No. 194 Squadron RAF

194 Squadron RAF, though formed as a training unit in Egypt and ended as a casualty evacuation unit in Malaya, was for most of its active service life a RAF transport squadron that flew in South East Asia.

No. 194 Squadron RAF
Active9 Aug 1917 – 21 Jul 1918
14 Oct 1942 – 15 Feb 1946
1 Feb 1953 – 3 Jun 1959
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleTransport
Part ofNo. 20th (Training) Wing, RAF Middle East Area
(1917–1918);[1]
No. 221 Group RAF, India Command
(1942–1943);[2]
No. 229 Group RAF, Eastern Air Command, South East Asia Command
(1943–1946);[3]
RAF AHQ Malaya, Far East Air Force
(1953–1957)[4]
Nickname(s)"The Friendly Firm"
Motto(s)Latin: Surrigere colligere
Translation: "To arise and pick up"[5]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA Malayan kris with a dragonfly superimposed[6]
Unofficial Squadron BadgeA Flying Elephant[7][8][9]

History

Formation and World War I

Formed as a training squadron in No. 20 Group[1] (or No. 32 Group[10]) at RAF El Amiriya in Egypt on 9 August 1917, it disbanded on 21 July 1918 into No. 16 Training Depot Station.[10][11]

World War II
Squadron Lockheed Hudson

No. 194 Squadron was reformed at RAF Lahore, Punjab on 13 October 1942[12] as a transport unit equipped with Hudsons. It maintained mail and passenger routes in India until it became an airborne forces squadron in September 1943. Douglas Dakotas had started to arrive in May and, with the departure of the last Hudsons in September, No. 194 began paratroop training. In February 1944, supply-dropping flights to Chindit army units in Burma began and continued for the rest of the war. In January 1945 a casualty evacuation flight was attached to the squadron and Stinson Sentinels were used to pick up casualties form small jungle strips. After the end of the war, the squadron was engaged in general transport duties until disbanding at Mingladon on 15 February 1946. The squadron badge commonly used by the squadron depicted a flying elephant and the Squadron had adopted the motto ‘The Friendly Firm’ and although their entire fleet of aircraft carried this crest throughout the Burma campaign, Royal Charter never officially recognized it[13] (That same crest can be seen on all three books about the squadron).

Post-war

On 1 February 1953, No. 194 reformed for a second time at Sembawang in Malaya from the Casualty Evacuation Flight with Westland Dragonfly HC.2 helicopters for co-operation with security forces in Malaya. Bristol Sycamore HC.14s were received in October 1954, but it was June 1956 before the last Dragonfly left. On 3 June 1959, the squadron merged with No. 155 Squadron RAF to become No. 110 Squadron RAF.

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 194 Squadron RAF, data from[6][14][15][16]
FromToAircraftVersion
August 1917July 1918Airco DH.6, Avro 504 and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
October 1942September 1943Lockheed HudsonMk.VI
May 1943February 1946Douglas DakotaMks.I, III
Dec 1944February 1946Douglas DakotaMk.IV
January 1945September 1945Stinson SentinelMk.I
February 1953June 1956Westland DragonflyHC.2
October 1954June 1959Bristol SycamoreHC.14

Squadron bases
Bases and airfields used by no. 194 Squadron RAF, data from[6][14][15]
FromToBaseRemark
9 August 191721 July 1918RAF El Amiriya, Egypt
13 October 194218 February 1943RAF Lahore, PunjabDets. at RAF Tezpur, Assam and RAF Dum Dum, West Bengal
18 February 194318 September 1943RAF Palam, Delhi
18 September 19438 February 1944RAF Basal, PunjabDet. at RAF Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Punjab
8 February 19449 February 1944RAF Comilla, Bengal
9 February 19441 September 1944RAF Agartala, TripuraDet. at RAF Imphal, Manipur
1 September 19442 November 1944RAF Imphal, Manipur
2 November 194410 December 1944RAF Basal, Punjab
10 December 194419 March 1945RAF Agartala, TripuraDet. at RAF Imphal, Manipur and from January 1945 to September 1945
at RAF Kangla, Manipur and Monywa, Sagaing Division, Burma
19 March 194521 August 1945Akyab, Arakan, BurmaDets. at Monywa, Sagaing Division, Burma; Wangjing, Manipur and Meiktila, Mandalay, Burma
21 August 194515 February 1946RAF Mingaladon, Burma
2 February 19531 May 1953RAF Sembawang, SingaporeDet. at RAF Kuala Lumpur, Malaya
1 May 19533 June 1959RAF Kuala Lumpur, MalayaMerged here with 155 Sqn to form 110 Sqn

Commanding officers
Officers commanding no. 194 Squadron RAF, data from[14]
FromToName
October 1942June 1944W/Cdr. A.C. Pearson
June 1944December 1944W/Cdr. R.T. Chisholm
December 1944June 1945W/Cdr. R.C. Crawford
June 1945August 1945S/Ldr. P.M. Bristow
August 1945February 1946W/Cdr. D. Penman, DSO, DFC
February 19531955S/Ldr. G.R.G. Henderson, AFC
19551957S/Ldr. C.R. Turner, AFC
1957June 1959S/Ldr. F. Barnes

References
Notes
  1. Delve 1994, p. 47.
  2. Delve 1994, p. 68.
  3. Delve 1994, p. 84.
  4. Delve 1994, p. 87.
  5. Pine, LG (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 226. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  6. Halley 1988, p. 253.
  7. Russell 1972, front cover.
  8. Williams 1987, front cover.
  9. Briscoe 2000, front cover.
  10. Sturtivant and Hamlin 2007, pp. 280, 288.
  11. No. 194 Squadron history on RAFweb's Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation
  12. Russell 1972, p. 1.
  13. BURMA STAR ASSOCIATION
  14. Rawlings 1982, p. 127
  15. Jefford 2001, p. 692.
  16. Sturtivant and Hamlin 2007, p. 280
Bibliography
  • Briscoe, Deryk A. (ed.) The Friendly Firm Remembers: Stories by the members of the 194 Squadron in South East Asia. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Windrush Marketing, 2000. ISBN 0-9686189-0-1.
  • Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, Wing CommanderC.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
  • Russell, Wilfrid. The Friendly Firm – A history of 194 Squadron, Royal AIr Force. London, 194 Squadron RAF Association, 1972.
  • Sturtivant, Ray with John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912. Staplefield, West Sussex, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.
  • Williams, Flight Lieutenant Douglas. 194 Squadron Royal AIr Force – 'The Friendly Firm' (Burma Campaign). Braunton, Devon, UK: Merlin Books Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-86303-326-1.
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