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No.236 Sqn RAF Founded : August 1918 Country : UK Fate : Disbanded 25th May 1945 Known Aircraft Codes : FA, MB, ND Speculati nuntiate - Having watched, bring word

No.236 Sqn RAF

No.236 Sqn RAF Artwork Collection Click the images below to view the fantastic artwork we have available to purchase!

RAF North Coates Strike Wing by Robin Smith.

Aircraft for : No.236 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.236 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Squadron	Info
Beaufighter Click the name above to see prints featuring Beaufighter aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1940 Number Built : 5564	Beaufighter BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER The Bristol Beaufighter was a Torpedo Bomber and had a crew of two. with a maximum speed of 330mph and a ceiling of 29,000 feet. maximum normal range of 1500 miles but could be extended to 1750 miles. The Bristol Beaufighter carried four 20mm cannon in the belly of the aircraft and upto six .303in browning machine guns in the wings. it could also carry eight 3 -inch rockets, 1605 lb torpedo or a bomb load of 1,000 lb. The Bristol Beaufighter first flew in July 1939 and with some modifications entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940. In the winter of 1940 - 1941 the Beaufighter was used as a night fighter. and in March 1941 the aircraft was used at Coastal Command as a long range strike aircraft. and in 1941, the Beaufighter arrived in North Africa and used as a forward ground attack aircraft. The Bristol Beaufighter was used also in India, Burma and Australia. A total of 5,564 Beaufighters were built until production in Britain finished in 1945, but a further 364 were built in Australia for the Australian Air Force
Blenheim Click the name above to see prints featuring Blenheim aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol	Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire.
Wellington Click the name above to see prints featuring Wellington aircraft. Manufacturer : Vickers Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1953	Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a Bomber aircraft and also used for maritime reconnaissance. and had a normal crew of six except in the MKV and VI where a crew of three was used. Maximum speed was 235 mph (MK1c) 255 mph (MK III, X) and 299 mph (MK IIII), normal operating range of 1805 miles (except MK III which was 1470miles) The Wellington or Wimpy as it was known, was the major bomber of the Royal Air Force between 1939 and 1943. The Royal Air Force received its first Wellingtons in October 1938 to 99 squadron. and by the outbreak of World war two there were 6 squadrons equipped with the Vickers Wellington. Due to heavy losses on daylight raids, the Wellington became a night bomber and from 1940 was also used as a long range bomber in North Africa. and in 1942 also became a long range bomber for the royal Air Force in India. It was well used by Coastal Command as a U-Boat Hunter. The Wellington remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1953. Probably due to its versatile use, The aircraft was also used for experimental work including the fitting of a pressure cabin for High altitude tests. The Vickers Wellington could sustain major damage and still fly, probably due to its construction of its geodesic structure and practical application of geodesic lines. Designed by Sir Barnes Wallis
Whitley Click the name above to see prints featuring Whitley aircraft. Manufacturer : Armstrong Whitworth	Whitley Full profile not yet available.

Signatures for : No.236 Sqn RAF
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Squadron Leader Pat Fry DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Pat Fry DFC	Squadron Leader Pat Fry DFC Commanding Officer of No.236 Squadron. Flew Beaufighters with the North Coates Strike Wing.
Group Captain A K Gatward DSO, DFC, AE Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Group Captain A K Gatward DSO, DFC, AE Died : 1998	Group Captain A K Gatward DSO, DFC, AE A pre-war RAFVR pilot, Gatward completed his first tour of operations in 1940-41 with 53 Squadron Bomber Command, flying Blenheims. His second tour was to take him into Coastal Command, on Beaufighters, and considerable fame. Gatward and his navigator, Sergeant George Fern, now of 236 Squadron, were selected for a special mission. Shortly before midday on 12th June 1942, they left Thorney Island and set course for Paris where their brief was to beat up the routine daily parade of German occupation troops along the Champs Elysees, dropping two French national flags at the same time. Achieving their objective and strafing the German Maritime HQ in Paris on the way out, they returned home without incident and shortly afterwards Gatward completed his second tour, receiving a DFC for his Paris sortie. In June 1943 he began a third tour as a Flight Commander of the famous No.404 Buffalo Squadron RCAF at Wick, again piloting Beaufighters. Afters 404s CO was lost in action, Gatward took over the Squadron, ending the war with a bar to his DFC and a DSO. He passed away in 1998.
W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope	W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope joined the RAFVR in July 1940 and trained as a WOP/Nav at Blackpool, Yatesbury, Torquay and Staverton, joining 236 Squadron, Coastal Command at Carew Cheriton, S. Wales in October 1941 on Blenheims. After 3 operations, he converted to Beaufighters before moving to Wattisham, where he did 3 operations on Beaufighters over the German Bight. Paddy then transferred to PRU Benson on Mosquitoes in May 1942. He completed 20 more ops with F/O F McKay (N.Z.) before baling out over Belgium in December 1942 after engine failure. After evading for one month, he was captured at the Spanish frontier with Comete Line leader (A deJongh) and held by the Gestapo for questioning, for four months. He was made a P.o.W. in Germany until returning home on 11 May 1945.
Ken Lilly Click the name above to see prints signed by Ken Lilly	Ken Lilly Flew on Beaufighters as a Navigator with No.236 Squadron as part of the North Coates strike wing.
J R Toombs Click the name above to see prints signed by J R Toombs Died : 11 / 12 / 2006	J R Toombs John Richard Jack Toombs flew Blenheims during the Battle of Britain with No.236 Sqn, and also flew with No.264 Sqn and has also flown Defiants. Jack Toombs passed away on 11th December 2006.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC Died : 9 / 1 / 2009	Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC An ex-Cranwell entrant who had graduated in 1937, Wheeler had served in Bomber Command before the war. In 1940 he joined the Photographic Development Unit at Heston pioneering photographic reconnaissance, flying unarmed Spitfires deep into enemy territory. In November 1942 he was just completing his OTU on Beaufighters when the posting arrived to 236 Squadron and the North Coates Wing shortly after its first disastrous strike attack on 28th November 1942. Wheelers review and revision of the tactics involved in Strike Wing attacks, and the intensive training program he introduced, were to prove critical to the success of the whole concept. On 18th April 1943, Wheeler led the North Coates Wing in its first successful attack, on a German convoy off Ijmuiden. Leading the Wing until September 1944, Neil Wheeler went on to hold high command in the post-war RAF. Sadly, Neil Wheeler died on 9th January 2009.
Alex Yates Click the name above to see prints signed by Alex Yates	Alex Yates No.236 Sqn Beaufighter pilot who flew with the North Coates strike wing.

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