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No. 235 Squadron Royal Air Force
No 235 Squadron was formed in August 1918 at the seaplane station at Newlyn, Cornwall for anti-submarine patrols. It disbanded in February 1919 .
No 235 re-formed in October 1939 at Manston as a fighter squadron, training on Battles in December. Equipped with Blenheims in February 1940, it was transferred to Coastal Command for fighter-reconnaissance duties. It flew patrols over Holland and in the Battle of Britain was engaged in convoy protection and reconnaissance missions over the North Sea.
In 1941 No 235 attacked enemy shipping, and moved to Scotland for operations along the Norwegian coast. It converted to Beaufighters in December 1941, moving to East Anglia in May 1942 for attacks off the Dutch coast, then returning to Scotland in January 1943. In August 1943, it patrolled the BAy of Biscay in support of anti-submarine aircraft and in June 1944 was re-equipped with Mosquitoes. It moved to Banff in September 1944, attacking enemy shipping off Norway and Denmark until the end of the war. It was disbanded in July 1945.
Airfields
No. 235 Squadron
flew from:
- RAF Manston, Kent from the 30th October 1939 (re-formed)
- to Coastal Command, 27th February 1940
- RAF North Coates, Lincolnshire from 27th February 1940 (Blenheim I, Blenheim IVf)
- RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk from 25th April 1940 (Beaufighter Ic)
- RAF Dyce, Aberdeenshire from 3rd June 1941
- RAF Sumburgh, Shetland, March 1942
- RAF Docking, Norfold from the 31st May 1942
- RAF Chivenor, Devon from the 16th July 1942 (Beaufighter VIc)
- RAF Leuchars, Fife, January 1943
- RAF Sumburgh, Shetland, February 1943
- RAF Leuchars, Fife, end of February 1943
- RAF Portreath, Cornwall, August 1943 (Beaufighter X, Beaufighter XI, Mosquito VI)
- RAF Banff, Aberdeenshire, September 1944
- disbanded the 10th July 1945
26th June 1940 Aircraft Lost
18th July 1940 Combat over the Channel
11th September 1940 Battle of Britain
27th Dec 1941 Aircraft Lost
17th August 1942 Merchant ship sunk
8th Oct 1942 Aircraft Lost
10th September 1943 Strike Wing for the Western Approaches
3rd September 1944 New Strike Wing formed
12th September 1944 Shipping patrol abandoned in bad weather
14th September 1944 German convoy attacked
17th September 1944 Battle of Britain Parade
19th September 1944 Beaufighter lost on shipping attack
21st September 1944 Shipping attacked
15th October 1944 Flak ship sunk
14th November 1944 Norwegian ships attacked
5th December 1944 Attack on shipping in Norway
7th December 1944 Wing attack on shipping beaten off
10th December 1944 Ship attacked without loss
12th December 1944 Airfield and ships attacked
16th December 1944 Two Mosquitos lost
26th December 1944 Shipping attack onNorway
28th December 1944 Ship sunk
31st December 1944 Ships sunk but Mosquito lost
9th January 1945 Attack on ship in Norway
15th January 1945 Five Mosquitos lost on shipping raid
25th January 1945 2 killed in Mid-air collision
12th February 1945 Uneventful attack on shipping
21st February 1945 No opposition
7th March 1945 Collision over the Kattegat
12th March 1945 Shot down on shipping patrol
17th March 1945 Mosquitos shot down
23rd March 1945 Three Mosquitos shot down in Norway
30th March 1945 Five ships sunk in harbour
2nd April 1945 Ships damaged
5th April 1945 Two Mosquitos lost on shipping strike
9th April 1945 Three U Boats sunk and four Mosquitos lost
11th April 1945 Shipping sunk and damaged
19th April 1945 U-Boat sunk
21st April 1945 Chance encounter with German bombers
2nd May 1945 U-Boat and Minesweeper sunk
4th May 1945 3 ships sunk and 3 Mosquitos lost
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Logbooks
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Those known to have served with No. 235 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Gilmore John.
- Austen Desmond Thomas. P/O. (d.13th January 1942)
- Davies MID. William Charles. Cpl.
- Graves Edward Arthur. Sergeant (d.30th August 1940)
- Harrison AEA. Graham William. F/Lt. (d.20th April 1944)
- Knowles DFC. William. F/Lt. (d.30th March 1945)
- Mackenzie Allan George Raymond. Flt.Sgt. (d.19th April 1945)
- Priestley John Sinclair. Pilot Officer (d.2nd August 1940)
- Pyrah Stanley Harrison. F/Lt. (d.14th Aug 1944)
- Redford Norman Louis. F/O. (d.4th November 1944)
- Relfe Frank Albert. Flt.Sgt. (d.19th April 1945)
- Thomas Lawrence. Flt.Sgt. (d.30th March 1945)
- Walker Frank Leonard. F/O. (d.28th October 1944)
- Warburton John Charles. Sgt. (d.17th January 1943)
- Warburton John Charles . Sgt. (d.17th January 1943)
- Wilkinson William Alfred. Sgt. (d.5th Feb 1943)
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. 235 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources.
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Want to know more about No. 235 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2040 items tagged No. 235 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. |
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Sergeant Edward Arthur Graves 235 Squadron (d.30th August 1940) Graves, E A. Sergeant RAF. Died 30 August 1940.
Killed in crash of Bristol Blenheim Mk IVf, serial L9262, after take-off from RAF Bircham Newton to practice circuits. The aircraft spun into the ground at Barwick farm, Bagthorpe near the airfield at 11.15hrs killing both the crew. John Priestly, a New Zealander from Wellington, was buried with full military honours on 2 September 1940. The other crew member, Sgt. E.Graves was taken to his home town of Eastbourne for burial.
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Pilot Officer John Sinclair Priestley 235 Squadron (d.2nd August 1940) Although I am not directly related I have been researching P/O Priestley:
PRIESTLEY, J.S. Pilot Officer, RNZAF. Pilot. 235 Sqn RAF. Died 30 Aug 40 Aged 27
Killed in crash of Bristol Blenheim Mk IVf, serial L9262, after take-off from RAF Bircham Newton to practice circuits. The aircraft spun into the ground at Barwick farm, Bagthorpe near the airfield at 11.15hrs killing both the crew. John Priestly, a New Zealander from Wellington, was buried with full military honours on 2 September 1940. The other crew member, Sgt. E.Graves was taken to his home town of Eastbourne for burial.
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John Gilmore 235 Squadron I have just aquired a letter dated 28 Feb. 1941 from my mother to my father, John Gilmore, addressed B Flight. 235 Squadron, R.A.F.Station Bircham Newton, Norfolk. They were about to get married. I just wondered what my father did there - is there any way of finding out? Like most people in the war years they never spoke about it. I know he wasn't a flyer.
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Sgt. John Charles Warburton 235 Squadron (d.17th January 1943) My uncle, Jack Warburton, enlisted in October 1940. He died on the 17th of January 1943 with Navigator/Observer Edward Ewen (Teddy) Sillitoe near Kilkhampton, Cornwall. Crashed a Beaufighter in bad weather at Stowe Barton farm, trying to return to RAF Station Chivenor.
His death and burial at Heanton Punchardon Cemetery in North Devon brought my family to Braunton from the Southampton area, where my grandfather was involved in the design and building of the Spitfire. While in north Devon they both worked for Atlantic Coast Airlines, my grandfather was Chief Engineer under the CRO scheme at various locations in Braunton, and in hangars at Chivenor. My mother met and married my father there, an American soldier training for the D-Day invasion.
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Flt.Sgt. Lawrence Thomas 235 Squadron (d.30th March 1945) Flight Sergeant (Navigator/Wireless Op.) Lawrence Thomas was the son of William Charles and Ann Maria Thomas, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire.
He was aged 23 when his plane crashed in Norway. He is buried in the Skien Civil Cemetery in Norway.
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F/Lt. William Knowles DFC. 235 Squadron (d.30th March 1945) Flight Lieutenant Bill Knowles was the son of William and Maria Rebelo Knowles, of Carcarelos, Portugal.
He is buried in the Skien Civil Cemetery in Norway.
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Sgt. John Charles Warburton 235 Squadron (d.17th January 1943) Jack Warburton served with 235 Squadron.
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Flt.Sgt. Frank Albert Relfe 235 Squadron (d.19th April 1945) Flight Sergeant (Navigator) Frank Relfe was the son of Mrs M. M. Relfe of South Tottenham, Middlesex.
He is buried in a joint in the Struer Extension Churchyard in Denmark.
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Flt.Sgt. Allan George Raymond Mackenzie 235 Squadron (d.19th April 1945) Flight Sergeant (Pilot) Allan Mackenzie was the son of Mrs E. H. Mackenzie of Cricklewood, Middlesex.
He is buried in a joint grave in the Struer Churchyard Extension in Denmark.
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Cpl. William Charles "Davy" Davies MID. 235 Sqd. I found this letter in Dad's keepsakes after he died. Dad did have lots of stories and lots of pilots would give him stuff before they took off on missions. He did say that he loaded bombs up to attack the Turpits in Norway. I know he spent some time in Canada near the end of the war. "Looking for John Merrit Observer, 235 Beaufighter Sqd. Coastal Command
mentioned Battle of Britain survived. He could well be the only one left of his unit.
I sent him on many missions with a full tank of octain
I am interested in perhaps is final mission from Solum vo Shetlands to the Norwegian cost line I knew many (I was perhaps the longest serving member of 235 squadron ) 645875 Davies W.C."
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