No. 4 Squadron RAF
| No. IV(R) Squadron | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | September 1912 (RFC) |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Tactical Weapons Training |
| Part of | RAF Air Command |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Valley |
| Motto(s) | In futurum videre (Latin: "To see into the future") |
| Equipment | BAE Hawk T2 |
| Battle honours | Western Front 1914-1918, Mons, Ypres 1917, Somme 1918, France and Low Countries 1939-1940, France and Germany 1944-1945, Normandy 1944, Arnhem, Operation Provide Comfort April, 1993-1996, Iraq 2003 |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | "A sun in splendour divided per bend by a flash of lightning" |
| Squadron roundel |  |
No.4 (Reserve) Squadron (previously known as No. 4 Squadron, sometimes written as No. IV Squadron) of the Royal Air Force operates the BAE Hawk T2 in the training role from RAF Valley, as a part of No. 4 Flying Training School.
No. 4 Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. Operating a miscellaneous mixture of aircraft including early Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s and Breguet biplanes, it quickly moved to Netheravon where it remained until the outbreak of the First World War. The more useful aircraft in its inventory were sent to France under the command of Major G H Rayleigh on 16 August 1914, to carry out reconnaissance in support of the British Expeditionary Force. On 19 August Lieutenant G. W. Mapplebeck flew the squadron's first mission over France, a reconnaissance flight searching for German cavalry in the vicinity of Gembloux, Belgium. Other aircraft remained in England to carry out anti-Zeppelin patrols.
The contingent in France was reinforced on 20 September by the personnel who had remained behind in England, forming C Flight, equipped with Maurice Farman "Shorthorns". It concentrated on the reconnaissance role, standardising on the B.E.2 in 1916. In the Battle of the Somme, 4 Squadron flew contact patrols keeping track of the position of advancing troops at low level, in addition to more regular reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions. It re-equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 in June 1917, in time to take part in the Battle of Messines and the Battle of Passchendaele. It remained equipped with the R.E.8 until the Armistice with Germany on 11 November 1918 ended the fighting. The Squadron returned to the United Kingdom in February 1919, disbanding in September that year.
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