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No.20 Sqn RAF

Name : No.20 Sqn RAF Founded : 1st September 1915 Disbanded : 1st August 1947 Re - founded : 4th June 1952 Re - disbanded : 31st March 2010 Country : UK Fate : As a result of 2010 defence cuts, 20 Squadron disbanded on 31 March 2010, with its tasks taken over by the retitled 4 (Reserve) Squadron. More Details : Facta non verba - Deeds not words Known Code Letters : , HN, 6D, PM, TH,

The squadron was formed on 1 September 1915, as a fighter-reconnaissance unit of the Royal Flying Corps, and became arguably the highest scoring and possibly most decorated British squadron on the Western Front with 613 combat victories, a posthumous Victoria Cross won by Thomas Mottershead, four Distinguished Conduct Medals, and over sixty Military Crosses and Military Medals awarded to its members. Its ranks included over forty flying aces. The squadron transferred from the Royal Flying Corps to the newly formed Royal Air Force in April 1918. Post World War I, unlike most of its contemporaries, the squadron was not disbanded and was transferred in Jun 1919 to the North-West Frontier Province, India for policing duties, in the Army Co-operation role, equipped with Bristol Fighters, then Wapitis and Audaxes for the whole of the inter-war period. At the outbreak of World War II, the squadron was still equipped with Audaxes, which were replaced with Lysanders in December 1941, re-equipping with Hurricanes in March 1943. During the Second World War the squadron's Hawker Hurricane IIDs and IVs saw action against the Japanese. After the war, the squadron re-equipped with Spitfires in September 1945, and Tempest FBIIs in May 1946, retaining these until it disbanded on 1 August 1947, whilst based in India.

Known Service Details :
Pilot or Aircrew	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
D.C. Cunnell	Captain	unknown	12th July 1917				Killed in Action
John William Hawke		unknown	15th April 1930
James Charles Henry Tavendale		unknown	14th May 1930
Thomas Traill	Captain	11th October 1917	unknown	23rd October 1918	Bristol F2B		On 23 October, while returning from the mission upon which Traill scored his eighth victory, Traill collided with another plane in his flight while flying at 7,000 feet. The accident knocked away part of the Bristol F.2 Fighter's wing. As the fighter tried to spin out of control, Burbidge leaped out onto the opposite wing at Traill's command, to counterbalance the spin while Traill struggled for control. The resultant crashlanding hurled Burbidge onto his face, but left Traill uninjured and preserved the airplane. Both men were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross

Pilots and Aircrew for : No.20 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Cunnell, D.C. Click the name above to see a profile of Cunnell, D.C.    Died : 12 / 7 / 1917	Cunnell, D.C.
Hawke, John William Click the name above to see a profile of Hawke, John William    Died : 15 / 5 / 1930	Hawke, John William Fg Off John William Hawke died 15.5.30 ten days after crash when his Bristol Hit telephone wire and crashed, Jhelum LG, India LAC Ernest Raymond Charlesworth (28) was killed instantly
Maxwell, Reginald Click the name above to see a profile of Maxwell, Reginald    Died : ?	Maxwell, Reginald Born 20th July 1894, Reginald Stuart Maxwell claimed four victories in 1916 flying FE2b with 25 and 20 Squadrons. He later moved to 54 Squadron flying Sopwith Camels, and claimed a further 5 victories during 1918. He was gazetted for the DFC on 8th February 1919. London Gazette entry for the Distinguished Flying Cross, 8th February 1919 On 16th November, on a low bombing raid against a railway station, this officer led his whole squadron to within 100 feet over the objective, thus enabling them to drop their bombs with the greatest possible effect on the trains, transport, etc., in the station. After dropping these bombs he led the formation against troops, etc., crowded on a main road, causing great confusion and inflicting heavy casualties. His magnificent example inspires all who serve in his squadron.
Squire, Peter Click the name above to see a profile of Squire, Peter	Squire, Peter Air Marshal Sir Peter Squire began his operational flying with No. 20 Squadron flying Hunters in Singapore. He became an instructor on the Hunter before flying Gnats as a member of the Red Arrows; later returning to operational flying on the Harrier. In 1981 he took command of No. 1 Squadron at RAF Wittering and during the Falklands conflict, led the Squadron into action for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Tavendale, James Charles Henry Click the name above to see a profile of Tavendale, James Charles Henry    Died : 14 / 5 / 1930	Tavendale, James Charles Henry Bristol 22B F4562, Crashed,at Ali Musjid, near Peshawar, India Killing Tavendale the pilot and crewmember LAC Henry John Chapell (22)
Traill, Thomas Click the name above to see a profile of Traill, Thomas    Died : 1 / 10 / 1973	Traill, Thomas Traill joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman on 2 August 1914, when he was just four days shy of his 15th birthday. He was assigned to HMS Lord Nelson ] and served in the Gallipoli Campaign. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps to train as a pilot, and after completion of training was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant on probation on 11 October 1917. He was assigned to No. 20 Squadron RFC that day as a Bristol F.2 Fighter pilot. Traill was promoted to lieutenant on 1 April 1918, as the Royal Air Force came into existence. He was promoted to temporary captain when he was appointed as a flight commander on 28 September 1918. Traill remained in military service, becoming the assistant air attaché in Washington D. C. in 1919. During this period he was sent off to join a barn-storming flying circus in the Mid West to raise funds for the Victory Liberty Loan. This was run by the United States Army Air Service under the command of Major George Stratemeyer. They travelled by train from Texas to the Canada–US border, putting on twenty-eight flying displays. These displays took place at race courses, sports grounds or fields. Large crowds attended as the local city authorities frequently closed all schools and colleges, and encouraged businesses to close in order to raise the maximum amount for the war loan.[6] He returned home to Britain the following year, being assigned to experimental work beginning 18 May 1920. He entered the University of Cambridge on 1 October 1922, receiving a Master of Arts in 1924. After that, he had various further domestic military assignments, as well as foreign service in Iraq, before he began attendance at the RAF Staff College on 23 January 1933. Traill was promoted to squadron leader on 1 December 1934 He was appointed to the command of No. 14 Squadron RAF on 16 August 1935, moving on to command RAF Helwan, Egypt on 10 May 1938. He was subsequently promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1938. On 26 September 1938, he was assigned to staff duty with the headquarters of No. 2 (Bomber) Group Traill scored eight aerial victories. In the process, he had three other aces serve as his gunner/observer at various times. While in combat on 2 July 1918, Percy Griffith Jones called out a warning from the plane's rear seat and Traill ducked. The German fighter behind them killed Jones and put a bullet through the cockpit and out the windscreen, missing Traill. Traill's next observer took an incendiary bullet in his leg. Leslie William Burbidge then became Traill's observer. On 23 October, while returning from the mission upon which Traill scored his eighth victory, Traill collided with another plane in his flight while flying at 7,000 feet. The accident knocked away part of the Bristol F.2 Fighter's wing. As the fighter tried to spin out of control, Burbidge leaped out onto the opposite wing at Traill's command, to counterbalance the spin while Traill struggled for control. The resultant crashlanding hurled Burbidge onto his face, but left Traill uninjured and preserved the airplane. Both men were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Traill remained in military service, becoming the assistant air attaché in Washington D. C. in 1919. During this period he was sent off to join a barn-storming flying circus in the Mid West to raise funds for the Victory Liberty Loan. This was run by the United States Army Air Service under the command of Major George Stratemeyer. They travelled by train from Texas to the Canada–US border, putting on twenty-eight flying displays. These displays took place at race courses, sports grounds or fields. Large crowds attended as the local city authorities frequently closed all schools and colleges, and encouraged businesses to close in order to raise the maximum amount for the war loan. He returned home to Britain the following year, being assigned to experimental work beginning 18 May 1920. He entered the University of Cambridge on 1 October 1922, receiving a Master of Arts in 1924. After that, he had various further domestic military assignments, as well as foreign service in Iraq, before he began attendance at the RAF Staff College on 23 January 1933. Traill was promoted to squadron leader on 1 December 1934. He was appointed to the command of No. 14 Squadron RAF on 16 August 1935, moving on to command RAF Helwan, Egypt on 10 May 1938. He was subsequently promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1938. On 26 September 1938, he was assigned to staff duty with the headquarters of No. 2 (Bomber) Group. On 14 May 1940, Thomas Traill was appointed Assistant Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Bomber Command. On 11 July 1940, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. A promotion to Group Captain followed on 1 December 1940. The following year would see him command RAF Middleton St. George before moving on to the post of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Headquarters, No. 242 Group. ] As part of 242 Group's deployment into Northwest African Air Forces, Traill was promoted to acting Air Commodore on 21 February 1943 and appointed SASO at the latter organization's headquarters on 8 March 1943. For his services there, he would be Mentioned in Despatches on 2 June 1943. Traill was appointed Director of Air Tactics on 28 February 1944, and selected as the RAF's Liaison Officer to the United States Army Air Forces' Eighth Air Force that same year. ] He was made of Officer of the American Legion of Merit on 11 April 1944, and was again Mentioned in Despatches on 8 June 1944

Aircraft for : No.20 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft associated with No.20 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Audax Click the name above to see prints featuring Audax aircraft. Manufacturer : Hawker Engineering Company Production Began : 0 Retired : 0 Number Built : 625	Audax Based largely on the Hawker Hart, which it resembled, the Hawker Audax was produced between 1931 and 1937. The aircraft was intended as a trainer / observation aircraft / light bomber. The Audax was the main army co-operation aircraft in RAF service from 1932 until its replacement by the Westland Lysander in 1937-8. The Audax was then used for second line duties, amongst them advanced training and communication duties in Britain. The number of aircraft produced meant that the Audax remained in use in India and the Middle East well into the Second World War. In Egypt a small number were used by Nos. 173 and 267 squadrons for local communication and transport duties, only being replaced in 1942. Further south No. 237 Squadron had used the Audax in operations on the Kenyan-Ethiopian border between the Italian declaration of war in June 1940 and September 1940 when the squadron concentrated on the Hawker Hardy. Finally in the Middle East, a number of Audaxes were allocated to No. 52 Squadron in Iraq between July 1941 and January 1942. However No. 52 Squadron had no aircrew, and so the aircraft were flown by pilots of No. 31 Squadron, providing local reconnaissance. The Audax saw most active service in India. The RAF in India had been stripped of many modern aircraft during the first two years of the war, leaving it very vulnerable after the Japanese entry into the war in December 1941. Two squadrons (Nos. 5 and 146) were even forced to use the Audax as single seat fighters, before receiving the Curtiss Mohawk in early 1942. No. 28 squadron retained a number of Audaxes during the Japanese advance through Burma. The final squadrons to use the Audax were Nos.1 and 3 of the Indian Air Force. No. 3 Squadron used the Audax to fly patrols over the North West Frontier between October 1941 and September 1943. Most remarkably, No. 1 Squadron used the Audax in its original role, as an army co-operation aircraft, for four months between September 1943 and January 1944.
Beaufighter Click the name above to see prints featuring Beaufighter aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1940 Number Built : 5564	Beaufighter BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER The Bristol Beaufighter was a Torpedo Bomber and had a crew of two. with a maximum speed of 330mph and a ceiling of 29,000 feet. maximum normal range of 1500 miles but could be extended to 1750 miles. The Bristol Beaufighter carried four 20mm cannon in the belly of the aircraft and upto six .303in browning machine guns in the wings. it could also carry eight 3 -inch rockets, 1605 lb torpedo or a bomb load of 1,000 lb. The Bristol Beaufighter first flew in July 1939 and with some modifications entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940. In the winter of 1940 - 1941 the Beaufighter was used as a night fighter. and in March 1941 the aircraft was used at Coastal Command as a long range strike aircraft. and in 1941, the Beaufighter arrived in North Africa and used as a forward ground attack aircraft. The Bristol Beaufighter was used also in India, Burma and Australia. A total of 5,564 Beaufighters were built until production in Britain finished in 1945, but a further 364 were built in Australia for the Australian Air Force
Bristol F2B Click the name above to see prints featuring Bristol F2B aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1916 Retired : 1932 Number Built : 0	Bristol F2B The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 First World war early two-seater pusher biplane and was used by the Royal Flying Corps as a fighter and also as a day or night bomber. The FE2 was one of the few aircraft which gave the allies the edge over the Fokker aircraft of 1914/1915. In May 1915 the F.E.2b entered service with No 6 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and it was 20 squadron which was the first squadron to be totally equipped with Fe2 aircraft which was deployed in January 1916. The Fe2B remained in day use throughout 1916 and 1917 and in 1918 was used solely as a night bomber. The FE2b equipped 22 squadrons, 16 of which served in France with the other 6 serving the home defence. As the German fighters got better the FE2B was outclassed and was used only as a light night bomber or used on the home defense front against the Zeppelins. Crew: Two Speed: 80 knots (91.5 mph,) Endurance 3 hours Ceiling 11,000 ft Maximum take off weight 3,037 lbs Length: 32 ft 3 in Height: 12 ft 8 in Wingspan 495 ft² Engine Beardmore 6 cylinder inline piston engine giving 160 HP
Harvard Click the name above to see prints featuring Harvard aircraft. Manufacturer : North American Aviation Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1995 Number Built : 15495	Harvard The Texan originated from the North American NA-16 prototype (first flown on April 1, 1935) which, modified as the NA-26, was submitted as an entry for a USAAC "Basic Combat" aircraft competition in March, 1937. The first model went into production and 180 were supplied to the USAAC as the BC-1 and 400 to the RAF as the Harvard I. The US Navy received 16 modified aircraft, designated the SNJ-1, and a further 61 as the SNJ-2 with a different engine. The BC-1 was the production version of the NA-26 prototype, with retractable tailwheel landing gear and the provision for armament, a two-way radio, and the 550-hp (410 kW) R-1340-47 engine as standard equipment. Production versions included the BC-1 (Model NA-36) with only minor modifications (177 built), of which 30 were modified as BC-1I instrument trainers; the BC-1A (NA-55) with airframe revisions (92 built); and a single BC-1B with a modified wing center-section. Three BC-2 aircraft were built before the shift to the "advanced trainer" designation, AT-6, which was equivalent to the BC-1A. The differences between the AT-6 and the BC-1 were new outer wing panels with a swept-forward trailing edge, squared-off wingtips, and a triangular rudder, producing the canonical Texan silhouette. After a change to the rear of the canopy, the AT-6 was designated the Harvard II for RAF/RCAF orders and 1,173 were supplied by purchase or Lend Lease, mostly operating in Canada as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Next came the AT-6A which was based on the NA-77 design and was powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-1340-49 Wasp radial engine. The USAAF received 1,549 and the US Navy 270 (as the SNJ-3). The AT-6B was built for gunnery training and could mount a .30 in machine gun on the forward fuselage. It used the R-1340-AN-1 engine, which was to become the standard for the remaining T-6 production. Canada's Noorduyn Aviation built an R-1340-AN-1-powered version of the AT-6A, which was supplied to the USAAF as the AT-16 (1,500 aircraft) and the RAF/RCAF as the Harvard IIB (2,485 aircraft), some of which also served with the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Canadian Navy. No. 1340 Flight RAF used the Harvard in Kenya against the Mau Mau in the 1950s, where they operated with 20-lb bombs and machine guns against the rebels. Some operations took place at altitudes around 20,000 ft above mean sea level. A Harvard was the longest-serving RAF aeroplane,
Hunter Click the name above to see prints featuring Hunter aircraft. Manufacturer : Hawker Retired : 1971 Number Built : 1972	Hunter Hawker Hunter F-1 to Fr-10 jet fighter and fighter reconnaissance aircraft first flew with No43 squadron Royal Air Force in July 1954. The Hawker Hunter continued service until 1971. The Hunters were used by two RAF display units, the Black Arrows of No. 111 Squadron who set a record by looping and barrel rolling in formation 22 Hunters, and later the Blue Diamonds of 92 Squadron that used 16 Hunters. A total of 1,972 Hunters were produced by Hawker Siddeley and under licence.
Hurricane Click the name above to see prints featuring Hurricane aircraft. Manufacturer : Hawker Production Began : 1936 Number Built : 14533	Hurricane Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.
Lysander Click the name above to see prints featuring Lysander aircraft. Manufacturer : Westland Aircraft Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1946 Number Built : 1786	Lysander The first Lysanders entered service in June 1938, equipping squadrons for army co-operation and were initially used for message-dropping and artillery spotting. When war broke out in Europe, the earlier Mk Is had been largely replaced by Mk IIs, the older machines heading for the Middle East. Some of these aircraft, now designated type L.1, operated with the Chindits of the British Indian Army in the Burma Campaign of the Second World War. Four regular squadrons equipped with Lysanders accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France in October 1939, and were joined by a further squadron early in 1940. Following the German invasion of France and the low countries on 10 May 1940, the Lysanders were put into action as spotters and light bombers. In spite of occasional victories against German aircraft, they made very easy targets for the Luftwaffe even when escorted by Hurricanes. Withdrawn from France during the Dunkirk evacuation, they continued to fly supply-dropping missions to Allied forces from bases in England; on one mission to drop supplies to troops trapped at Calais, 14 of 16 Lysanders and Hawker Hectors that set out were lost. 118 Lysanders were lost in or over France and Belgium in May and June 1940, of a total of 175 deployed. With the fall of France, it was clear that the type was unsuitable for the coastal patrol and army co-operation role, being described by Air Marshal Arthur Barratt, commander-in-chief of the British Air Forces in France as "quite unsuited to the task; a faster, less vulnerable aircraft was required." Nevertheless, throughout the remainder of 1940, Lysanders flew dawn and dusk patrols off the coast and in the event of an invasion of Britain, they were tasked with attacking the landing beaches with light bombs and machine guns.[9] They were replaced in the home-based army co-operation role from 1941 by camera-equipped fighters such as the Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang carrying out reconnaissance operations, while light aircraft such as the Taylorcraft Auster were used to direct artillery. Some UK-based Lysanders went to work operating air-sea rescue, dropping dinghies to downed RAF aircrew in the English Channel. Fourteen squadrons and flights were formed for this role in 1940 and 1941. In August 1941 a new squadron, No. 138 (Special Duties), was formed to undertake missions for the Special Operations Executive to maintain clandestine contact with the French Resistance. Among its aircraft were Lysander Mk IIIs, which flew over and landed in occupied France. While general supply drops could be left to the rest of No. 138's aircraft, the Lysander could insert and remove agents from the continent or retrieve Allied aircrew who had been shot down over occupied territory and had evaded capture. For this role the Mk IIIs were fitted with a fixed ladder over the port side to hasten access to the rear cockpit and a large drop tank under the belly. In order to slip in unobtrusively the Lysanders were painted matte black; operations almost always took place within a week of a full moon, as moonlight was essential for navigation. The aircraft undertook such duties until the liberation of France in 1944. The Lysanders flew from secret airfields at Newmarket and later Tempsford, but used regular RAF stations to fuel-up for the actual crossing, particularly RAF Tangmere. Flying without any navigation equipment other than a map and compass, Lysanders would land on short strips of land, such as fields, marked out by four or five torches. They were originally designed to carry one passenger in the rear cockpit, but for SOE use the rear cockpit was modified to carry two passengers in extreme discomfort in case of urgent necessity. The pilots of No. 138 and from early 1942, No. 161 Squadron transported 101 agents to and recovered 128 agents from Nazi-occupied Europe. The Germans knew little about the British aircraft and wished to study one. Soldiers captured an intact Lysander in March 1942 when its pilot was unable to destroy it after a crash, but a train hit the truck carrying the Lysander, destroying the cargo
Tigermoth Click the name above to see prints featuring Tigermoth aircraft. Production Began : 1932 Retired : 1947 Number Built : 8800	Tigermoth The Royal Air Force last bi-plane, which served as a trainer from 1932 to 1947. Its design remained nearly the same throughout its history, and was well constructed and able to do aerobatics. A total of 8800 Tiger Moths were built which included 420 Radio Controlled Pilotless Target aircraft. (The Queen Bee). For the Royal Air Force. It was also used for a short period during the first months of world war two for coastal reconnaissance. Maximum speed 109 mph, Ceiling 14,000 feet, and can remain airborne for three hours.
Vampire Click the name above to see prints featuring Vampire aircraft.	Vampire Full profile not yet available.