No. 48 Squadron RAF
| No. 48 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 15 April 1916 – 1 April 1920 25 November 1935 – 7 January 1976 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Forte et fidele ("By strength and faithfulness") |
| Battle honours | Western Front, 1917-18: Arras: Channel & North Sea, 1939-40: Dunkirk: Atlantic, 1941-42: Mediterranean, 1943: Arnhem: Rhine: All honours are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Keith Park |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | On an equilateral triangle, a Petrel's head erased |
| Squadron codes |
ZW Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939 OY Sep 1939 - Dec 1942 I2 Feb 1944 - Jan 1946 |
No. 48 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars.
No. 48 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Netheravon, Wiltshire, on 15 April 1916. The squadron was posted to France in March 1917 and became the first fighter squadron to be equipped with the Bristol Fighter. One of the squadron's commanders was Keith Park, then a Major, who later led No. 11 Group of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain as an Air Vice Marshal. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force when the Royal Flying Corps merged with the Royal Naval Air Service in 1918. It moved by sea to India during May/June 1919, being based at Quetta. On 1 April 1920 the squadron was disbanded by renumbering it to No. 5 Squadron.
The squadron had 32 aces serve in it. Besides Park, they included: Fred Holliday, John Letts, Brian Edmund Baker, Harold Anthony Oaks, Leonard A. Payne, Robert Dodds, John Theobald Milne, Charles Napier, Frank Ransley, Alan Wilkinson, Thomas Percy Middleton, William Price, future Air Marshal Charles Steele, Norman Craig Millman, Thomas G. Rae, Owen Scholte, Roger Hay, Norman Roberts,Joseph Michael John Moore,Arthur Noss and Maurice Benjamin.
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