No. 22 Squadron RAAF

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No. 22 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force Reserve squadron that provides support for the Permanent Air Force in the Sydney region.

The squadron served in Papua New Guinea, and later followed the Pacific war as far as the Philippines. Of note is the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Flight Lieutenant W.E. Newton. FLTLT Newton, or Bill, as he was called, was a Douglas Boston pilot.

[edit] History

No. 22 Squadron aircrew and ground crew preparing for a sortie in October 1944

No. 22 Squadron was formed in April 1936 at Richmond, NSW. A CAF (Citizen Air Force) Squadron, 22SQN consisted initially of two thirds of the PAF (Permanent Air Force) personnel of No. 3 Squadron. (In real terms this was 24 PAF personnel.) The squadron grew to more than one hundred CAF members.

No. 22 Squadron was mobilised following the outbreak of war and conducted anti-submarine patrols. The Squadron was equipped with A-20 Boston bombers in April 1942 and deployed to New Guinea in October 1942 where it flew in support of the Australian Army. In March 1943 the Squadron played an important role in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. The Squadron conducted operations throughout the South West Pacific Area until the end of the war. No. 22 Squadron returned to Australia at the end of 1945 and was disbanded in mid-1946.

No. 22 Squadron was reformed as a non-flying reserve unit in 1948 and has been located at RAAF Base Richmond since 1953. The Squadron's current role is to support RAAF activities in the Sydney region.

[edit] References

• RAAF Museum No. 22 Squadron
• Royal Australian Air Force No. 22 Squadron official website