Royal Flying Corps

The Squadrons

More than 50 squadrons from 7 nations were stationed at RAF North Weald, in both war and peace. The first was No.39 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps in August 1916 and the last, 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, left North Weald in February 1958. This historic airfield ceased to be an active RAF airfield on 1st September 1964.

The following squadrons saw service at North Weald: No. 1 (Squadron Code JX): Detachments August-September 1940 April 1944. No.1 (RCAF) (YO): Detachments August-September 1940. No. 2 (XV): November 1943, January-February 1944. No. 4 (FV): November 1943. No. 17 (UV): May-September 1939. No. 19 (QV): June-July 1953. No. 25 (ZK): January-June 1940, September-October 1940. No. 26 'South African' (RM): January-April 1945. No. 29 (YB): April 1928-October 1935, September 1936-November 1937. No. 33 (5R): April-May 1944. No. 39: August 1916-November 1918. No. 44 'Rhodesia': July-December 1919. No. 46 'Uganda' (PO): November-December 1940. No. 56 'Punjab' (LR/US): October 1927-May 1940, June-September 1940, December 1940-June 1941. No. 63 (UB): November 1943-January 1944, September 1944-January 1945. No. 64: July-August 1937. No. 66 (LZ): March 1944. No. 71 'Eagle' (American) (XR): June-December 1941. No. 72 'Basutoland' (FG): March 1950-July 1953. No. 74 'Trinidad' (4D): April-May 1944. No. 75 'New Zealand': May 1918-June 1919. No. 111 (JU): May-June 1940, July-November 1941, December 1941, December 1953 February 1958. No. 116 (II): July-August 1944. No. 121 'Eagle' (American) (AV): December 1941-June 1942. No. 124 'Baroda' (ON): November 1942-July 1943. No. 127 (9N): April-May 1944. No. 130 'Punjab' (AP): May 1945. No. 151 (DZ): August 1936-February 1940, May-September 1940. No. 168 (DE): November 1943-February 1944. No. 222 'Natal' (ZD): August 1941-August 1942. No. 234 'Madras Presidency' (AZ): August-December 1944. No. 242 'Canadian' (LE): May-July 1941, August-September 1942. No. 249 'Gold Coast' (GN): September 1940-May 1941. No. 257 'Burma' (DT): October-November 1940. No. 268 (NM): January-March 1944. No. 275 (GG/PV): October-November 1940, June-July 1953. No. 285 (VG): January-June 1945. No. 287 (KZ): July 1944-June 1945. No. 288 (RP): August-November 1944. No. 301 'Pomorski' (Polish) (GR): July-September 1945. No. 304 'Œl¹ski' (Polish) (QD): July-September 1945. No. 310 (Czechoslovak) (NN): August-December 1944. No. 312 (Czechoslovak) (DU): August-October 1944. No. 313 (Czechoslovak) (RY): October-December 1944. No. 331 (Norwegian) (FN): May 1942-March 1944, April-May 1945. No. 332 (Norwegian) (AH/HG): June 1942-March 1944, April-May 1945. No. 403 'Wolf' (Canadian) (KH): December 1941-May 1942, August 1942. No. 412 'Falcon' (Canadian) (VZ): June 1942. No. 419 Flight: August-October 1940. No. 486 (New Zealand) (SA): September-October 1942. No. 601 'County of London' (RAH): March 1949-March 1957. No. 604 'County of Middlesex' (NG/RAK): September-October 1938, September 1939-January 1940, March 1949-March 1957. No. 695 (4M): November 1946-April. 1947. RAF Historic Aircraft Flight: February-May 1958.

Debt of Honour

Visit the Museum and Memorial and obtain a copy of this remarkable tribute to those who died in service at RAF North Weald.

Winston Ramsey at the North Weald memorialThe incorporation of the Debt of Honour in the Airfield Memorial at North Weald is a unique tribute to over 250 servicemen, servicewomen and civilians employed at the station, who lost their lives - in peace and war - during the airfield's 48-year operational existence, initially under the Royal Flying Corps and then the Royal Air Force.

The station became active in August 1916 when No. 39 Squadron arrived to help counter the growing menace of the German airships. The aerodrome became a cornerstone in the defence of London and south-east England and during the Second World War Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders, Czechs, Norwegians and Poles also served at the base.

The Debt of Honour has been compiled by After the Battle using a variety of official records beginning with the Station Operations Record Book and the registers of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Numerous inconsistencies had to be resolved with the help of the RAF Personnel Management Agency, the Air Historical Branch of the Ministry of Defence, and the local Registrar of Births and Deaths. The American Eagle Squadron Association, the New Zealand and Norwegian Ministries of Defence and the Polish Institute were also consulted as well as aviation historians to try to make the record as complete and accurate as possible.

Altogether, over 50 squadrons saw service at North Weald and in the Debt of Honour no distinction has been made between those who lost their lives in the face of the enemy, and today lie in a foreign field, and those who died from illness or accident - or even suicide - on or around the airfield. All served . . . and all are commemorated.

No. 56, the long-time resident squadron from 1927 to 1941 (with short absences) lost the most men - 22 - followed by the other squadron having a close association with the airfield - No. 151 - with 18 men killed. The Royal Air Force suffered a total of 171 casualties between 1916 and 1964 when the airfield ceased to be operational, of whom 12 were members of ground crews. Of the overseas squadrons, the Norwegian Nos. 331 and 332 lost 36 men; the Americans (Nos. 71 and 121 'Eagle' Squadrons) 19; and the Canadians (Nos. 1(RCAF), 403 and 412) 11. The Czechs (Nos. 310, 312 and 313 Squadrons) lost three men; the Poles (Nos. 301 and 304) four men, and New Zealand one pilot from No. 486 Squadron. Ten members of the Essex Regiment and four civilians were killed in 1940.

In compiling and presenting the Debt of Honour, After the Battle Editor-in-Chief Winston Ramsey said: 'The provision of the Debt of Honour in a tangible form so that visitors to the memorial will be able to take a copy away with them is, in my experience, absolutely unique. I hope it will serve as a reminder - particularly to our younger generations - of the price paid in lives then for the freedom we enjoy today. Not only can North Weald be considered a battlefield but it is special because it saw airmen from two Commonwealth countries and four foreign nations coming to Britain to fight for both their country and our country. That so many lost their lives in the process so far from home I hope will never be forgotten.'

© Winston Ramsey, August 2000

© The above photograph and text were provided by After the Battle

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