No. 256 Squadron RAF

Brief History

The squadron was reformed on 23 November 1940 at Catterick, and was equipped with the turret-armed Defiant. It became operational with these aircraft in February 1941, defending south-west England. In March it was moved to RAF Squires Gate, to contribute to the night defence of Liverpool, and in June to Woodvale. In July some Hurricanes appeared, however, neither of these aircraft were particularly effective night fighters, lacking radar, and in May 1942 the first Beaufighters arrived. In October 1941 'A' Flight of No.256 Squadron was used to form the new No. 153 Squadron, which took some of the Defiants.

In April 1943 the squadron moved to the south of England, where it converted to the Mosquito night fighter. A detachment moved to Malta in July to help provide cover for the invasion of Sicily, where it protected the Allied troops against attack by night bombers. The entire squadron had relocated moved to Malta by late October, but while many squadrons then moved to Italy, in April 1944, No.256 Squadron relocated to Algeria.

The squadron moved to Sardinia in August 1944, and then to Italy in September. From here the squadron flew night intruder missions over the Balkans. The squadron moved to Egypt in September 1945, then to Nicosia on Cyprus in July 1946, before being disbanded on 12 Sep 1946.

Squadron personnel

• Roy Joseph Smith 5 Oct 1942 - Feb 1943