No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron Royal Air Force

No.132 Squadron was formed at Ternhill on 1st March 1918. It was employed on bomber training duties but in August 1918 it began training for deployment to France as a night bomber squadron. Plans were changed to day bomber in September, but the war came to an end before it was deployed and the Squadron was disbanded in December 1918.
The Squadron was reformed at Peterhead on 7 July 1941 as a day fighter unit equipped with Spitfires. The Squadron spent 15 months providing defensive patrols over the naval base at Scapa Flow before moving south to undertake offensive sorties over occupied France and the Netherlands from various south coast airfields. After a second spell at Scapa Flow in February 1944, it moved south to join the 2nd Tactical Air Force to undertake ground attack missions over France, moving into Normandy after D-Day and remaining on the Continent until the end of September.
It was then despatched to Ceylon and re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.XIV in preparation for the invasion of Malaya. However the Japanese surrender meant this operation never took place and the Squadron moved instead to Hong Kong.
Airfields used by 132 Squadron:

7th July 1941-February 1942: Peterhead (Spitfire Mk.I)
16th February-June 1942: Skeabrae (Spifire Mk.V in March)
11th June-September 1942: Grimsetter
23rd September-October 1942: Martlesham Heath
2nd October 1942: Hornchurch
October 1942-March 1943: Martlesham Heath
28th March-April 1943: Zeals
5th April-May 1943: Eastchurch
18th May-June 1943: Perranporth
29th June-July 1943: Gravesend
3rd July-October 1943: Newchurch (Spitfire Mk.IX)
12th October 1943-January 1944: Detling
1st January-March 1944: Castleton
19th March 1944: Detling
March 1944: Fairwood Common
March-April 1944: Detling
18th April-June 1944: Ford
25th June-August 1944: B.14 Amblie (France)
13th August-September 1944: B.11 Lonques
4th September 1944: B.40 Nivillers
8th September 1944: B.52 Douai (Belgium)
17th September 1944: B.70 Antwerp/ Deurne
29th September-November 1944: Hawkinge

January 1945: Bombay (India)
20th January-June 1945: Vavuniya (Ceylon)
June-September 1945: Madura (India)

7th July 1941 New fighter Squadron formed

29th November 1941 Pilot killed in bad weather

16th February 1942 Move to Orkney

11th June 1942 Move across Orkney

23rd September 1942 Move to the South of England

19th November 1942 Pilot lost at sea

1st December 1942 Failed to return

2nd December 1942 Farewell Dance

5th December 1942 Lost in the Channel

3rd March 1943 Exercise Spartan

4th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

9th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

11th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

5th April 1943 On the move

5th Apr 1943 Move

18th May 1943 Move

22nd May 1943 Pilot rescued by fishermen

3rd July 1943 Moved and re-equipped

12th October 1943 Ground attack role

18th October 1943 Taken PoW

21st December 1943 Shot down

21st December 1943 Hurricane pilot missing off Dungeness

14th January 1944 Squadron Leader killed

28th January 1944 Aircraft lost

31st January 1944 Move to Scotland

19th March 1944 2nd Tactical Air Force

30th March 1944 Aircraft Shot

17th April 1944 Aircraft Shot down

18th April 1944 Invasion preparations

29th April 1944 Two Spitfires lost

21st May 1944 Two Spitfires destroyed

28th May 1944 Missing on V1 launch site raid

1st June 1944 Up to strength

2nd June 1944 Browned off

3rd June 1944 Train attacked

4th June 1944 Dive bombing sortie

5th June 1944 D-Day briefing

6th June 1944 D-Day

7th June 1944 Long and uneventful day

8th June 1944 Bad weather

9th June 1944 Weather stopped flying

10th June 1944 Enemy not seen

11th June 1944 Landing strip on 'Omaha' Beach

12th June 1944 Collision on the ground

13th June 1944 Patrol

14th June 1944 Caen in flames

15th June 1944 Continuing bad weather

16th June 1944 Dawn patrol

17th June 1944 Abortive bombing raid

18th June 1944 Pilot shot down and killed

19th June 1944 Abortive sorties due to weather

20th June 1944 No incidents

21st June 1944 Escort to Halifaxes

22nd June 1944 Two patrols in poor weather

23rd June 1944 Injured by flak

24th June 1944 Move to France anticipated

25th June 1944 Move to France

26th June 1944 First day in France

27th June 1944 Too few eggs

28th June 1944 MT attacked

29th June 1944 Armed recce

29th July 1944 125 Wing forms dance band

30th June 1944 Digging dugouts and doing the washing

1st July 1944 Fw190s attacked

2nd July 1944 Dog fight

3rd July 1944 Armed recce

4th July 1944 Promotion celebrated

5th July 1944 Two enemy aircraft shot down

6th July 1944 Three successful armed recces

7th July 1944 Celebration

8th July 1944 English beer delivered

9th July 1944 New C/O

10th July 1944 More rain - and bread

11th July 1944 Bombing sortie

12th July 1944 Two Spitfires damaged in dog-fight

13th July 1944 Patrols

14th July 1944 Spitfire pilot killed

15th July 1944 Weather recce

16th July 1944 Straffing transport is effective

17th July 1944 Motor Transport bombed

18th July 1944 Beach patrols

19th July 1944 No flying

20th July 1944 No activity

21st July 1944 Stuck in the mud

22nd July 1944 Near miss

23rd July 1944 Churchil glimpsed on airbase

24th July 1944 Farm bombed in error

25th July 1944 Flying again

26th July 1944 Bombing sorties

27th July 1944 Bombing sortie

28th July 1944 Routine patrols

30th July 1944 Escort to heavy bombers

31st July 1944 Pilots injured

1st August 1944 Army rescue squad killed by a mine

2nd August 1944 Killed in mid-air collision

3rd August 1944 Midget submarines sunk

4th August 1944 Very quiet

5th August 1944 Dakota crashed and burnt in thick mist

6th August 1944 New bar anti-room takes shape

7th August 1944 Camp Bar completed

8th August 1944 Spitfire pilot killed

9th August 1944 News of a move

10th August 1944 Refugees seen on the road

11th August 1944 Attack on Dieppe road

12th August 1944 Barges on the Seine attacked

13th August 1944 New base and three armed recces carried out.

14th August 1944 Uneventful day

15th August 1944 Two Spitfires shot down over Falaise

16th August 1944 Armed recce

17th August 1944 High morale

18th August 1944 1,000 M/T attacked

19th August 1944 Quiet day

20th August 1944 Recce over Paris

21st August 1944 Wash-out

22nd August 1944 Poor weather

23rd August 1944 Patrols

24th August 1944 Weather restricts operations

25th August 1944 Steamer bombed on the Seine

26th August 1944 Move proposed

27th August 1944 Armed recce

28th August 1944 Routine

29th August 1944 Move postponed

30th August 1944 Waiting for orders

31st August 1944 Still no orders

1st September 1944 Cards and beer

2nd September 1944 On the move at last

3rd September 1944 Travelled all night

4th September 1944 Arrival

5th September 1944 Patrols

6th September 1944 Move

7th September 1944 No flying

8th September 1944 M.O. gone missing

9th September 1944 Washing and bath

10th September 1944 Armed recce over Flushing

11th September 1944 Enemy not seen

12th September 1944 Little action

13th September 1944 German cars salvaged

14th September 1944 Repairing motor vehicles

15th September 1944 Motor car repairs

16th September 1944 On the move again

17th September 1944 Arrival in Antwerp

18th September 1944 Good accommodation

19th September 1944 No flying

20th September 1944 Billets offered but refused

21st September 1944 No enemy aircraft

22nd September 1944 Patrols

23rd September 1944 Shell attack

24th September 1944 Patrols

25th September 1944 Two Spitfire pilots killed

26th September 1944 Patrols over Nijmegen

27th September 1944 Two Spitfires shot down

28th September 1944 Airfield shelled

29th September 1944 Move back to England planned

30th September 1944 Arrival back in England

1st October 1944 Bomber escort role

1st December 1944 Transfer to the Far East

20th January 1945 Arrival in Ceylon

19th February 1945 Non-Operation - but rumours of posting

June 1945 Preparations to invade Malaya

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No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

Mills Mervyn Jack. F/O. (d.19th Nov 1942)

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F/O. Mervyn Jack "Boy" Mills 132 Squadron (d.19th Nov 1942)

Mervyn Mills was the son of George William Alfred Worthy Mills and Gwendoline Eleanor Mills of Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand. He did his initial training at Levin in New Zealand and then trained in Canada. He served with 132 Squadron.

Brian Vonlanthen

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Those known to have served with No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron Royal Air Forceduring the Second World War 1939-1945.

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during the Second World War 1939-1945.