| No. 116 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active |
(RFC) 1 December 1917 - 20 November 1918 (RAF) 17 February 1941 to 26 May 1945 1 August 1952 - 21 August 1958. |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 Royal Air Force |
| Role | Bomber Command and Anti-Aircraft Calibration |
| Motto(s) | Precision in Defence |
| Aircraft |
Lysander Hawker Hurricane Tiger Moth Avro Anson Airspeed Oxford Vickers Varsity Avro Lincoln |
| Battle honours |
• World War I 1917-1918 •World War II • Home Defence, 1941-1945 |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | In front of a flash of lightning, a pair of dividers. |
| Squadron Codes |
ZD (Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939) II (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939) |
No. 116 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, was formed on 1 December 1917 at Andover and was intended to become a night bomber unit but the end of the war resulted in the Squadron's disbandment on 20 November 1918.
The Squadron reformed at Hatfield on 17 February 1941 from No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Calibration Flight with Westland Lysanders. Its main task was the calibration of predictors and AA radar used by numerous AA batteries in the UK. Due to the wide dispersal of these batteries, No. 116 was fragmented into numerous detachments based at convenient airfields. In November 1941 some Hawker Hurricanes were received for simulating dive-bombing and low-level attacks and in June 1942, de Havilland Tiger Moths were allotted for use in AA radar alignment checks. Airspeed Oxfords began to replace the Lysanders and were later supplemented by Avro Ansons. These were used for the rest of the war, the Squadron disbanding on 26 May 1945.
On 1 August 1952, the Squadron reformed at Watton from the Calibration Squadron of the Central Signals Establishment. It flew Vickers Varsities, Avro Lincolns and Ansons until renumbered 115 Squadron on 21 August 1958.
The original article can be found at No. 116 Squadron RAF and the edit history here.