No. 502 Squadron RAF
| No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 15 May 1925 – 25 May 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957 September 2013 - present |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 Royal Auxiliary Air Force
|
| Part of |
RAF Bomber Command (25–38,46) RAF Coastal Command (38–45) RAF Fighter Command (47–57) |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Nihil timeo (Translation: "I fear nothing") |
| Battle honours | Atlantic, 1939–44 Biscay, 1941–44 Channel & North Sea, 1942–45 Dieppe Baltic, 1944–45 These honours are all emblazoned on the squadron standard |
| Commanders | |
| Honorary Air Commodores |
Lord Londonderry Viscount Brookeborough |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A red hand erased The red hand is taken from the arms of Ulster, 502 being the Ulster Auxiliary Squadron. The hand is erased though, instead of couped. |
| Squadron Codes |
KQ (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) YG (Sep 1939 – Feb 1943) V9 (Jun 1944 – May 1945, 1949–1953) RAC (May 1946–1949) |
No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron was a Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron that saw service in World War II.
No. 502 squadron was originally formed on 15 May 1925 as No. 502 (Bomber) Squadron, a Special Reserve squadron at RAF Aldergrove, and it was composed of a mixture of regular and reserve personnel. On 1 December 1925 the name No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron was adopted. The squadron operated in the heavy night bomber role and as such it was initially equipped with Vickers Vimys from June 1925, re-equipping with Handley Page Hyderabads in July 1928. Vickers Virginias arrived in December 1931, but in October 1935 the squadron was transferred to the day bomber role for which it received Westland Wallaces, Hawker Hinds arriving in April 1937. Shortly after this, on 1 July 1937, it was transferred to the Auxiliary Air Force, the Special Reserve being disbanded.
On 28 November 1938, No. 502 (Ulster) Squadron became part of RAF Coastal Command, and was re-equipped with Avro Ansons in January 1939. When war broke out, the squadron was used to fly patrols in the Atlantic off the Irish Coast. From October 1940, the Squadron flew with Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys. It was reported that on 30 November 1941 the squadron became the first Coastal Command unit to make a successful attack on a U-boat with air-to-surface radar, sinking U-Boat U-206 in the Bay of Biscay. This report has been countered with newer information that the U-206 was more probably sunk by the minefield, "Beech," laid there by the British after August 1940, and that the squadron's attack was actually on U-71, which escaped without loss.
In January 1942 the squadron officially moved to both Norfolk (RAF Docking) and Cornwall, where a maintenance station was set up at RAF St Eval. Until 1944 the squadron's main role was to carry anti-submarine patrols. In January 1943 conversion to Halifax GR.Mk.IIs began, the first patrol by this type being flown on 12 March. In addition to anti-submarine patrols, now also attacks on enemy shipping off the French coast were made. In September 1944 with the French coast back in Allied hands, the squadron moved to Scotland at RAF Stornoway to carry out attacks on German shipping off the Norwegian coast, remaining there until the end of the war. It was disbanded on 25 May 1945.
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