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No. 260 Squadron Royal Air Force
No 260 squadron originally formed in August 1918 for coastal patrols along the Devon coast, disbanding in February 1919.
It reformed at Castletown in November 1940, operating Hurricanes on air defence duties and coastal patrols around Scotland until April 1941. No 260 left in May, arriving in Egypt in August, moving to Palestine for defensive duties, returning to Egypt in October for ground attack operations and escort duties over the Western Desert. In February 1942 it converted to Kittyhawks which were used in fighter-bomber support of the 8th Army.
Follwing the battle of el Alamein, No 260 advanced through Libya to Tunisia, and following the Axis collapse, supported the invasion of Sicily, moving into captured airfields to provide fighter-bomber suport for the Army; then the invasion of Italy, moving to the Italian mainland in September 1943. It converted to Mustangs in April 1944, flying fighter-bomber missions over Italy and the Balkans till the end of the war. No 260 disbanded at Lavariano in August 1945.
Airfields
No. 260 Squadron
flew from:
- RAF Castletown, Caithness from 22nd November 1940 (re-formed. Hurricane I)
- RAF Skitten, Caithness from the 5th December 1940
- RAF Castletown from the 7th January 1941
- RAF Skitten from the 19th February 1941
- RAF Drem, East Lothian from the 16th April 1941
- Haifa from the 19th May 1941
- disbanded at Lavariano the 19th August 1945
May 1942 Change of Aircraft
3rd June 1943 Delivery Flight shot down
31st October 1943 Norwegian pilot killed
30th January 1944 Fighter bomber Wing assembled on the Adriatic
February 1944 Army support and anti-shipping sorties
March 1944 Close support
29th April 1944 Airfield straffed by friendly fire
18th May 1944 Attack on Monte Cassino
21st May 1944 Move to the west
13th June 1944 Move to Rome
24th June 1944 Move north
27th June 1944 Royal visit
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Want to know more about No. 260 Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2011 items tagged No. 260 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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Sgt. James Cecil Wrigley 260 Squadron (d.12 June 1942) My Uncle Jim Wrigley served in the Western Desert flying kitty hawks and was shot down by a German Ace.
He was seen to bale out after his plane was hit. He was found on the ground by a South African soldier but because of heavy fire he had to leave his body and return later. I know that this soldier wrote to my grandparents. He is buried in Knightsbridge Cemetery in Libya we have a photo of his grave but unfortunately nobody has been able to visit. He was the eldest of 8 children. Jim died just 1 month after his 21st birthday.
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Cpl. Leslie Arthur MID 260 Squadron My Dad, Leslie Arthur was an armourer with the 260 from 1939 - 1946. He joined before the war, his brother (or step brother) was a sergeant pilot. I have his very detailed diary & photograph album, including German ones he found in a bunker. Elsewhere we have all the letters he sent back to my Mother. I know that when on convoy they were pushed up North into ice because of the Bismark being sunk. In the desert the pilots trained on Meshermitts & my Dad flew in JU 52's. In Scilly a whole squadron of Italians went over to the allies and began attacking. Whilst he was in Italy an Italian family looked after him. He boxed against an Black American in Italy. He invented a way of putting more bombs on Kitty Hawks. He used to get flown in, just after an airport was cleared with an advance party to give the Hurricanes, Kitty Hawks and Mustangs a wider range.
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W/O Percy Norville Brian Williams 260 Squadron (d.3rd Jan 1943) My father, Percy Williams was killed when I was 17 months old and because my mother didn't want to talk about it I have very little information. If anyone has some information about my father please contact me.
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F/S A. C. Hunter 603 Sqd. F/Sgt A C Hunter of 603 sqd. was shot down in Spitfire X4665 on 14-7-41 near Hazebrouck, France and taken POW. He was interned at Stalag 357 Kopernikus, Poland and given POW No.39273. He had previously served with 260 sqn. He was later promoted to W/O.
I would be most grateful if anyone could give any details however trivial they may seem on this pilot, as I do not even know of his first names, nationality etc.
Thanking you
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