No. 207 Squadron RAF facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids No. 207 Squadron RAF
Official squadron badge for No. 207 Squadron RAF
Active	31 December 1916 – 1 April 1918 (RNAS) 1 April 1918 – 20 January 1920 (RAF) 1 February 1920 – 19 April 1940 1 November 1940 – 1 March 1950 4 June 1951 – 27 March 1956 1 April 1956 – 1 May 1965 3 February 1969 – 30 June 1984 12 July 2002 – 13 January 2012 1 August 2019 – present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying squadron
Role	Operational conversion unit
Part of	No. 1 Group (Air Combat)
Home station	RAF Marham
Nickname(s)	"Black Cat Squadron" (WW1) "City of Leicester" (After 1939)
Motto(s)	Latin: Semper paratus ("Always prepared")
Aircraft	Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning
Battle honours	Western Front, 1916–1918 Ypres, 1917* Somme, 1918* Amiens Hindenburg Line* Biscay Ports, 1941–1945 German Ports, 1941–1945* Berlin, 1941–1945* Ruhr, 1941–1945* Baltic 1941–1945 Fortress Europe 1941–1944 France & Germany, 1944–1945* Normandy, 1944* Honours marked with an asterisk* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Commanders
Current commander	Commander Tim Flatman RN
Notable commanders	Arthur Tedder Vashon James Wheeler
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A winged lion statant Approved by King Edward VIII in May 1936.
Squadron roundel
Squadron Codes	207 (Apr 1938 – Apr 1939) NJ (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) EM (Nov 1939 – Mar 1950) D (1983–1984)

No. 207 Squadron is a very old and important flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It started as a bomber squadron. Later, it helped with communications and trained new pilots.

On July 5, 2017, it was announced that No. 207 Squadron would start up again. Its new job is to train pilots for the UK's F-35B Lightning jets. The squadron returned to RAF Marham in Norfolk, where it was based before. Six F-35B jets arrived at RAF Marham on July 16, 2019. The squadron officially began its new role on August 1, 2019.

History
Aircraft Operated
Squadron Bases
Images for kids
See also

History

Starting Out and World War I

The main part of No. 7 Squadron RNAS was formed on December 31, 1916. This happened in France, at a place called Petite-Synthe. RNAS stands for the Royal Naval Air Service. This was the UK's air force for the navy before the RAF was created.

An earlier part of the squadron had formed in Africa in May 1916. They flew Aéroplanes Voisin and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c planes. They did scouting and bombing missions for seven months. This part of the squadron ended in January 1917.

No. 7 RNAS was a special squadron for night bombing. They flew their first missions on February 3, 1917. Four Short Bomber planes attacked the docks in Brugge, France. In April 1917, they got new Handley Page O/100 planes. They used these for night raids, attacking train tracks and ammunition storage. This was during the Second Battle of Ypres.

In May and June 1917, the squadron received eight Handley Page O/400 planes. The squadron then split into two parts in July 1917. One part became No. 14 Squadron RNAS. No. 7 Squadron continued flying with its O/100s and O/400s.

When the Royal Air Force was created on April 1, 1918, No. 7 RNAS became No. 207 Squadron RAF. They moved back to RAF Netheravon in England. There, they got better Handley Page O/400 planes. They returned to France in July 1918. They kept flying night raids against railway targets. In January 1919, they moved to Germany as part of the army that occupied the country. They stayed there until August 1919. Then, they gave their planes to No. 100 Squadron RAF and returned to England. The squadron was officially ended on January 20, 1920, at RAF Uxbridge.

Between the World Wars

The squadron started up again on February 1, 1920, at RAF Bircham Newton. Their Airco DH.9A planes were used in Turkey in 1922. They were sent to Constantinople during a conflict there. Arthur Tedder was their commander at this time. The squadron came back to England in September 1923.

In December 1927, they got new Fairey IIIF planes. In August 1932, they switched to Fairey Gordon planes. In 1935, they were sent to Sudan because of a war in Ethiopia. The Gordon planes' engines did not work well in the desert. So, they were replaced with Vickers Vincent planes.

The next year, the squadron got Gordons again and returned to England. They joined RAF Bomber Command. In 1937, they got Vickers Wellesley planes. But these were replaced by Fairey Battle planes in early 1938. The squadron was based at RAF Cottesmore. Their job was to train pilots for operations.

World War II

On April 19, 1940, another unit took over the squadron's training role. This allowed No. 207 Squadron to start up again on November 1, 1940. They became part of Bomber Command's No. 5 Group RAF. At RAF Waddington, the squadron's crews started using the new Avro Manchester plane. This plane had some problems.

Later, they moved to RAF Bottesford. In March 1942, the Manchesters were replaced by the much better Avro Lancaster planes. The squadron moved to RAF Langar on September 21, 1942. This was because the runway at Bottesford needed urgent repairs. In October 1943, No. 207 Squadron was the first unit to use the new RAF Spilsby bomber base.

The squadron was planned to be part of the "Tiger Force." This force was going to fight against Japan. But the war ended after the atomic bombs were dropped. In November 1945, No. 207 Squadron moved to RAF Methwold in Norfolk.

The Cold War (1946–1984)

Bombing Role (1946–1965)

The squadron moved to RAF Mildenhall in 1949. They briefly used the Avro Lincoln plane. Then, the squadron was ended on March 1, 1950.

It started up again on June 4, 1951, at RAF Marham. No. 207 Squadron flew the Boeing Washington B.1 until March 1954. Then, they got the English Electric Canberra plane. This plane stayed with the squadron until it was ended again on March 27, 1956.

On April 1, 1956, the squadron started again at RAF Marham. This time, they had the Vickers Valiant B.1 plane. In October of that year, No. 207 Squadron went to RAF Luqa in Malta. They took part in the Suez Crisis. They flew 11 missions over Egypt between October and November. On May 1, 1965, the squadron was ended when the Valiant planes were stopped from flying.

Communications Role (1969–1984)

No. 207 Squadron started again on February 3, 1969, at RAF Northolt. They took over from another communications squadron. They had Devon C.2s, Basset CC.1s, and Pembroke C.1s. The Bassets were retired in 1974. The last Pembroke was moved in November 1975. This left No. 207 Squadron with 14 Devons.

Parts of the squadron were also at RAF Wyton and RAF Turnhouse. No. 207 Squadron was ended one more time on June 30, 1984. This happened when the remaining Devons were retired. One of their planes, VP952, is now at the RAF Museum. In its last years, it was part of No. 1 Group RAF.

Tucano Planes (2002–2012)

On July 12, 2002, a training squadron was renamed No. 207 (Reserve) Squadron. This squadron was at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. They used Short Tucano T.1 planes. Their job was to provide basic training for fast jet pilots. They trained students from both the RAF and the Royal Navy. This included Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, who was part of the squadron in 2008.

The squadron was later ended on January 13, 2012. This was due to a government review of defense and security. The squadron's special flag was placed in Lincoln Cathedral on October 3, 2013.

F-35B Lightning Jets (2019–Present)

On July 5, 2017, it was announced that No. 207 Squadron would train pilots for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning jet. This decision was made by Air Chief Marshal Stephen Hillier. The squadron was chosen because it had been both a Royal Naval Air Service and an RAF unit.

No. 207 Squadron arrived at RAF Marham on July 16, 2019. They came from MCAS Beaufort with six F-35B Lightnings. The squadron officially started on August 1. Wing Commander Scott Williams became the first commander of the new squadron. On January 28, 2020, No. 207 Squadron became the first UK unit in ten years to fly jets from a British aircraft carrier. They flew from HMS Queen Elizabeth.

On November 17, 2021, an RAF F-35B jet crashed during a training flight from HMS Queen Elizabeth. The wreckage was mostly found with help from US and Italian forces.

Aircraft Operated

Here are some of the aircraft flown by the squadron:

Voisin III (June 1916 – Jan 1917)
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 (June 1916 – Jan 1917)
Caudron G.4 (Dec 1916)
Sopwith 1½ Strutter (Dec 1916 – Apr 1917)
Short Bomber (Dec 1916 – June 1917)
Handley Page O/100 (Apr 1917 – Apr 1918)
Handley Page O/400 (Apr 1918 – Aug 1919)
Airco DH.9A (Feb 1920 – Dec 1927)
Fairey IIIF (Dec 1927 – Sep 1932)
Fairey Gordon Mk.I (Sep 1932 – Apr 1936)
Vickers Vincent Mk.I (Apr 1936 – Aug 1936)
Fairey Gordon Mk.I (Aug 1936 – Aug 1937)
Vickers Wellesley (Aug 1937 – Apr 1938)
Fairey Battle (Apr 1938 – Apr 1940)
Avro Anson Mk.I (July 1939 – Apr 1940)
Avro Manchester Mk.I (Nov 1940 – Mar 1942)
Handley Page Hampden Mk.I (July 1941 – Aug 1941)
Avro Lancaster Mk.I (Mar 1942 – Aug 1949)
Avro Lancaster Mk.III (May 1943 – Dec 1947)
Avro Lincoln B.2 (Aug 1949 – Mar 1950)
Boeing Washington B.1 (July 1951 – Mar 1954)
English Electric Canberra B.2 (Mar 1954 – Mar 1956)
Vickers Valiant B.1 (July 1956 – Feb 1965)
Beagle Basset CC.1 (Feb 1969 – May 1974)
Percival Pembroke C.1 (Feb 1969 – Nov 1975)
de Havilland Devon C.2 (Feb 1969 – June 1984)
Short Tucano T.1 (July 2002 – Jan 2012)
Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning (July 2019 – present)

Squadron Bases

No. 7 Squadron RNAS and No. 207 Squadron RAF have been based at many different airfields over the years. Here is a list of some of them:

Bases and airfields used by No. 7 Squadron RNAS and No. 207 Squadron RAF
From	To	Base	Remark
June 1916	12 January 1917	Kondoa Irangi, Tanganyika	1st No. 7 RNAS
31 December 1916	4 April 1917	Petite-Synthe, France	2nd No. 7 RNAS
4 April 1918	22 April 1918	Coudekerque, France	Became No. 207 Squadron RAF on April 1, 1918
22 April 1918	13 May 1918	RAF Netheravon, Wiltshire
13 May 1918	7 June 1918	RAF Andover, Hampshire
7 June 1918	26 October 1918	Ligescourt, France
26 October 1918	1 December 1918	Estrées-en-Chaussée, France
1 December 1918	1 January 1919	Carvin, France
1 January 1919	10 May 1919	Merheim, Germany
10 May 1919	23 August 1919	Hangelar, Germany	Now Bonn-Hangelar airfield
23 August 1919	8 October 1919	RAF Tangmere, West Sussex
8 October 1919	16 January 1920	RAF Croydon, Surrey
16 January 1920	20 January 1920	RAF Uxbridge, Middlesex
1 February 1920	29 September 1922	RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk
29 September 1922	11 October 1922		On the way to Turkey
11 October 1922	22 September 1923	San Stephano, Turkey
22 September 1923	3 October 1923		On the way back to the UK
3 October 1923	7 November 1929	RAF Eastchurch, Kent
7 November 1929	4 October 1935	RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk
4 October 1935	20 October 1935		On the way to Sudan
20 October 1935	28 October 1935	Port Sudan, Sudan
28 October 1935	6 April 1936	Ed Damer, Sudan
6 April 1936	14 August 1936	Gebeit, Sudan
14 August 1936	29 August 1936		On the way back to the UK
29 August 1936	20 April 1938	RAF Worthy Down, Hampshire
20 April 1938	24 August 1939	RAF Cottesmore, Rutland
24 August 1939	9 December 1939	RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire
9 December 1939	5 April 1940	RAF Cottesmore, Rutland
5 April 1940	19 April 1940	RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire	Joined with No. 12 Operational Training Unit here
1 November 1940	17 November 1941	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
17 November 1941	20 September 1942	RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire	A small part of the squadron was at RAF Syerston, Nottinghamshire on August 24, 1942
20 September 1942	12 October 1943	RAF Langar, Nottinghamshire
12 October 1943	30 October 1945	RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire
30 October 1945	29 April 1946	RAF Methwold, Norfolk
29 April 1946	8 November 1946	RAF Tuddenham, Suffolk
8 November 1946	28 February 1949	RAF Stradishall, Suffolk
28 February 1949	1 March 1950	RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk
4 June 1951	27 March 1956	RAF Marham, Norfolk	When they flew Washington and Canberra planes
1 April 1956	1 May 1965	RAF Marham, Norfolk	When they flew Vickers Valiant planes
3 February 1969	30 June 1984	RAF Northolt, Middlesex	Small parts of the squadron were at RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire and RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh
12 July 2002	13 January 2012	RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire
16 July 2019	Present	RAF Marham, Norfolk	Squadron staff returned from MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Images for kids

Handley Page O/400 bomber D8345 of No. 207 Squadron about to land at RAF Andover, May–June 1918.
Vickers Valiant B.1 of No. 207 Squadron at Filton Airport, Bristol, in the 1960s.
de Havilland Devon C.2 VP981 of No. 207 Squadron, 1977.
Tucano T1 ZF292 of No. 207 (Reserve) Squadron landing at RAF Linton-on-Ouse after Squadron disbandment flypast, 13 January 2012.
Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning ZM137 at RIAT, 2016. This aircraft was delivered to Marham in July 2019.
RAF Spilsby 207 memorial on the airfield
Langar Airfield, England, September 1943