No. 30 Squadron RAF

In November 1914 the British Royal Flying Corps despatched a flight of aircraft from Britain to Egypt to defend the Suez Canal, as war with the Turkish Empire became increasingly likely. Initial equipment consisted of Farman Longhorn and Shorthorn biplanes, which were soon supplemented by Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s and Farman HF.20s sent from India.[3][4] The flight, based at Ismailia Airfield, was redesignated No. 30 Squadron on 24 March 1915 (1915-03-24)[5][6]

On 24 August 1915, the Mesopotamian Half Flight, a unit of the Australian Flying Corps stationed in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) was formally attached to 30 Squadron. For several months the Half-Flight, under Captain Henry Petre, and equipped with a mixture of Farman Shorthorns, Farman Longhorns and Caudron G.3s had been flying operations in support of the Indian Army, against Turkish ground forces, during the Mesopotamian campaign.[7][8][9]

On 26 August 1915, a second flight, equipped with Martinsyde Scouts, arrived at Basrah to join the 30 Squadron forces operating in Mesopotamia. The Martinsydes suffered from poor engine reliability in the heat and dusty conditions encountered.[10][11] Despite this, a forward deployed detachment of the squadron supported the army's advance along the Tigris river, with reconnaissance by the squadron's aircraft helping the British and Indian forces to win the Battle of Es Sinn and capture Kut al-Imara in September 1915.[12][13] In October 1915, the rest of the squadron moved to Mesopotamia, being relieved in Egypt by 14 Squadron.[14] On 7 November, the squadron was reorganised with headquarters and B Flight at Basra and A Flight deployed forward at Azizaya.[15]

The squadron continued to support the British forces as they advanced towards Bagdhad, until the advance was stopped by the Battle of Ctesiphon on 22–25 November 1915.[16] An air reconnaissance mission on the eve of the battle carried out by Major H. L Reilly of the squadron spotted that the Turkish positions in front of Ctesiphon had been heavily reinforced, but his aircraft was shot down by ground-fire and Reilly captured. It has been suggested in the Official Histories of the Air War and the Campaign in Mesopotamia, that if Reilly had successfully returned with his intelligence to the British lines, Major General Townshend, commander of the British force, would have aborted the attack.[17][18] After Ctesiphon, the British column retreated to Kut al-Imara, pursued by the Turkish Army, and Kut was besieged from 7 December 1915. Those aircraft that could evacuate left Kut earlier that day, but most of the personnel of the forward deployed A and B flights of the squadron, along with three unserviceable aircraft, were trapped in the besieged town.[19]

While reduced in serviceable strength to only a single B.E.2, the Squadron provided reconnaissance support to the force sent to relieve the troops trapped at Kut.[20] The squadron was reinforced by four more B.E.2s in February 1916.[21] The relief column failed to break through to Kut, and in April 1916, the squadron, with eight B.E.2s, together with seven RNAS aircraft, carried out one of the earliest air supply mission when it air-dropped food and other supplies to the besieged garrison. While 19,000 lb (8,600 kg) of food was dropped between 15 and 29 April, this was insufficient to feed the trapped troops and the civilian population of the town, and Major General Townshend surrendered on 29 April.[22][5]

Westland Wapiti Mk.IIa J9409 of No. 30 Squadron flying over Mosul, Iraq, in 1932.

In 1919 the squadron was sent to Iran as part of the Norperforce.[23] This was followed by a posting to Iraq, for which it was re-equipped with DH.9As but by 1929 these in turn had been replaced by Westland Wapitis followed by Hawker Hardys (a tropicalised, general purpose version of the Hawker Hart light bomber) in 1935 and Blenheim Is in 1938.[24]

Republic Thunderbolt Mk. II HD298 of No. 30 Squadron taking off from Chittagong, 1944.

In August 1939, as war loomed, the squadron moved back to RAF Ismailia in Egypt and carried out escort missions in the Western Desert and provided fighter defence of Alexandria.[25][26][lower-alpha 1] In November 1940, it was sent to Greece to operate its Blenheims in both the bomber and fighter roles, but in March 1941 the squadron was redesignated a fighter unit. After the fall of Greece and the Battle of Crete the squadron returned to Egypt and was re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes and employed on night defence of Alexandria and shipping protection patrols before moving on to operations in the Western Desert.[27][28]

When the situation in the Far East worsened the squadron was ordered to reinforce allied forces in Java, but by the time the squadron left Egypt, Java, had already fallen, and the squadron was ferried by the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable to Ceylon arriving on 6 March 1942, just in time to assist in resisting the Japanese carrier strike against the island.[29] This raid took place on 5 April 1942 with 21 aircraft being launched from its base at RAF Ratmalana whilst under heavy fire from Japanese aircraft. Seven of the squadron's Hurricanes were lost, with five of its pilots being killed or dying later of wounds received during the battle. It claimed 14 Japanese aircraft shot down, together with six probably destroyed and five damaged, out of a total claim for the whole of the island's defences of 24 shot down, 7 probables and 9 damaged. In fact, the Japanese lost seven aircraft, with a further 15 damaged.[30][31]

In February 1944, it moved to the Burma front flying escort and ground attack missions and in May 1944 was re-equipped with American Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, which it took back into action in October until May 1945.[32]

Vickers Valetta C.1 VW838 of No. 30 Squadron at Manchester Airport in 1953.

After the Japanese surrender the squadron remained in India and its Thunderbolts were replaced by Hawker Tempest F Mk 2s in March 1946. No. 30 Squadron lost its aircraft on 1 December 1946, before being disbanded on 1 April 1947 at Agra.[33]

On 24 November 1947 the squadron was reformed at RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire in the transport role, operating as a unit within the Royal Air Force Transport Command. It flew the Dakota on many humanitarian supply flights during the Berlin Airlift. Re-equipment with the Vickers Valetta came in December 1950. The heavier four-engine Blackburn Beverley was flown between April 1957 and September 1967. From November 1959 30 Squadron operated out of RAF Eastleigh in Kenya before moving on to RAF Muharraq in October 1964.[34]

The Squadron temporarily disbanded in September 1967 but quickly reformed at RAF Fairford in June 1968 equipped with turbine-propeller powered Lockheed Hercules transports, maintaining the units transport role. the squadron moved to RAF Lyneham in September 1971.[8]

Lockheed Martin Hercules C5 ZH883 of No. 30 Squadron in flight, 2007.

During 2008 'A' flight was based at RAF Al Udeid with the Hercules C.4.[35]

The squadron flew its last Hercules flight on 8 December 2016.[1] It then took on an administrative role and later reformed on 28 September 2021 to become the second frontline squadron operating the Airbus A400M Atlas.[36]

• Ashworth, Chris (1989). Encyclopaedia of Modern Royal Air Force Squadrons. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-013-6.
• Bruce, J. M. (1982). The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.
• Cotter, Jarrod (2008). Royal Air Force celebrating 90 years. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-946219-11-7.
• Fairbarn, Tony (1991). Action Stations Overseas. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-319-4.
• Halley, James J (1985). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force (2 ed.). Tonbridge: Air-Britain. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.
• Halley, James J (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth 1918–1988. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Jones, H. A. (1935). The War in the Air: Being the Story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force: Vol. V. History of the Great War. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Lake, Alan (1999). Flying Units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
• Moberly, F. J. (1924). The Campaign in Mesopotamia 1914–1918: Volume II. History of the Great War. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office.
• Shores, Christopher; Cull, Brian; Izawa, Yasuho (1993). Bloody Shambles: Volume Two: The Defence of Sumatra to the Fall of Burma. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-67-4.
• Shores, Christopher; Massimello, Giovanni; Guest, Russell (2012). A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940–1945: Volume One: North Africa: June 1940 – January 1942. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-908117-07-6.
• "Sqn Histories 26–30". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. rafweb.org. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012.
• Tennant, Lieutenant Colonel J. E. In the Clouds above Baghdad. London: Cecil Palmer, 1920.