No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force

No.86 Squadron was formed on the 1st of September 1917. It was disbanded on 4th of July 1918 without seeing operational service to provide reinforcements for active units in France. Plans to reform the Squadron in September 1918 were abandoned at the armistice.
No.86 Squadron was reformed at Gosport on 6th December 1940, equipped with Blenheim light bombers. They were deployed on coastal patrols and anit-shipping strikes, and were re-equipped with Beaufighters armed with torpedoes. In June 1942 a detachment was sent to Malta. However in Ausgust, as part of a reorganisation of air forces in the Middle East, the Squadron's aircraft and men were reassigned to other units and 86 Squadron was reduced to a noin-operational cadre.
In December 1942 the Squadron began to receive B-24 Liberators and, after a period of recruitment and training, they were assigned to anti-submarine protection patrols over North Atlantic convoys. Based in Northern Ireland, Iceland and Scotland, they continued in that role until the end of hostilities in Europe. The Squadron was then transferred to Transport Command and provided transport for troops and PoWs returneing from the Far East. Airfields used by 86 Squadron:

December 1940-February 1941: Gosport
February-March 1941: Leuchars
March-May 1941: Wattisham
May 1941-January 1942: North Coates
January-March 1942: St. Eval
March-July 1942: Wick
July 1942-February 1943: Thorney Island (non-operational from August - December 1942)

July - August 1942 Detachment to Luqa (absorbed into 39 Squadron)

February - March 1943: St Eval
March-September 1943: Aldergrove
September 1943-March 1944: Ballykelly
March-July 1944: Reykjavik
July 1944-August 1945: Tain
August 1945: Oakington

6th December 1940 New Squadron formed

February 1941 Relocated

28th March 1941 Convoy escort role

May 1941 Relocated and re-equipped

August 1941 New Aircraft

11th November 1941 Torpedo operations

January 1942 Bay of Biscay

1st Feb 1942 Crews reassigned

March 1942 North sea patrols

17th May 1942 Attack on cruiser Prinz Eugen

July 1942 Detachment to Malta

17th August 1942 Merchant ship sunk

26th August 1942 Reorganisation

26th August 1942 Squadron dispersed

October 1942 New aircraft arrive

16th February 1943 Anti-submarine patrols

March 1943 Move to Northern Ireland

6th April 1943 U-632 Sunk

11th May 1943 North Atlantic convoys

12th May 1943 Acoustic-homing torpedo deployed

27th August 1943 Crash

September 1943 Move

8th October 1943 Two U-Boats sunk

16th Oct 1943 U-Boats sunk

16th November 1943 U-280 Sunk

March 1944 Move to Iceland

25th June 1944 Move to Scotland

30th June 1944 U-Boat sunk

27th Jul 1944 Submarine Sunk

5th May 1945 U-534 Sunk

10th June 1945 Transport Command

If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.

Logbooks

Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession?
If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you.

View Logbook entries

Those known to have served with
No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

Daly Morris James. Flt.Sgt. (d.27th May 1942)
Durston Owen Roy. Sgt. (d.28th Mar 1942)
Goodwin Dennis Raymond.
Harper Denis Reginald James. PO (d.24th November 1941)
Maples John Maurice. P/O.
Pordage Harry. F/Sgt. (d.18th November 1944)

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.

27th April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264001 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
Looking for help with Family History Research? Please read our Family History FAQ's
The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.

Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.

We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.

If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.

Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.
If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.

Want to know more about No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force?

There are:2030 items tagged No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.

P/O. John Maurice Maples No. 210 Squadron

My father, Pilot Officer John Maples, was posted to the Shetland Islands, RAF Sullom Voe, from April 1944 until June 1945. He then joined No. 86 Squadron transporting troops to India via Cairo West until de-mobilisation in January 1946. He told me many stories about his time in the Shetland Islands, of which one has always intrigued me. Apparently, there was an instance when a Mosquito pilot flying on one engine had to make an emergency landing. After doing so, the pilot took hours to stop shaking. I once read a piece on Guy Gibson VC, and he was forced to make an emergency landing at Sullom Voe that proved difficult. I will always wonder.

Add to this record.

Dennis Raymond Goodwin 462 Squadron

My father Dennis Goodwin, served as an Air Gunner in 462 Squadron from December 1942 until August 1943. His total flying time was 60.5 hours in daytime and 189.45 hours at night. He flew in Halifax aeroplanes mostly (from what I can tell from his log book) and the pilot was usually Flight Sergent Spencer. From October 43 to November 44 he was with the 1675 Heavy Conversion Unit and from December 1944 until May 1945 he was with 86 Squadron. He died about five years ago and never spoke of the war much at all. Apparently twice, if not three times, his crew went out without him and never returned which left Dad with a strong feeling of guilt.

Helen Gash

Add to this record.

Flt.Sgt. Morris James "Rastus" Daly pilot 86 Squadron (d.27th May 1942)

Flt Sgt M J Daly, pilots course graduation photograph
I am looking for further information about a tragic accident at Wick Aerodrome in May 1942. My Uncle, Flt Sgt (Pilot) Morris James Daly, Pilot of Beaufort AW345 BX-A with 86 Sqn, was returning home from a patrol I believe near Norway. In his pilots log, the mission was listed as 'Rover Opps' which I still would like to know the meaning of.
On the 27th of May 1942, the weather apparently bad and on approach to Wick Aerodrome, AW345 struck the unlit Tannach Chain Home Radar Station tower south west of the aerodrome. All on board were killed.

F/Sgt M J Daly RAAF
F/Sgt R Dunn
Sgt H J Stone
Sgt F G White

The Chain Home Radar Station I believe was part of the coastal radar defence system linking up many towers for a full coastal observation and early warning system. I understand they were 225 feet in height.
RAF 86 Sqn was based at Wick and Skitten, Caithness from 9th Mar 1942 to 31st July 1942 mainly patroling the Norwegian Coast. Flt Sgt Daly's log reports only 10 days earlier on 17th May 1942 he and his crew flew on 'Strike Opps' Beaufort AW341 from their base in Wick to Skitten, then on to Norway. A strike (I presume torpedo) on the "Eugen" (I presume the 'Prinz Eugen', sister ship to the 'Bismark' breaking out of a Norwegian Fjiord making for the Atlantic). Me 109 attack, Lost 4, Got 6 Me, Badly shot up. A short passage, however, a chilling read.
Scan of original Pilots Log as photographs of )
On the news of his younger brothers death, my Father, William Daly enlisted and flew as a F/Lt (Navigator) on Avro Lancasters with Bomber Command.

Joseph Daly

Add to this record.

Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with
No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project - No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Forceduring the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

Those known to have served with
No. 86 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.