First World War (1915–1918) No. 22 Squadron was formed at
Fort Rowner,
Gosport on from a nucleus of men and equipment provided by
No. 13 Squadron. The squadron trained on a variety of aircraft types, including the
Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2c, the
Maurice Farman Shorthorn, the
Bleriot XI and the
Curtiss JN-3. It received its intended operational type, the
Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b in February 1916, passing fourteen aircraft to
No. 33 Squadron. The squadron moved to France on 1 April 1916, and soon began carrying out
reconnaissance missions over the front lines. in addition to its normal reconnaissance and photography duties in support of the army. One notable casualty during the Somme was
Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas, the former
Liberal politician and cabinet minister, who was wounded when attacked by German fighter aircraft on 3 November 1916, and died of his wounds the same day. in France, July 1918.From July 1917, the squadron started to replace its the FE.2 with faster and more capable
Bristol F.2 Fighters also known as the 'Brisfit', receiving its full complement of eighteen aircraft by 24 August. The squadron was heavily deployed during the
German spring offensive of 1918, and was forced to change bases due to the German advance, and later, as the Allies drove the Germans out of France in the
Hundred Days Offensive, changed bases to keep up with the Allied advances.
Interwar period (1919–1938) The squadron's second incarnation was as one of two test squadrons (the other being
No. 15 Squadron) supporting the
Aeroplane Experimental Establishment at
Martlesham Heath, Suffolk. For ten years following its reformation on 24 July 1923, the squadron was involved in testing new aircraft before they were accepted for service or sold overseas. The two test squadrons were disbanded on 1 May 1934. The squadron reformed again on 1 May 1934 at
RAF Donibristle near
Edinburgh, Scotland in the
torpedo bomber role, flying the
Vickers Vildebeest I biplane. From March 1935, the squadron began to re-equip with the improved Vildebeest III, with a more powerful engine and carrying an observer as a third crew member. In October 1935, as part of Britain's response to the
Abyssinia crisis, the squadron was deployed to Malta, returning to Britain in August 1936 after the threat of war between the United Kingdom and Italy receded. On 14 December 1936, part of the squadron was detached to form
No. 42 Squadron, also equipped with the Vildebeest, while in March 1938, No. 22 Squadron moved south to
RAF Thorney Island in West Sussex.
Second World War (1939–1945) of No. 22 Squadron with an array of
torpedoes at
RAF North Coates in early December 1940. The squadron was still equipped with the Vildebeest when the
Second World War broke out in September 1939, with the squadron carrying out
anti-submarine patrols over the
English Channel. From November 1939, the squadron started to receive
Bristol Beaufort twin-engined
monoplanes to replace its obsolete biplanes. The
Bristol Taurus engines of the Beaufort proved unreliable at first, and the squadron continuing to fly operations with the Vildebeest while converting to the Beaufort. It flew its last operational mission with the Vildebeest on 20 December 1939. The squadron moved to
RAF North Coates in
Lincolnshire on 8 April 1940, flying its first operational sorties from that base on 15 April when nine Beauforts set out to lay
mines off the mouth of the
River Elbe. and a
Westland Whirlwind in the background at
RAF Finningley in 1977 The squadron re-equipped with the
Westland Wessex from June 1976. Its headquarters were at RAF Finningley and it had flights at: • A Flight – RAF Chivenor, Devon • B Flight – RAF Leuchars, Fife • C Flight – RAF Valley, Anglesey • D Flight – RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire • E Flight – RAF Manston, Kent and RAF Coltishall, Norfolk B Flight was disbanded on 1 April 1993 and E Flight disbanded on 21 July 1994. Finally, in the mid-1990s, the squadron received six newly built
Westland Sea King HAR3A to supplement the Sea King HAR3 which replaced the Wessex aircraft with conversion training on the Mk3A being at Chivenor. The squadron headquarters moved from St Mawgan in 1995 to RMB Chivenor but was later in 2004 co-located with the newly built Search and Rescue Force Headquarters at RAF Valley. Detachments of at least two aircraft operated from three stations providing search and rescue cover in those parts of the country; these were: • A Flight –
RMB Chivenor, Devon • B Flight –
RAF Wattisham, Suffolk • C Flight –
RAF Valley, Anglesey A and B Flights operated the Sea King HAR3A. C Flight shared a pool nominally of five Sea King HAR3 aircraft with
No. 203 (Reserve) Squadron, the Sea King operational conversion unit.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge served in the squadron from 2010 to 2013. The squadron featured in the
BBC television documentary
Helicopter Rescue which was broadcast in February 2012. In July 2015, C Flight stood down with A Flight following on 5 October 2015. The squadron performed military search and rescue until it was handed over to the
Maritime & Coastguard Agency and
Bristow Helicopters in October 2015. On 14 May 2020, the Rotary Wing Operational Evaluation and Training Unit was rebadged as No. 22 Squadron, when it reformed at
RAF Benson in
Oxfordshire. It is the
Operational Evaluation Unit for Joint Helicopter Command, which has since been renamed
Joint Aviation Command (JAC). It provides testing and evaluation of the all JAC's helicopters including the
Boeing Chinook,
AgustaWestland Merlin HC4,
Boeing AH-64E Apache and
AgustaWestland Wildcat AH1 and ensures frontline crews have Qualified Warfare Instructors to support them on operations worldwide. The squadron retired the
Westland Puma HC2 from service in March 2025. == Heritage ==