No. 353 Squadron RAF

No. 353 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron, active during World War II carrying out maritime patrol and transport tasks.

No. 353 Squadron RAF
Official Squadron crest for no. 353 Squadron RAF
Active	1 June 1942 – 1 October 1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Part of	No. 221 Group RAF, Air Command, South East Asia[1] No. 229 Group RAF, ACSEA[2]
Motto(s)	Fear naught in unity[3][4]
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A Bengal Tiger rampant[3][4]
Squadron Codes	No identity markings are known to have been carried[3]

History

No. 353 Squadron was formed on 1 June 1942 at RAF Dum Dum, British India from 62 Squadron RAF and 103 (Coast Defence) Flight, Indian Air Force. The squadron was engaged in coastal patrols over the Bay of Bengal equipped with Lockheed Hudson, an American a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft. In August 1943 the squadron moved to Palam and was assigned to transport duties. From 1944 onwards the squadron re-equipped with Douglas Dakota, an American military transport aircraft and also operated a number of Avro Anson, a British twin-engine multi-role aircraft, which were replaced with Beech Expeditor twin-engine light aircraft in January 1945. The squadron became fully Dakota equipped by April 1945, but disbanded at RAF Mauripur on 1 October 1946.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no 353 Squadron RAF, data from^[3][4][5]

From	To	Aircraft	Version
June 1942	October 1944	Lockheed Hudson	Mk.III
October 1944	October 1944	Lockheed Hudson	Mk.VI
April 1944	September 1945	Douglas Dakota	Mk.I
April 1944	October 1946	Douglas Dakota	Mks.III, IV
August 1944	January 1945	Avro Anson	Mks.I, X, XII
November 1944	March 1945	Vickers Warwick	Mk.III
January 1945	July 1945	Beechcraft Expeditor	Mk.II

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no 353 Squadron RAF, data from^[3][4][5][6]

From	To	Base	Remark
1 June 1942	24 February 1943	RAF Dum Dum, Bengal	Det. at RAF Cuttack, Orissa
24 February 1943	2 April 1943	RAF Dhubalia, Bengal	Det. at RAF Jessore, Bengal
2 April 1943	24 August 1943	RAF Tanjore, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu	Det. at St Thomas Mount, Madras, Tamil Nadu
24 August 1943	1 May 1946	RAF Palam, Delhi	Dets. at Dum Dum (renumbered to 52 Squadron on 1 July 1944) and Jiwani, Balochistan
1 May 1946	1 October 1946	RAF Mauripur, Sindh	Disbanded here

Commanding officers

Officers commanding no. 353 Squadron RAF, data from^[3]

From	To	Name
1 June 1942	1 July 1944	W/Cdr. L.G.W. Lilly
1 July 1944	February 1945	W/Cdr. C.E. Slee, MVO, AFC
February 1945	March 1945	S/Ldr. F.M. Biddulph
March 1945	October 1945	W/cdr. A.M. Harding, DFC
October 1945	1 October 1946	W/Cdr. P.B. Wood

References

Notes

1. Delve 1994, p. 68.
2. Delve 1994, pp. 77, 84.
3. Rawlings 1982, p. 203.
4. Halley 1988, p. 383.
5. Jefford 2001, p. 90.
6. Jefford 2001, pp. 266–271.

Bibliography

• Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
• Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.

External links

• Squadron history on (old) MOD site
• Squadron history on (new) MOD site
• Squadron histories for nos. 353–361 squadron on "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation"