No. 58 Squadron, R.F.C., was formed at Cramlington, Northumberland, on 10th January, 1916, as a nucleus flight of No. 36 Home Defence Squadron. It remained with its parent unit until the following June and then became a separate squadron with the role of an advanced training unit.
In December, 1917, the demand for night-bombing squadrons for overseas resulted in No. 58 being mobilised and by the following February it was operating F.E.2b's on the Western Front. It remained on the Western Front until the Armistice and from September, 1918, onwards operated Handley Page 0/400's.
see:http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/squadrons/h58.html
FE 2b © MOD Gallery/gallery1
HP1500 © MOD Gallery/gallery2
In summer 1919 the squadron moved to Egypt, and was taken on the strength of the Training Brigade, Middle East. A number of pilots flew their Handley Pages from France to Egypt, and others returned to England, rejoining the squadron later in the year by air in Vickers Vimy bombers.
In February, 1920, the squadron was re-designated No. 70 Squadron, but it re-formed in England in 1924 as a heavy bomber unit and in the years which followed was mainly engaged in routine training. In 1925 Squadron Leader A. T. Harris (who became A.O.C.-in-C. Bomber Command 1942 - 1945 and then Marshal of the Royal Air Force) took command of the squadron.
see http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/rafplanes/bombers/bombervimy.htm
Photo Vickers Vimy ©
Virginia at Upper Heyford 1936 © The Heyford Observer, May 13, 1967
At the outbreak of the Second World War 58 was flying Whitleys from Yorkshire , and first went into action on the night of 3rd/4th September, 1939, when - in conjunction with No. 51 Squadron - it made a leaflet raid over Germany. This was the first occasion on which R.A.F aircraft penetrated into Germany during the Second World War. A few weeks after this operation No. 58 was ordered to an airfield in South-West England for duty with Coastal Command and until late January, 1940, it was employed on escorting convoys and flying anti-submarine patrols. The squadron returned to Yorkshire in February and from April, 1940 to March, 1942, played a prominent part in the night-bombing offensive. Its targets were of wide variety, from airfields, road and railway communications, marshalling yards and industrial centres, to the Channel Ports, oil and petrol installations and shipping at sea.
Whitley Copyright © MOD
Gallery
In April, 1942, No. 58 Squadron was transferred to Coastal Command and during the remainder of the war, as a general reconnaissance unit (flying Halifaxes from 1943 onwards), took a considerable toll of enemy surface vessels, sank five U-boats and shared in the destruction of two others.
Halifax Copyright © MOD Gallery
On 1 October 1946, No. 58 reformed at Benson as a photographic reconnaissance unit flying Mosquito PR Mk 34 and Anson C Mk 19.
In 1950 the Squadron was reassigned to Bomber Command. One flight of Mosquitos performed military reconnaissance and the other flight, with Ansons, performed survey work. In 1952 long range reconnaissance training began in earnest with Mosquitos PR Mk34A and Mk35 ranging over Europe and the Middle East. Night reconnaissance trials started.
Mosquito PR Mk34 Copyright © MOD
Anson C Mk 19 of 58 Sqn © Crown Copyright
In March 1953 the Squadron moved to Wyton and December saw the arrival of the first Canberra PR3 and conversion to type started. In January 1955 the Canberra PR MK 7 with its long range and great camera capability replaced the PR3. Highlights of this year were a survey of part of Kenya in support of anti-Mau Mau operations and a record making non-stop flght to Aden.
In 1956 some 58 Squadron aircraft and crews provided support to 13 Squadron at Akrotiri before and during the Suez Campaign. It provided the strategic reconnaissance element to Bomber Command and MOD, and undertook intelligence and survey photography, around the globe including North and East Africa, the Middle and Far East, the Carribean and the Pacific.
Canberra PR Mk7 copyright ©
The PR7's undertook high level met recce before the "drops" and photographed the mushroom clouds. It also provided the aircraft which brought dust samples from the cloud back to the UK. This it did in record time - the samples reached AAEE Harwell less than 24 hours after the explosion.
In 1957 the Squadron achieved a reputation of being able to send aircraft and crews at short notice to anywhere in the world - no mean feat for a Squadron with two-man crews. That year the Squadron standard was presented by HRH the Duchess of Gloucester.
UK H-Bomb Xmas Island 1957
copyright © John Clubb and Brian Taylor
Canberra PRMk9
copyright © nick challoner
58 Squadron finally disbanded on 26 July 1976.
Hunter
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