| 53 Squadron |
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Motto: "United in effort"
Badge: In front of a saltire, a thistle slipped and leaved.History
No. 53 Squadron was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916 as a training unit but was mobilised in December and sent to France. Flying B.E.2s, it was based in Flanders and undertook artillery observation and reconnaissance duties until 1917 when it was re-equipped with R.E.8s. The Squadron remained over the Western Front until the end of the war and returned to the UK in April 1919 and was disbanded on 26 October 1919. On 28 June 1938, No. 53 was reformed at Farnborough with Hectors specialising in night reconnaissance. In January 1939 the Squadron received Blenheims and soon after the outbreak of war No. 53 moved to France to undertake strategic reconnaissance duties. The Squadron returned to the UK in May 1940 to fly reconnaissance missions from south-east England and in July began bombing sorties. . The Squadron then moved down to Cornwall in February 1941 to start anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the coast of France, converting to Hudsons in July. In July 1942 the Squadron moved to America to protect the Eastern seaboard from German U-Boat attacks. The Squadron was moved again to Trinidad in August 1942 and then back to the UK at the end of November, receiving Whitleys in February 1943. No. 53 was moved from East Anglia to Thorney Island and converted to Liberators. These started anti-submarine patrols on 25 June over the Bay of Biscay and Western approaches before moving to Iceland in September 1944. They remained here for the rest of the war patrolling the north Atlantic until returning to the UK in June 1945 and joining Transport Command.
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Relevant Websites
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Books
United in Effort by Jock Manson
No.53 began life as a Corps Reconnaissance unit spotting for the artillery on the Western Front with B.E.2cs & R.E.8s. Disbanded at the end of WW1, it was reformed in 1937 as an army co-operation squadron with Hawker Hectors. Subsequent aircraft for various roles included Blenheims, Hudsons, Whitleys, Liberators. As a transport squadron it flew Dakotas, Hastings, Beverleys and finally Belfasts. 144 pages. 200+ photographs. ISBN: 0 85130 201 7
Casualties of the squadron, buried in the Netherlands.
Number of known casualties: 15
- this list is not complete. As the vast majority of the casualties of 53 squadron are still missing, this list will be added to when more names, which are now commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial, become known.
United Kingdom 14 Canada 1 (this list was compiled with the help of
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