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Royal Air Force History

History of No. 117 Squadron.

Motto: It shall be done.
Badge: A terrestial globe.

No. 117 was formed at Waddington on 1 January 1918 as a day bomber unit but did not become operational before the end of the war. In March 1919 the Squadron was sent to Ireland for internal security duties equipped with D.H.9s. On 6 October 1919, the Squadron merged with No. 141 Squadron.

On 30 April 1941, No. 117 reformed at Khartoum and incorporated the local communications flight. Four Bombays were acquired from No. 216 Squadron for long-range flights and in May four Savoia-Marchetti S.79Ks were added. In October the Squadron received DC-2s and in November it moved to Egypt, leaving the communication aircraft behind and returning its Bombays to No. 216 Squadron. Freight flights to the Western Desert began in December and in March 1942 a flight of D.H.8Bs was added. In April the Squadron converted to Lodestars and at the same time the first Dakota arrived. In August the Dakotas began operating freight and passenger services to Malta while Hudsons were used in North Africa, the Squadron standardising with Hudsons in November. Until June 1943 it flew freight and casualty evacuation flights from airfields captured by the advancing 8th Army and then began to convert to Dakotas. Routine services were flown around the Mediterranean until the Squadron moved to India at the end of October. After parachute-dropping training, supply missions began in January 1944. In addition the Squadron flew Chindits behind the Japanese lines in March and April and kept them maintained. Withdrawn in November 1944 for rest, No. 117 returned to the Burma front in December and flew supply-dropping missions for the rest of the war. On 17 December 1945, the Squadron was disbanded.

Date Last Updated : Thursday, January 22, 2009 3:29 PM

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