|
|
Aircraft Index |
Squadron Index |
Aviation Art by Country |
Aviation Signatures Index |
Aviation Artists Index |
Aviation Art Offers |
|
No.201 Sqn RAF
Founded : 1st April 1918
Hic et ubique - Here and everywhere
201 Squadron is one of the oldest squadrons in the RAF. It began as No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on 17 October 1914, and reformed on under that designation on 6 December 1916,and being renumbered to 201 Squadron on the formation of the RAF on 1 April 1918 No 201 reformed with Southampton flying boats and based at Calshot. These had been replaced by Londons by the time of World War II, and the unit found itself patrolling the Shetland-Norway gap. The following year, No 201 received Sunderlands and commenced anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic until the U-boat menace had been defeated. The Squadron also joined the successful Channel blockade prior to the D-Day it also had the distinction of carrying the final Coastal Command patrol of the War on 3 June 1945. The Sunderlands soldiered on, even taking part in the Berlin Airlift, until 1957 when the Squadron was disbanded. No 201 reformed at St Mawgan on 1 October 1958 with the new Shackleton Mk3s and moving to Kinloss in 1965. The 'Shacks' remained until 1970 when the unit received its first Nimrods, and these have seen action in both the South Atlantic, Gulf (twice) and Balkans conflicts. |
No.201 Sqn RAF
No.201 Sqn RAF Artwork |
No.201 Sqn RAF Artwork Collection |
By Dawn's Light by Ivan Berryman. | Clipped Signature - Sir Denis Spotswood. | Good Morning, Spartan by Robert Barbour. |
The Final Curtain by Ivan Berryman. | Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock. | Short Sunderland Mk.5 ML778 NS-Z by G Henderson. |
Signing Off by Keith Hill. | Short Sunderland Mk.V RN273 of 201 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. |
Aircraft for : No.201 Sqn RAF | |||
A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.201 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
| London Full profile not yet available. | ||
| Nimrod Full profile not yet available. | ||
Manufacturer : Short Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1959 Number Built : 749 | Sunderland The Short Sunderland, Patrol and Reconnaissance Flying Boat. normal crew level 10. maximum speed of 210mph for Mark I, 205mph Mark II and Mark III, and 213mph Mark V. ceiling 17,900 feet and range of 2110 miles (mk I) 2880 miles for Mark V. endurance in the air 13.5 hours. The Sunderland carries 1 .303 machine gun in the nose, (mark I) and four .303 browning machine guns in the Tail Turret. Also in the Mark II four Vickers .303 inch machine guns were used in the body positions. and four browning machineguns in the nose flanks in the Mark III. Maximum bomb load of 4960 lbs. Based on the design of the Civil Empire class flying boat. The Short Sunderland entered service with the Royal Air Force in June 1938 with 230 squadron. and by the end of the war, 20 squadrons of the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force were equipped with Sunderland's. By the end of the production in 1946 a total of 749 were built, The roles the Short Sunderland played, mainly were in Maritime and anti Submarine duties, especially in the battle of the Atlantic, The Sunderland accounted for 58 U-Boats sunk or badly damaged. The Sunderland was also used in other theatres of the war and in the Mediterranean helped in the evacuation of troops from Crete and Greece, as well as helping in the evacuation of troops in Burma. The Short Sunderland remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1959. used during the Korean War, The Berlin Air Lift, and during Operation Firedog, , The Malayan Emergency. |
Signatures for : No.201 Sqn RAF | |||
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||
Name | Info | ||
Flt. Lt. John Bishop Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt. Lt. John Bishop | Flt. Lt. John Bishop Joined the RAF in April 1943 from Edinburgh University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot in Rhodesia. In August 1944 he was posted to Diego Suarez to fly Catalina flying boats on anti-submarine patrols. He converted to Sunderlands at Mombassa on 209 Sqdn. and 57 MU also on Sunderlands until 1953. This included the Berlin airlift in 1948, flying from the river in Hamburg to Havel Lake, and flew in an anti-shipping role in Burma. At the end o fthe war in the Far East he flew form Hong Kong and Singapore until returning to the UK in Spetember 1946. He continued on 201 Sqd. Flying Boats until 1953. Thereafter he was mainly employed on V.I.P. duties flying from Malta, Northolt, Fontainebleau, Bovingdon and White Waltham. He flew 173 ops and 1800 hours on Sunderlands and 1800 hours on Devons out of a total of 6250 flying hours. The last fiver years of his service was as an Air Traffic Controller at R.A.F. Benson and RAF Abingdon. | ||
Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Ian de Hamel
| Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Flt Lt Ian de Hamel flew Sunderlands with Coastal Command, 1944-1945. His introduction to flying was with the University Air Squadron whilst at Oxford, and he volunteered as a pilot in the RAF in 1942. His request to be allowed to serve on flying boats was granted due to his experience and skill in sailing, and he trained with the US Navy at Pensacola. However, due to the RAFs insistence that all flying boat pilots must also be fully trained navigators, he flew on Oxfords for a while before starting operations on Sunderlands with 228 Sqn at Pembroke Dock. These consisted of long and exhausting patrols hunting U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay and the North Atlantic before his transfer, as Captain, to 201 Sqn, also at Pembroke Dock. His flying career ended with this unit at Calshot in 1945 when he left the RAF. He died in 2003. |
About our Signatures on Artwork
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
|