No. 514 Squadron RAF

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No. 514 Squadron RAF
Active1 September 1943 – 22 August 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
BranchEnsign of the Royal Air Force.svg Royal Air Force
RoleBomber Squadron
Part ofNo. 3 Group RAF, Bomber Command[1]
Motto(s)Latin: Nil Obstare Potest
(Translation: "Nothing can withstand")[2][3]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA cloud pierced by a sword[3]
The design indicates the function of the squadron, i.e. its role of a GH-equipped blind-bombing squadron[2]
Squadron CodesJI (Sep 1943 – Aug 1945)[4][5]
A2 (Dec 1943 – Aug 1945, 'C' Flt only)[6][7]
Aircraft flown
BomberAvro Lancaster

No. 514 Squadron RAF (514 Sqn) was a bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

History[]

Members of 514 Sqn were awarded 1 DSO, 84 DFCs, one Bar to the DFC and 26 DFMs.[2]

Aircraft operated[]

Aircraft operated by no. 514 Squadron RAF, data from[2][3][8]
From To Aircraft Version
September 1943 July 1944 Avro Lancaster Mk.II
June 1944 August 1945 Avro Lancaster Mks.I and III

Squadron bases[]

Bases and airfields used by no. 514 squadron RAF, data from[2][3][8]
From To Base
1 September 1943 23 November 1943 RAF Foulsham, Norfolk
23 November 1943 22 August 1945 RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire

Reunions[]

From 1988 to 2012 the Squadron held an annual Reunion in June at Waterbeach Barracks hosted by the Royal Engineers. A service of remembrance was held in the parish church, and the BBMF Lancaster made a flypast over the former RAF airfield.[9]

In 2013, following the barracks' closure, a reunion was held in the village on 15 June with the Lancaster flypast over the Recreation Ground.[10]

In 2015 a Reunion was again held in Waterbeach Barracks in a new community building provided by .[11]

Museum[]

The 514 Squadron Association and the Army established a museum in Waterbeach Barracks in 1985. This museum closed in September 2012, as the barracks closed permanently in March 2013, although the contents have been saved.[12] It expected that the new Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum will return to its building at the Barracks, and re-open in early summer 2016.[13]

See also[]

  • List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Delve 1994, pp. 68, 77.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Moyes 1976, p. 267.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Halley 1988, p. 395.
  4. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 58.
  5. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 80.
  6. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 19.
  7. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 61.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Jefford 2001, p. 96.
  9. ^ Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum, unpublished archives.
  10. ^ "514 Squadron RAF Waterbeach". Flickr, Rob68. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  11. ^ "Waterbeach Barracks and Airfield, 514 Squadron Reunion at Waterbeach Barracks". Urban&Civic. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Museum's collection is saved". Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum". Retrieved 16 April 2016.

Bibliography[]

  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Dison, Harry (2015). Some of the story of 514 Squadron: Lancasters at Waterbeach. Mention The War! Publications. (available from the Museum)
  • Falconer, Jonathan (2003). Bomber Command Handbook, 1939–1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3171-X.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Hamlin, John F.; Merrington, Oliver J. (2011). At the 'Beach: the story of Royal Air Force Waterbeach and Waterbeach Barracks. Peterborough: GMS Enterprises. ISBN 1-904514-63-4.
  • Hepworth, Simon; Porrelli, Andrew (2014). Striking Through Clouds, The War Diary of No. 514 Squadron, RAF. Zug, Switzerland: Mention The War! Publications. ISBN 1495440486.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.

External links[]

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