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No. 514 Squadron RAF

No. 514 Squadron RAF (514 Sqn) was a bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

No. 514 Squadron RAF
Active1 September 1943 – 22 August 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeFlying squadron
RoleBomber Squadron
Part ofNo. 3 Group RAF, Bomber Command[1]
Motto(s)Latin: Nil Obstare Potest
(Translation: "Nothing can withstand")[2][3]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA cloud pierced by a sword[3]
The design indicates the function of the squadron, i.e. its role of a GH-equipped blind-bombing squadron[2]
Squadron CodesJI (Sep 1943 – Aug 1945)[4][5]
A2 (Dec 1943 – Aug 1945, 'C' Flt only)[6][7]
Aircraft flown
BomberAvro Lancaster

History

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Members of 514 Sqn were awarded 1 DSO, 84 DFCs, one Bar to the DFC and 26 DFMs.[2]

514 Squadron was part of 3 Group, RAF Bomber Command. It operated between September 1943 and August 1945, initially from RAF Foulsham, and then, from December 1943 onward, from RAF Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire. 437 aircrew were killed flying with the Squadron.[8][page needed]

Aircraft operated

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Aircraft operated by no. 514 Squadron RAF, data from[2][3][9]
From To Aircraft Version
September 1943 July 1944 Avro Lancaster Mk.II
June 1944 August 1945 Avro Lancaster Mks.I and III

Squadron bases

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Bases and airfields used by no. 514 squadron RAF, data from[2][3][9]
From To Base
1 September 1943 23 November 1943 RAF Foulsham, Norfolk
23 November 1943 22 August 1945 RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire

Reunions

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From 1988 to 2012, the Squadron held an annual reunion in June at Waterbeach Barracks hosted by the Royal Engineers. A service of remembrance was held in the parish church, and the BBMF Lancaster made a flypast over the former RAF airfield.[10]

In 2013, following the barracks' closure, a reunion was held in the village on 15 June with the Lancaster flypast over the Recreation Ground.[11]

In 2015, a reunion was again held in Waterbeach Barracks in a new community building.[12]

Museum

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The 514 Squadron Association and the Army established a museum in Waterbeach Barracks in 1985. This museum closed in September 2012, as the barracks closed permanently in March 2013, although the contents have been saved.[13] It expected that the new Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum will return to its building at the Barracks, and re-open in early summer 2016.[14][needs update]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Delve 1994, pp. 68, 77.
  2. ^ a b c d e Moyes 1976, p. 267.
  3. ^ a b c d Halley 1988, p. 395.
  4. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 58.
  5. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 80.
  6. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 19.
  7. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 61.
  8. ^ Simon Hepworth, Andrew Porrelli, and Roger Guernon. Stephen Kingham (Editor). The Beach Boys: The Men Who Flew With 514 Squadron RAF. Mention the War Ltd. May 2019 .
  9. ^ a b Jefford 2001, p. 96.
  10. ^ Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum, unpublished archives.
  11. ^ "514 Squadron RAF Waterbeach". Flickr, Rob68. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  12. ^ "Waterbeach Barracks and Airfield, 514 Squadron Reunion at Waterbeach Barracks". Urban&Civic. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Museum's collection is saved". Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum". Retrieved 16 April 2016.

Bibliography

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  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Dison, Harry (2015). Some of the story of 514 Squadron: Lancasters at Waterbeach. Mention The War! Publications. (available from the Museum)
  • Falconer, Jonathan (2003). Bomber Command Handbook, 1939–1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3171-X.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Hamlin, John F.; Merrington, Oliver J. (2011). At the 'Beach: the story of Royal Air Force Waterbeach and Waterbeach Barracks. Peterborough: GMS Enterprises. ISBN 1-904514-63-4.
  • Hepworth, Simon; Porrelli, Andrew (2014). Striking Through Clouds, The War Diary of No. 514 Squadron, RAF. Zug, Switzerland: Mention The War! Publications. ISBN 1495440486.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
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