ROYAL AIR FORCE - 6 SQUADRON - LAPEL BADGE

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ROYAL AIR FORCE - 6 SQUADRON - LAPEL BADGE. Formed at Farnborough, Hampshire at the end of January 1914, No 6 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC) worked up with fixed-wing aircraft and also had responsibility for the Kite Flight, transferred from No 1 Squadron. After arriving in France in August 1914, the Squadron immediately lost its aircraft to other under-strength units. In July 1915, equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2’s. Capt G L Hawker was awarded the VC for outstanding courage and determination during 11 months of continuous operational flying. The squadron were pioneers in military aviation, being blessed with the presence of Louis Strange and Lanoe Hawker. Strange was an ideas man, almost a mad professor. Hawker on the other hand, a skilled engineer. Their dual talents led to some ingenious mountings for machine guns, the use of which famously won Hawker the first air combat Victoria Cross and almost his life, when he reached up to change the drum on a Lewis gun he had mounted on the top plane of his Martinsyde (long before the Foster Mount became de rigueur). The machine flipped on its back, threw Strange from the cockpit and went into a flat spin from 10,000 ft, with Strange, hanging for dear life to the drum of the Lewis gun. Somehow, he managed to get back into the cockpit and right the aircraft within 500 ft of the ground. He returned to base, and slept away the best part of 24 hours, telling no one of the incident. Unfortunately for Strange, the German machine he had been firing at witnessed the whole incident, and assumed that their brave attacker had perished. As was the custom, they dropped a wreath and with it a letter describing the manner of Strange's death, and a bashful Strange found his escapade written into aviation history. Needless to say, his next invention was a pilot's safety harness! Strange went on to be decorated for bravery in combat in both world wars, and help to initiate, develop and organise the UK's sole parachute training facility at RAF Ringway near Manchester in 1940, and then the catapult Hurricane system (CAM Ship). Hawker died in 1916, after an epic one-to-one battle with Baron von Richthofen ( The Red Baron ). The Squadron finished the war flying RE8s, and shortly after the end of the War, it transferred to Iraq and re-equipped with Bristol Fighters. During the following years, it undertook operations against various uprisings before transferring to Egypt in 1929 and receiving Fairey Gordon bombers, which were replaced in 1935 with Hawker Harts. Following increased tension between Arabs and Jews , the squadron moved to Ramleh in Palestine during 1937 with Hawker Hardys. During the early part of WWII, the Squadron was also equipped with Gloster Gauntlets and Westland Lysanders remained in Palestine, but detached aircraft to the Western Desert until 1941 when Hawker Hurricanes Mk.IID were on strength. Further action in the Desert on anti-tank duties continued from 1942 until the end of the North African campaign, at which time they picked up the nickname “The Flying Tin Openers”. After converting to rocket-firing Hurricanes Mk.IV’s in 1944, the Squadron moved to Italy and flew the remainder of the War over the Balkans. A brief stint in Palestine after the War as followed by a move to Cyprus with Hawker Tempests. During 1948 the unit received de Havilland Vampires and a series of moves around the Middle East followed before finally arriving back in Cyprus with de Havilland Venoms. Before receiving English Electriv Canberras in 1956, the squadron took part in the Suez operation with its Venoms and a number of Gloster Meteors. The Squadron finally left the Middle East in 1969 when it moved to the United Kingdom for the first time in fifty years. It was equipped with Phantom FGR2 at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire to become the first Phantom Squadron. During 1974 it was deployed to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk and re-equipped with Jaguar GR1 and later with Jaguar T2 fighter bombers at RAF Lossiemouth, Fife, Scotland. Operational deplo... read more

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