and took a further four aircraft on complement, in the form ofB.E.2es.The squadron began operations on the night of 5/6 April 1917, when eleven FE2b aircraft attackedLa Brayelle Airfield,Douai,whereManfred von Richthofen's'Flying Circus' was based; Richthofen referred to this raid in his book, 'Der Rote Kampfflieger'. One hundred and twenty-eight 20 lb (9 kg) and four 40 lb (18 kg) bombs were dropped; four aircraft hangars were reported as having been set on fire and one of the attacking aircraft was lost.On 17 November 1918, 100 Squadron moved toRAF Saint Inglevert.

On 4 March 1918,the squadron was sent toOchey,nearNancy,to form the nucleus of theIndependent Air ForceunderMajor GeneralHugh Trenchard.In August of that year, the unit converted toHandley Page 0/400heavy bombers and therefore longer rangesortiesover industrial sites inGermanybecame possible. The squadron conducted these raids throughout the rest of the war; an aircraft from the unit was the last in war-time to return to base (on the night before theArmistice) from a raid.

Inter war period

After the end of the war, the squadron remained on the continent until September 1919 as acadrebefore transferring toRAF Baldonnel,nearDublinand re-forming to full strength, re-equipping withBristol F.2 Fightersfor army co-operation.Close air supportoperations were flown during theIrish War of Independence.Following the end of hostilities the squadron was moved toSpitalgate,Lincolnshirein February 1922, and converted to bombing, this time withVickers VimysandDH9As.

In May 1924, the unit was re-equipped with theFairey Fawn.With these aircraft, the squadron performed air-mail carrying services breaking theGeneral Strikeof 1926. In September of that year, the squadron tookHawker Horsleyaircraft on complement and in November 1930 moved toDonibristle,Fife,converting totorpedo-bombing.Its revised official designation as 'No. 100 (Torpedo-Bomber) Squadron' came later, in 1933.

A further re-equipment came in November 1932, when theVickers Vildebeestcame on complement and with this aircraft the squadron was deployed as part of the operation to defendSingapore,arriving atSeletarin January 1934.

Second World War

Vickers Vildebeest Mark III torpedo bombers of 100 Squadron approachingTavoy,Burma.11 February 1939

The squadron was put at readiness shortly after war was declared but, for the period to December 1941, there was little involvement operationally whilst still based at Seletar. In November and December 1941 detachments were sent toFisherman's Bend,inVictoria,Australia.Intended replacement aircraft (Bristol Beauforts) for the remaining squadron were not forthcoming and, as part of operations against advancingJapaneseforces, the unit's obsolete Vildebeest aircraft were used in strikes against enemy shipping. Because of this, during January 1942, the squadron lost most of its aircraft in engagements with Japanese fighters. Despite several attempts to remain operational as a combined unit along withNo. 36 Squadron RAF,as Japan made advances in theFar East theatre,most personnel eventually becameprisoners of war.

On 15 December 1942, No. 100 Squadron RAF proper was re-formed in the UK, atRAF Grimsby,nearWaltham,as a night-time heavy bomber squadron and was part ofNo. 1 Group RAF,RAF Bomber Command. In January 1943, the squadron received the first of its new complement ofAvro Lancasters;the first operation of the squadron was on 4 March 1943 against aU-boatbase atSt Nazaire.A few days later the squadron was involved in a raid againstNurembergin Germany and from then on, as part of Bomber Command's strategic role against Germany, took part in every major raid.

At the end of 1943, the squadron had completed the second largest number of successful operations of units within No. 1 Group Bomber Command and had the lowest 'loss' rate. On the night of 16/17 December 1943, the squadron received orders to attackBerlin.The raid became known as 'Black Thursday' as Bomber Command lost 25 aircraft on the raid and 28 in crashes at fog-shrouded airfields. That night, 100 Squadron lost their commanding officer,David Holford,who crashed landed approaching RAF Grimsby. On the night of 5 June 1944, the squadron bombedheavy gun batteriesin support of theD-Day invasion.

For the last month of the war, the squadron moved toElsham WoldsinLincolnshire.In the latter stages of the war and post-war, the squadron was involved in the humanitarian OperationsMannaandExodus.At the end of December 1945 the squadron moved toRAF Scampton,being the last squadron on that station to operate theAvro LancasterThe squadron then departed forRAF Lindholmein May, 1946.

Cold War

Between 1946 and 1950 the squadron was based atRAF Hemswelloperating Avro Lancasters and laterAvro Lincolns.The squadron left Hemswell in 1950, relocating toMalaysiawhere it was involved with OperationsFiredogandMusgrave.In January 1954, the unit deployed toEastleighinKenyaduring theMau Mau Uprising.Returning two months later, the squadron was re-equipped withEnglish Electric Canberras,moving toWitteringinCambridgeshire.It was disbanded on 1 September 1959 but re-formed at Wittering on 1 May 1962, equipped withHandley Page Victor B.2s,which, from early 1964, carried theBlue Steel missilenuclear weapon.

Target Facilities role

100 Squadron Hawk overYorkshire,the flag can be seen below the cockpit.

Disbanded again on 30 September 1968, the squadron was re-formed as a target facilities unit in 1972, utilising Canberra aircraft atRAF West Raynham,inNorfolk.100 Sqn combined with 85 and 98 Squadrons and operated 26 Canberra aircraft fromRAF Marhambefore moving in 1982 toRAF WytoninCambridgeshire.In 1991, the squadron converted to theHawker Siddeley Hawk T1,which are now used for training and front-line support roles. On 31 August 1994, the squadron moved toRAF FinningleyinSouth Yorkshire.After the news that RAF Finningley would be shut, 100 Squadron moved without its ground crew toRAF Leeming.

Flying training

In January 2019, it was announced that, as No. 100 Squadron has a degree of spare capacity in terms of its operations, it would take on an additional role of fast jet flying training. This was undertaken owing to limited capacity in the RAF's existing operation using the Hawk T2 aircraft, and came three years after fast jet training using the Hawk T1 was officially ended with the disbanding ofNo. 208 Squadronin 2016.

The aircraft's role was to be replaced by theAir Support to Defence Operational Training(ASDOT) programme, which was intended to provide aggressor training to all three British armed services.However, in March 2019, the ASDOT programme was cancelled.The squadron was expected to retire its Hawk T1 aircraft in 2027, however, an announcement in July 2021 confirmed that apart from theRed Arrows,all other Hawk T1 aircraft in the British military would be retired by 31 March 2022.As a result, the squadron disbanded on 31 March 2022.

Notable personnel

• Grahame Christie,initial Officer Commanding, later BritishAir Attachéin Berlin (1927-30).
• Wing CommanderR V McIntyre,Commanding Officerof the squadron from April to November 1943. Awarded theDFCafter completing a successful bomb-drop overBochumon 13 May 1943, despite the aircraft having lost two engines toflakhits overCologne.On return, McIntyre brought the aircraft in toRAF Coltishall,Norfolkfor a successfulcrash landing.
• Peter J. M. Squires,Officer Commanding from April 2009 to April 2011
• Rory Underwood,former EnglandRugby Unionplayer

Squadron flag

A 100 Squadron Hawk T1 in 2006

The squadron flag which depicts a skull and crossbones was apparently stolen from a Frenchbrothelin 1918. It was later embellished with the squadron name and the mottoBlood and Bones.The original flag disintegrated while being looked after by a Flight Lieutenant Trillwood during his time as a Japanese prisoner of war. The flag was originally dark maroon in colour but was replaced by a black flag after the war. Following the 90th anniversary of the squadron, a replica of the original flag was presented to the squadron by Arthur White, a navigator with the squadron during the Second World War, in 2008.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated included:

• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c(February 1917 – January 1918)
• Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b(March 1917 – August 1918)
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e (April 1917 – August 1917)
• Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2c (January 1918 – August 1918)
• Handley Page 0/400(August 1918 – September 1919)
• Bristol F.2b Fighter(February 1920 – March 1922)
• Airco DH.9A(February 1920 – June 1921)
• Avro 504K(February 1922 – May 1924)
• Vickers Vimy(February 1922 – June 1923)
• Fairey Fawn Mk.II/Mk.III(May 1924 – December 1926)
• Hawker Horsley Mk.I/Mk.II(August 1926 – April 1933)
• Vickers Vildebeest Mk.I(November 1932 – September 1933)
• Vickers Vildebeest Mk.II (August 1933 – January 1941)
• Vickers Vildebeest Mk.III (December 1937 – February 1942)
• Bristol Beaufort Mk.I(December 1941 – January 1942)
• Avro Lancaster Mk.I/Mk.III(December 1942 – May 1946)
• Avro Lincoln B.2(May 1946 – April 1954)
• English Electric Canberra B.2(April 1954 – September 1959; February 1972 – September 1991)
• English Electric Canberra B.6 (August 1956 – September 1959)
• English Electric Canberra PR.7 (August 1956 – June 1957; June 1982 – December 1991)
• English Electric Canberra B(I).8 (August 1956 – September 1959)
• Handley Page Victor B.2(June 1962 – June 1964)
• Handley Page Victor B.2R (March 1963 – September 1968)
• English Electric Canberra T.19 (February 1972 – July 1980)
• English Electric Canberra E.15 (February 1976 – September 1991)
• English Electric Canberra TT.18 (January 1982 – December 1991)
• British Aerospace Hawk T.1/T.1A(September 1991 – March 2022)

Battle honours

No. 100 Squadron has received the followingbattle honours.Those marked with an asterisk (*) may be emblazoned on thesquadron standard.

• Western Front(1917–1918)
• Ypres(1917)*
• Somme(1918)*
• Independent Force and Germany(1918)*
• Malaya (1941–1942)*
• Fortress Europe(1943–1944)*
• Biscay Ports (1943–1945)

• Ruhr(1943–1945)
• Berlin(1943–1945)*
• German Ports (1943–1945)
• Baltic(1943–1945)
• France and Germany (1944–1945)
• Normandy(1944)*
• Walcheren

See also

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

References

Citations

Bibliography

• "No. 100 Squadron".Flight,28 October 1955, pp. 673–676, 678.
• Bowman, Martin.Flying Into the Flames of Hell: Dramatic First Hand Accounts of British and Commonwealth Airmen in Bomber Command in WW2.Pen & Sword, 2006.ISBN978-1844153893
• White, Arthur.Hornets' Nest: History of 100 Squadron, Royal Air Force, 1917-94.Worcester, Worcestershire, UK: Square One Publications, 1994.

External links

• 100 Squadron Association