No. 7 Squadron RAF facts for kids

Quick facts for kids No. 7 Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Active	1 May 1914 (1914-05-01) – 8 August 1914 29 September 1914 – 31 December 1919 1 June 1923 – 8 April 1940 1 August 1940 – 1 January 1956 1 November 1956 – 30 September 1962 1 May 1970 – 5 January 1982 1 September 1982 – present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying squadron
Role	Helicopter heavy-lift support
Part of	Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing
Home station	RAF Odiham
Motto(s)	Per diem, per noctem (Latin for 'By day and by night')
Aircraft	Boeing Chinook HC6
Battle honours	Western Front (1915–1918) Ypres (1915) Loos (1916) Somme (1916) Ypres (1917) Fortress Europe (1941–1944) Biscay Ports (1941–1944) Ruhr (1942–1945) German Ports (1942–1945) Berlin (1943–1945) France and Germany (1944–1945)* Normandy (1944) Rhine (1944–1945) Kosovo (1999) Sierra Leone (2000)* Iraq (2003)* Iraq (2003–2011)* Afghanistan (2001–2014)* * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	On a hurt, seven mullets of six points forming a representation of the constellation Ursa Major. Approved by King George VI in June 1939.
Squadron Codes	LT (November 1938 – September 1939) MG (August 1940 – April 1951) XU (June 1943 – 1945) EA-EZ (Present)

No. 7 Squadron is a special part of the Royal Air Force (RAF). They fly powerful Chinook HC6 helicopters. Their home base is RAF Odiham in Hampshire, England.

History of No. 7 Squadron

Early Years and World War I

No. 7 Squadron started on 1 May 1914 at Farnborough Airfield. It was the last squadron formed for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) before World War I. The squadron has been closed down and restarted many times since then.

During World War I, the squadron mostly flew planes for looking at enemy positions and stopping enemy aircraft. They were the first to stop an enemy plane over Britain.

In April 1915, No. 7 Squadron went to France. They used Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 planes for scouting and Vickers Gunbuses as fighter escorts. Captain John Aidan Liddell won the Victoria Cross on 31 July 1915. His plane was hit while on a mission over Belgium. He was badly hurt but managed to fly his plane back to friendly lines. He saved his observer, but sadly, he died from his injuries a month later.

The squadron changed to B.E.2s in 1916. They used these planes for bombing and scouting during the Battle of the Somme. In July 1917, they got R.E.8s and kept doing reconnaissance. They helped during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. The squadron was closed at the end of 1919.

Becoming a Bomber Squadron

No. 7 Squadron started again on 1 June 1923 at RAF Bircham Newton. They became a night heavy bomber squadron, flying Vickers Vimy planes. They were the first RAF squadron to use Vickers Virginia bombers starting in May 1924.

In 1927, the squadron moved to RAF Worthy Down. Charles Portal, who later became the head of the RAF during World War II, was their commander. No. 7 Squadron became known as one of the best heavy bomber squadrons. They won the Lawrence Minot Memorial Bombing Trophy many times.

By 1935, the old Virginia planes were replaced by the more modern Handley Page Heyford. The squadron won the bombing trophy again with these new planes. In 1937, they received Vickers Wellesley planes.

In March 1938, they replaced their Heyford biplanes with Armstrong Whitworth Whitley monoplanes. Then, in April 1939, they got Handley Page Hampden bombers. By June 1939, they became a training unit. They helped prepare crews for other Hampden squadrons.

No. 7 Squadron in World War II

7 Squadron Stirling "S for Sugar" at RAF Oakington during World War II

When World War II began, the squadron continued training bomber crews. It was closed on 4 April 1940. But it reformed on 1 August 1940. It became the first squadron to fly the new Short Stirling heavy bomber. This was the first time an RAF squadron used four-engine bombers in World War II.

Their first bombing mission with the Stirling was on 10/11 February 1941. They bombed oil tanks near Rotterdam. The squadron also took part in the huge "1000 bomber raids" in May and June 1942. These raids targeted cities like Cologne, Essen, and Bremen.

In August 1942, the squadron joined the Pathfinder Force. Their job was to find and mark targets for other Bomber Command planes. This made it easier for the main bomber force to hit their targets.

The squadron started using the Avro Lancaster from 11 May 1943. Their first mission with the Lancaster was on 12 July 1943. They continued their Pathfinder role until the war in Europe ended. Their last bombing mission was on 25 April 1945 against Wangerooge. In May, they also dropped food to starving people in the Netherlands. The squadron was supposed to go to the Far East to join "Tiger Force" against Japan. But the war ended before they had to move. Overall, the squadron flew 5,060 missions and lost 165 aircraft.

After World War II

After World War II, No. 7 Squadron flew Avro Lincoln bombers. These were an updated version of the Lancaster. Based at RAF Upwood, the Lincoln was an important bomber during the early cold war years. The squadron was involved in conflicts in Malaya, the Middle East, and Aden. It was closed on 2 January 1956.

The squadron reformed in December 1956 at RAF Honington. They flew Vickers Valiant planes for strategic bombing until 1962. No. 7 Squadron was reformed again in 1970. This time, they were a "target squadron" flying the English Electric Canberra. They did this until January 1982.

In September 1982, the squadron reformed to fly Support Helicopters. They received Chinook HC.1 helicopters. Newer versions, like the Chinook HC.2, started arriving in 1993. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, No. 7 Squadron helped with the UK's military efforts in the Gulf.

On 2 June 1994, a 7 Squadron Chinook HC.2 crashed in Scotland. All 25 passengers and the four crew members died. In April 2001, No. 7 Squadron became part of the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW). Their job is to support the United Kingdom Special Forces. On 19 August 2009, a Chinook had to make an emergency landing in Afghanistan. It was hit by a rocket.

In March 2020, the squadron was given the right to display special battle honours on its squadron standard. This was to recognise their role in the British military action in Sierra Leone in 2000. It also recognised their work in the War in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.

Aircraft Flown by No. 7 Squadron

Here are some of the aircraft that No. 7 Squadron has flown:

See also

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons