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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1154.PDF
Al/tO SQ4K I9lf 4K« iO* # 1939 - 1939 D.H, T46SR MOtll AVIIO TUTQH 19 36 HAWKS* HART - tgAINt* If It i raining /urcrajx 1925—1936 Operational Aircraft 1925—1942 THE QUEEN'S A HISTORY OF No. 603 ( SQUADRON, ROYAL AU By JOHN YOXALL TO No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron is accorded the honour of having Queen Elizabeth as Honorary Air Commodore. Her Majesty accepted the appointment before coming to the throne; after her accession it was her express wish that it should remain. About the very early days of No. 603 Squadron litde informa tion is available, but there is no question that it started in October 192S with an establishment of 23 officers and 158 airmen. The aircraft were D.H. 9As with Avro 504s for training purposes. In those days the Auxiliary squadrons taught their new pilots from the ab initio stage. S/L. J. A. McKelvie, A.F.C. was the first commanding officer. The beginning was very modest. On the 10th of the following April, when No. 603 was inspected by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh (now Marshal of the R.A.F. Lord) Trenchard, there were on parade the CO., two flying officers, 55 airmen, two D.H.9As and three Avros. By die end of 1926 the strength of die Auxiliary personnel was four officers and 71 airmen; one rotary-engined Avro 504K had been replaced by a 504N widi Lynx engine. There was, however, a gradual build-up. An interesting posting at the time was that of F/L. H. S. P. Walmsley, M.C., D.F.C., who recently retired from the Service as Air Marshal Sir Hugh P. Walmsley, K.C.B., K.C.I.E., C.B.E., M.C., D.F.C., and who is now managing director of Air Service Training, Ltd. He had as his assistant adjutant P/O. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton. In 1930 the war-time D.H.9As were exchanged for Wesdand Wapitis, but the Lynx-Avro remained as die training type. Each year the unit went from its base at Turnhouse—where it is today—to Leuchars for summer camp. Each year, also, a flight from one of the regular fighter squadrons was affiliated for prac tice; in 1931 this flight came from No. 19 Squadron. While No. 19 were in residence, Turnhouse was visited by die Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, and die Earl of Stair, the unit's first Honorary Air Commodore. During die same year (1931) diere was a change in command; S/L. McKelvie retired and S/L. H. R. Murray-Philipson took over. Lord Douglas-Hamilton retired from die regular R.A.F. but remained widi die squadron as an Auxiliary officer. S/L. H. R. Murray-Philipson was a successful businessman who lived in die Muirfoot hills near Peebles. Here he had his own airfield and kept his private D.H. Moth. His grounds were suffi ciently extensive for him to provide No. 603 with dieir own bomb ing range and he used to persuade die Territorial Royal Engineers to camp mere and mark die bombing practice of die squadron. By 1932 die summer camp was more ambitious; it was held at Manston in Kent, and while there the unit took part in die A.D.G.B. (Air Defence of Great Britain) exercises. Another change of aircraft came in 1934, when Hawker Harts replaced die Wesdand Wapitis. Some Avros were still on strength, and D.H. Moths were also used, until they were all replaced by Avro Tutors in 1936. In these days of global bombers it is interesting to note that when, in March 1934, No. 603 flew down from Scotland to Hendon to take pan in a concentration of Auxiliary squadrons a refuelling stop had to be made at Uswordi. The return journey, the squadron diary proudly relates, was made witiiout a stop. S/L. Murray-Philipson, who had done so much for the unit, had to give up owing to ill-health—he died shortly afterwards —and on April 1st, 1934, his place was taken by Lord G. N. Douglas-Hamilton. And so peace-time life went on, widi summer camps, affiliation exercises, garden parties—one at Holyrood House—and Empire Air Days. A high-spot was the sending of a party of one officer and ten airmen to London for the coronation of King George VI. Early in 1938 me Harts gave place to Hinds—a development of die Hart in which, among other differences, a Rolls-Royce fully supercharged Kestrel V of 600 h.p. replaced die 480 h.p. Kestrel IB; and No. 603 was transferred from No. 6 (Aux.) Group in Bomber Command to No. 12 Group in Fighter Command. The Hinds, however, did not stay long, for by March 1939 diey had been replaced by Gloster Gladiators, which came from No. 54 Squadron, men stationed at Hornchurch. The transfer from Bomber Command to Fighter Command had not affected die unit's efficiency, for on April 15th, 1939, the squadron diary records die presentation of die Esher Trophy by die A.O.C-in-C. Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh (now Lord) Dowding. On August 23rd, 1939, die squadron was embodied. Following die declaration of war on September 3rd no immediate attack came; the odd patrol was flown, but most of die time was spent in practising on die Spitfires, which were now arriving in numbers. On October 16th came great excitement: 12 German aircraft made a raid on Naval vessels near die Forth Bridge, where they dropped some 40 bombs. No. 603 intercepted and red section The squadron officers with a D.H. 9A in 1928. Left to right: P/O. R. I. Kynaston, P/O. A. H. Bruce, P/O. S. M. Musgrave, P/0. I. S. C. Watson, P/O. J. M. Fosbrooke, P/O. j. L Jack, M.C., F/L C. R. Keary (Adjutant), S/L. J. A. McKelvie, A.F.C., Rev. W. B. C. Buchanan, F/L. V. B. Bennett, (Assistant Adjutant), F/0. T. Usher, P/O. M. H. G. White, P/O. A. M. Mitchell, P/O. A. Wallace, P/O. £. S. V. Burton. I!
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