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No 49 Squadron was formed at Dover on 15
April 1916 under the command of
Major A S Barratt and spent its first 18 months as an aircrew training unit equipped
with BE2cs and RE7s. In November 1917 the Squadron was re-equipped with DH4s and
moved to La Belle Vue aerodrome in France. Here the Squadron was employed in the
day-bomber role as part of the 3rd (Army) Wing, its first raid being made on
26 November 1917. Later the squadron took part in the Battle of Cambrai, attacking
enemy supply and communications centres. In April 1918 the Squadron
re-equipped with DH9s and continued high and low-level bombing until the end of the war. After the
Armistice the Squadron moved to Bickendorf as part of the Army of Occupation and
disbanded there on 18 July 1919. According to its records, No 49 Squadron
destroyed 56 enemy aircraft, drove down another 63 out of control,
dropped a total of 120 tons of bombs
and operated from 10 airfields in FRANCE during the 1914-18 war.
On 10 February 1936 No 49 Squadron re-formed at Bircham Newton from a nucleus
provided by 'C' Flight of No 18 Squadron. It was equipped with Hawker Hind light
bombers and initially commanded by FIt Lt J C Cunningham. It moved to Worthy Down in August 1936 where its official
badge, depicting a racing greyhound surmounting the motto 'CAVE CANEM' (Beware of the Dog), was presented on 14
June1937. At first sight the badge seems inappropriate for a bomber squadron but it is in fact indicative of the performance of the Hawker Hind when compared with its
contemporaries. A move to Scampton in March 1938 was followed by conversion to the Handley Page Hampden, No 49
Squadron being the first unit
to be equipped with the type.
During the opening months of World War 2 the Squadron was employed mainly on
reconnaissance, mine-laying and leaflet-dropping. On 11 May 1940 bombing attacks on
Germany began, the oil refineries at Munchen Gladbach being attacked. On 12 August
1940 a most successful low-level attack on the Dortmund-EMS Canal was pressed home.
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