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St Omer Air Park
13th Aug 1914 On the Move
1st Jan 1915 No 8 Squadron formed At the outbreak of war only 4 of the RFC’s 7 squadrons were fully equipped and staffed, and it was not until October 1914 that all of them reached full operational capability. No. 8 Squadron was the first new squadron to be created after the outbreak of war when it was formed at Brooklands on 1 January 1915.
They proceeded to St Omer France in April 1915 as an Army Co-operation unit flying B.E.2Cs. Operating from the RFC HQ airfield at St Omer, the squadron primary role was long-range reconnaissance, carrying out flights of up to 100 miles behind the front lines. The squadron also operated a fighter flight equipped with a variety of aircraft types to provide defensive support to reconnaissance planes.
10th Feb 1915
14th Feb 1915 Squadron formed No 11 Squadron formed at Netheravon on 14th of February 1915 from a nucleus of No. 7 Squadron and was equipped as a scout (fighter) unit. The squadron moved to St Omer France on 25th July 1915 flying the Vickers Gunbus. 11 squadron was the first squadron to be a specialist fighter squadron, and was largely deployed to protect the reconnaissance patrols of other Squadrons from attack by enemy aircraft.
26th Feb 1915 Reconnaissance No. 16 Squadron flew its first reconnaissance mission on the 26th February. As other Squadron standardised on the BE2, No. 16 Squadron inherited all their non-standard types including the frail pre-war Maurice Farman, Voisins, Bs, and Shorthorns. On the 6th March the Squadron moved to an airfield at La Gorgue.
7th March 1915 On the Move From the outbreak of war No 1 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps had provided aircrew training at Brooklands, but on 7th of March 1915 it crossed over to RFC HQ at St Omer in France. It was equipped with a mixture of Avro 504s and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8s, and operated mainly in the reconnaissance role.
16th Sep 1915 Aircraft damaged
19th Oct 1915 On the Move 13 Squadron was sent to France, reporting first to RFC HQ at St. Omer on 19th of October, and then deployed to Vert Galand 2 days later. Equipped with BE2c aircraft, the main role of the Squadron was artillery observation and photographic reconnaissance, which remained the unit's main tasks throughout the war.
29th Dec 1915 Aircraft damaged
18th Jan 1916 On the Move
13rd Feb 1916 Aircraft damaged
20th February 1916 On the Move
16th Mar 1916 Aircraft damaged
16th Mar 1916 Aircraft Lost
25th March 1916
30th Mar 1916 Engine Faileur
1st August 1916 New Aircraft
15th Oct 1916 Move
24th Oct 1916 Move
16th Nov 1916
January 1917
16th Feb 1917 On the Move
7th April 1917 Orders
20th April 1917 On the Move
8th October 1917
17th November 1917 Move
29th April 1918 New Aircraft
14th Aug 1918
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