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656 Air Observation Post Squadron, Royal Air Force, was formed at the R.A.F. Station, Westley, on 31 December. 1942, the aircraft arrived in February, 1943, and the Squadron moved to R.A.F. Station, Stapleford Tawney. Training over the next four months involved Manoeuvres with Army units throughout the UK, including Live-shoots on Artillery Ranges.

General Sir Martin Farndale, when Master Gunner always maintained that the correct title for the Squadron in those days was '656 Air Observation Post Squadron RAF/RA'.  As a considerable percentage of the establishment in the early  years were members of the Royal Artillery, including all the Pilots.

The formation of 656 Air O.P. Squadron R.A.F. in January 1943 went very much the same way as the formation of all the other squadrons in this era. It was a matter of collecting together pilots, aircraft, soldiers, airmen and vehicles and turning them into a flying and fighting unit. One had the impression that the soldiers and airmen were a trifle suspicious of each other until they found that they were both exactly the same without their uniform on.  Many friendships quickly developed, and Comradeship has always remained at the highest level. At the beginning of August we were warned to prepare for a Tropical destination.

After about a week of rather unpleasant Atlantic travel we found we were in the Mediterranean and shortly afterwards entered the Suez Canal to be the first convoy through for some time. At Port Tewfiq we transshipped with all our baggage to our new ship. There followed an incredibly unpleasant voyage down the Red Sea and there was great relief when we found ourselves arriving at last at Bombay where the movement staff were very surprised to see us because we had beaten the previous convoy which had gone around the Cape. Needless to say they did not know what to make of this peculiar R.A.F. unit with mixed personnel and we were asked whether we would like to lodge in the Army or R.A.F. transit camps. Enquiries elicited that the R.A.F. camp was more comfortable and so this was the one that we chose and it was certainly more suitable because it had a very nice little airfield at Juhu which is a smart suburb to the north of the city.

One of the first things we discovered on arrival was that the War Office and Air Ministry between them had failed to send us any aircraft and we were also told that we were on our own from the point of view of replacement pilots and everything else in fact we were on the “ Indian economy.” A period of intense activity followed in which we scrounged vehicles, equipment of all sorts and, most important, some Tiger Moths borrowed from the Indian Air Force so that we could get back into the air as quickly as possible.

By the end of the year we had completed our “theatre conversion” including some very useful practice in observation of fire at the School of Artillery at Deolali where we had moved in October. Our oldest pilot, “Daddy” Cross, who had flown with the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, ran a first class jungle camp which accustomed every­one to the problems of living rough in their new environment. Meanwhile there were signs that our Austers were about to arrive and we arranged for one flights-worth to be landed at Bombay while the others were taken to Calcutta in order to save us having to fly them all right across the continent. Our work-up period had undoubtedly been a great success.  In the course of time Daddy Cross was asked by the Squadron Commander to form the Flying Training School at Deolali, which trained Pilots as replacements for our own Squadron.

On 12 January, 1944, the Squadron, less B Flight, who were left behind at Juhu to take part in a sea-borne operation which was later cancelled, left Deolali to join 14 Army on the Arakan front south of Chittagong, at a place called Chota Maungna

The Auster 3's were being uncrated and erected on the Calcutta race course which proved a very suitable location because the rest of that month was a race for the vehicles across India to catch the boat out of Calcutta and a race to get the aircraft into action as quickly as possible. The road party performed wonders in arriving on time to catch the next convoy, some of the vehicles covering 660 miles in 33 hours over the most appalling roads. The Squadron was placed under control of 15 Corps, with A Flight supporting 5 Indian Division and C Flight supporting 7 India Division (the first operational task was an information sortie for 7 Division on 25 January 1944).

C Flight took part in the famous battle of the "Admin Box". The formation of Defended Perimeters at this time was a Strategy, which succeeded in halting the Japanese advance. C Flight had a particularly torrid time, with some of them acting as Infantry.  On 18 February the CO. led eight light ambulance aircraft into the 114 Brigade box and the casualties were evacuated. During this period we had our first and only casualty when Captain Boys was shot down and badly wounded whilst on a reconnaissance flight, his life being saved by the local Burmese who carried him through the Japanese lines to safety.

After this rather spectacular beginning the Arakan Battle settled down to a slogging match while the enemy were winkled out of their well-prepared and heavily defended positions and this period gave pilots a chance to settle down and gain experience of Artillery Observation in the Jungle.   We were also able to night fly because although there were no navigational aids, one flank was on the sea which provided an excellent navigational aid, while the beach provided extensive A.L.G.s. (Advanced Landing Grounds)

It was during this period that we first realised that we were having an effect on Japanese artillery activity, the infantry were convinced that our presence in the air gave them peace to move around above the surface but Capt. Maslen-­Jones also noticed that the Japanese guns did not fire when our aircraft were facing towards them and that the best way of spotting their position was to turn away and look in the rear view mirror which was provided to help spot any hostile aircraft sneaking up on one.

Having failed to break through to India on the Coast, the Japanese Assault next came from Central Burma, with a thrust that would lead to the dreadful Battles at KOHIMA and IMPHAL. Preparations for this entailed B Flight moving to support 4 Corps at Imphal, C Flight and SHQ moving from the Arakan to join 33 Corps at Kohima. A Flight was left to support 15 Corps in the Arakan. It was now General Slims intention to fight on through the Monsoon. During the four weeks before the Monsoon broke, and Flying became impossible for Austers, the Squadron played an important role in preparing for the big Battles ahead.

There were a number of narrow escapes during this period, one of which occurred when Captain Southern set off one morning to land on an outlying strip which had been surrounded by the Japanese who had infiltrated dressed as civilian refugees during the night. Southern landed as was his normal practice and taxied with no undue hurry into the temporary shelter of the splinter pen. He was rather surprised that his ground-crew were not there to welcome him but he wandered over to the telephone which should have connected to H.Q.R.A. and gradually became aware that all was not in order. Tanks of the 3rd Carabiniers started firing into the wood alongside the strip, while grenade discharge and mortar bombs started falling on the strip itself and small arms fire started coming from the wood. Southern dived for the plane, swung its tail around and pushed it onto the strip. Poking his head into the cockpit he flicked the petrol and switches on and in his haste put the throttle ‘setting at about half open. Luck was still with him for the engine fired at once, but being at half throttle the Auster moved off on its own in a hurry. He ducked under the wing and dived in and if the spectators watching from the safety of their slit trenches are to be believed, the aircraft took off with his feet still hanging out of the door He made his get-away untouched with a take-off run parallel to Japanese positions 100 yards away mainly because the strip was just in dead ground to anyone in a prone position on the front edge of the wood.

The Squadron withdrew to Ranchi in India at the end of May. Apart from the monsoon, it was essential that we were able to pause and reflect on our experiences. Also to relax after an intensive period in action, and to refit generally. We also faced the change from Austers Mark 3 to Mark 4. The return flights to India were not all straight forward.  Pilots heading for Ranchi had to contend with Monsoon storm clouds, which would be catastrophic to an Auster.   It was essential to find a way round them. By the end of April the monsoon had burst and there was very little we could do so the Squadron withdrew to Ranchi in India for a refit and a change from the Auster Mark 3 to the Auster Mark 4

It was during our time of re-equipment in Ranchi and our shaking down period with the Auster 4 that the two interesting points about the engine came to light. The engine overheated badly and we had the cases of pistons disintegrating before we discovered that the engine cowling had been wrongly designed and required a simple modification entailing the use of a pair of tin-snips to increase the airflow available for cooling.

The return to action after the monsoon involved C Flight moving to the Arakan in support of 15 Corps. The rest of the Squadron joined 14th Army HQ at Imphal, with B Flight supporting 4 Corps and A Flight 33 Corps. It was in this situation that the Squadron went on to take part in all the major Battles that led to the Fall of Rangoon, and the defeat of the Japanese in July 1945.

C Flight were starting their island hopping down the coast. Their most noteworthy exploit was the capture of Akyab Island which had been heavily defended by the Japanese and which it was planned to recapture by a major combined operation including bombardment by a considerable force of land based artillery, one 15 inch gun battleship, three 6 inch gun cruisers, six destroyers, 48 Mitch­ell bombers, 72 Thunderbolts, 36 Hurribombers, 48 Beaufighters, 12 Lightnings, 12 Liberators, and two dozen Spitfires. Forty-eight hours before the assault was due it was discovered from observation by Air O.P. pilots that the enemy had left and the local inhabitants were waving white flags and had cleared an area to land on the main airstrip. Captain Jarrett was asked to go and see if any of the local inhabitants, who were known to be pro-British, were in the target area and on landing he found them busy making haystacks and in a very cheerful state of mind because they said the Japanese had finally gone. Having reported to Corps Headquarters he was somewhat bewildered by the statement that the assault must take place as planned and because he had some suspicion that his evidence was doubted he returned to Akyab to collect the Headman and took his batman, Gunner Carter, with him to help control the crowd. On landing and being wished a happy New Year, for it was the 1st  January, 1945, he called for the Headman and about ten rushed forward and tried to get into the Auster at once. The result was quite considerable damage to the fabric and at least one foot through the tail-plane of the machine. Finally he selected the largest, toughest and noisiest headman, who also sported a smart blue blazer with a magnificent gold crest and Gunner Carter was left as Military Governor of the Island. The Headman, late of Rangoon University, was interrogated at Corps Headquarters and as a result it was agreed that the landing should go on as an exercise with fire “at call” only, but it was not until H minus 1 when Captain Boyd made contact over the R/T with the bombarding fleet twenty miles out at sea that the naval bombardment was withheld and even then he had the greatest of difficulty in persuading them not to fire. The landing went smoothly and the movie cameraman had a field day taking impressive shots of commandos storming up the beach and when everyone was firmly established General Christison Commanding 15 Corps, landed in an L.5 and took over the Military Governorship from Gunner Carter.

The Auster Mark 5 became available to 656 Squadron early in 1945. The first one was collected by the Squadron Commander from 134 R&S Unit at Comilla,and delivered to C Flight The Squadron was now operating with 3 different Marks of Auster.

“C Flight’s last act in the Burma campaign was to take part in the sea-borne assault on Rangoon. The rest of the Squadron, after the Battles of the Irrawaddy crossings, in which both A and B Flights were fully extended for nearly 3 months, continued South towards Rangoon. The Japanese were intent on escaping East, over the Sittang River, and into Thailand. A and B Flights were involved in mopping up operations to prevent them from doing so.

With the arrival of the monsoon of 1945, the whole Squadron now assembled at Rangoon's Mingladon on Airfield, to prepare for the return to India.

For a personal account of the Burma campaign read ‘Fire by Order’ by Ted Maslen-Jones (Signed Copies available from the Association Book Shop.)

On arriving back in India the Squadron Commander discovered that the accommodation that had been provided was totally inadequate, with no facilities of any kind that would be needed in order to refit both Men and Aircraft for the next operation. After an urgent search, valuable help came from the Royal New Zealand Air Service at Coimbatore. They made it possible, in the course of a hectic 3 weeks for the Squadron to be ready to take part in Operation Zipper. This was to be a full scale opposed seaborne invasion of Malaya. We set out with the aircraft being loaded onto Carriers in Ceylon, and ground parties sailing in LST's with the vehicles that had been waterproofed in Bombay and Madras. On the day that we sailed the Japanese surrendered. Operation Zipper continued as planned. The landings however, which took place between Port Dickson and Port Swettenham, occurred without our being sure whether they would be hostile or not.

In the event the landings themselves were a shambles. No account had been taken of tide conditions, or of the mangrove swamps. Much of the transport was overcome by the tide, units became dispersed, and it was several weeks before the Squadron came together at Kuala Lumpur. Initially the Golf Course was used as our Airfield, with HQ and general quarters nearby in Bukit Bintang Road. During the period when the Squadron was dispersed several members were involved in disarming the Japanese. This included the OC himself who first landed at Port Dickson, where a group of Japanese tried to surrender to him.

656 Squadron had started life with an impressive War record, which was the result of the highest level of commitment, and cooperation by all its members. In two years of operations in Burma it collected 2 MBEs 2 MCs and 9 DFCs, plus many Mentions in Despatches. This level of duty has been maintained over the years, wherever the Squadron has been called into action. At this point in the History of 656 Squadron it would be appropriate to include an extract from the final monthly report made by the Squadron Commander at the end of the Burma Campaign.

Major Denis Coyle M.B.E.   D.F.C.  RA (later Brigadier) was moved to write:-  
"The Squadron has undertaken the work of three for the last two years. For prolonged periods we have operated above maximum effort, and this at periods when Flights moved frequently, in order to keep in touch with the Army Formations with whom they worked. This reflects great credit on Pilots and Ground Crews alike. Elsewhere during WW2, it is normal for 1 Air OP Squadron to support a Corps of 3 Divisions. In supporting the whole of the 14th Army on our own, we have effectively been reduced to just 1 Flight to a Corps of 3 Divisions. Hence each of our Sections (1 pilot 1 aircraft and 4 men) was allocated a Division to itself!"

(Acknowledgement to E.W. Maslen-Jones  M.C.  D.F.C. for Editing to this point in our History)

On 14 September, 1945, the Squadron flew in the victory parade at Kuala Lumpur. Squadron Headquarters were then located at Kuala Lumpur with flights at Kuala Trengganu, Ipoh, and at Sourabaya in Java. B and C Flights worked in Malaya for the rest of the year opening up the country whilst A Flight continued to operate against the Indonesians. In January, 1946, the rest of the Squadron moved to Java, Squadron Headquarters being located at Batavia, with A Flight at Sourabaya, B at Semerang, and C at Bandoeng. As there was no H.Q.R.A. the Flights worked directly with the Brigades. Squadron Headquarters themselves gave air support in April, 1946, to 37 Brigade operations in the neighbourhood of Buitenzorg. The scale of operations in the Netherlands East Indies after the cease-fire in the Far East was deliberately played down for political reasons.

The Squadron had moved into Java and Sumatra and at the end of May, 1946, hostilities were in full swing. The Squadron task set a pattern that continued for over 20 years in the Far East, only the priorities changing. Our main tasks were Air O.P.—in support of Kampong clearing operations with the guns of the Devon and Dorset Yeomanry and of the Dutch ‘U’ Brigade. Visual recce—in support of clearing operations, general information of terrorist movement or training. Cover for the main road convoys to prevent ambush, etc. Photo recce—this assumed great importance, as the R.A.F. were not able to complete their P.R. cover of strategic targets, owing to lack of spares for their P.R. Spitfires. The Squadron took over the completion of 4,500 pinpoint oblique's within a target time of three months and before the monsoon broke.

Some of these pinpoints involved a round flight of 450 miles and this was accomplished by the Squadron Engineer Officer fitting a second tank behind the pilot with a manual rotary pump in between the seats to effect the fuel transfer ; this arrangement gave the aircraft a safe five hours endurance with a bit to spare. Captain Tommy Tommis and Mike Cubbage were the two officers who took on this task and completed it before the monsoon broke, much to the amazement of our Air Force Headquarters, as the task was given us rather tongue in cheek. One Auster we fitted with a light-series bomb rack, and only lack of 20-lb. G.P. fragmentation bombs prevented the “Auster Cloth Bomber Mk IV” from going into action before we left Java.

In November, 1946, we reluctantly handed over our commitment to the Dutch and by mid-December the Squadron was again concentrated at Kuala Lumpur, shortly to hear of the disbandment of 656 and the formation of 1914 Independent Air O.P. Flight.

1948 the Squadron reformed in Malaya . The outbreak of the Malayan Emergency caused the Squadron to be hastily re-formed at Sembawang with a Squadron Head­quarters and four Air Observation Post Flights—l902 – 1907 - 1911 and 1914. New pilots were now beginning to appear wearing all manner of hat badges and ranks.   In the 50's the servicing of the aircraft was being moved from RAF responsibility to REME, and during this interim period there was a large secondment of Royal Naval personnel from CPO's to LAMs.  (Some transferring to REME to get a better promotion opportunity)

Senior Ranks of the newly formed Sergeants Mess at Noble Field, 1960.  
Note the selection of hats and badges !

The Flights were sent out to small airstrips on their own near (and sometimes not so near) towns. It would be impossible to name them all, but Seremban, Taiping, Ipoh, Johore Bahru, Kota Bahru, Kuala Trengganu, Benta, Temerloh and Gemas will be familiar to all who have at one time or another been there. In April 1950 Squadron Headquarters moved up to Noble Field, Kuala Lumpur.

Auster WJ356 at Noble Field

The Squadron was to play a significant roll in Malaya against the Chinese terrorists, supporting not only the guns, but also foot patrols, and making leaflet drops. To see though the jungle canopy was a difficult technique to learn, but needed to look for terrorist camps. Aircraft of all services that crashed into the jungle were often never seen again or at best found many years later. (see Roll of Honour). Navigation was difficult, with endless miles of jungle canopy stretching to every horizon, showing no useful features, and using only a map and dead reckoning.   In 1960 the Squadron celebrated flying 150,000 hours in Theatre, an achievement yet to be equalled in the Air Corps anywhere. 1953 - 1903 Flight was detached to Korea, and became an independent flight, whilst its members still consider themselves as a part of 656 Squadron

Unlike the previous operations of the Squadron, the Malayan Emergency was not a plain advance or retreat which could be followed in detail but a guerilla jungle war fought largely out of sight of the outside world, where there were very few safe areas and no front line. The pattern of operations remained virtually unchanged during the entire campaign. The Squadron assisted in nearly every job that could be thought of—target marking, supply dropping, all types of reconnaissance, and even defoliation (until it was ceased due to the hazard to the air­craft by the weight of the equipment). The major task was the observation by the pilots of fixed areas for signs of cultivation or of unnatural movement. Despite the unit title of the Squadron, Malaya is not ideal country for gunnery, and very little artillery air Observation Post work was done.

KOREAN WAR

1951 brought the Korean War, and a Flight from U.K. and one from Hong Kong (1903 and 1913) went there to support
1 Commonwealth Division. All reinforcements were provided from the Squadron, and many pilots went to Korea for a change of air before returning to complete their tour.

Gerry Joyce & Ken Murray – Pacific Stars & Stripes report 1953.

With RAAF 77 SQDN, Mar. 18 - Two Young men met for the first time a few days ago on a muddy airstrip a few thousand yards from the Korean front and discussed flying against the enemy.  They knew their subject well - between them they have flown more than 600 missions in Korea .

Pilot officer Ken (Black) Murray the man who has flown more jet combat missions than any other in the world - at least on this side of the iron curtain - was one of the talkers, and the other was Gerry Joyce, a light-plane spotter for the Royal Artillery.

Murray has 333 missions in 600 mile-an-hour Meteor jet fighters of this wing and Joyce has made 304 in light, unarmed Auster aircraft, capable of about 100 miles an hour.

Both men are 27 and both have voluntarily flown beyond the normal tours of duty.   Murray has just completed his second tour in Korea, and Joyce is in his 17th consecutive month - five more than the normal 12 month tour for spotters. Joyce has flown 580 hours over the enemy battle lines, directing United Nations big guns onto Red targets, sometimes directing as many as six batteries against different targets at the same time.

1953 was the year in which on 30 October the 50,000th hour of operational flying was flown in Malaya. By this time 1911 Flight had become a Liaison Flight, staffed by officers of all arms seconded to the Glider Pilot Regiment, with Glider Pilot Regiment non-technical ground-crew but with Royal Air Force technicians like the remainder of the Flights. In 1956, one of the main events of the year was Sgt. K. G. McConnell’s return after crashing in the jungle after 21 days on his own. He had survived entirely on what he had with him and the jungle itself—even to this day he is still quoted as an example to the Jungle Warfare School.

1957 found the change-over from R.A.F. to Army Air Corps. The R.A.F. were all slowly with­drawn and replaced by the newly trained members of R.E.M.E., and a, few ordinary airmen were replaced by soldiers. The Squadron, by now called 656 Air Observation Post/Light Liaison Squadron, shook itself and emerged as 656 Light Aircraft Squadron Army Air Corps, with four Flights—2 Recce, 7 Recce, 11 Liaison and 14 Liaison— and for the first time a Light Aircraft Squadron Workshops R.E.M.E. Dispersal was still the order of the day and small formation parades were held in various locations.

1958 and 1959 were ordinary years, during which the Squadron carried out its duties in support of absolutely everybody. A large celebration was held, however, on 28 February 1959 , to mark the 150,000th hour of operational flying, believed to be a world record for any one unit. The Squadron was presented with a ceremonial kris by the Director of Operations, Lt. Gen. Dato F.H. Brooke, on behalf of the Federal Government, and a kukri by G.O.C. 17 Gurkha Division/O.C.L.F.

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In July - August 1962, the Squadron concentrated at Kluang, and for the first time Squadron Headquarters and the live Flights were all located at the same place. The peace of the Squadron, however, was rudely shattered by the uprising on 8th December in Brunei and a detachment of 7 & 14 Flight were sent in support of the hastily dispatched force.

By now the advent of the helicopter and the principle of integration of aircraft into units began to have its effect and the fleet increased twofold with many teething troubles. A.A.C. flights were equipped with the Scout at great speed. By now it is well known what the effects of introducing this unreliable and untried aircraft into an operational theatre were - it says a lot for the pilots and ground crews that so much flying time was in fact achieved. The tragic loss of W.O. II W. J. Hutchings. A.A.C. and Capt. D. B,deV. Jacot de Boinod, of the Guards in June 1964, due to a technical failure did much to spur efforts to improve the Scout.

The title of 656 Squadron A.A.C., and virtually nothing else moved up to 17 Division at Seremban, and continues to keep the name of the 656 Squadron alive until the title shall be called for again.

This section will be enlarged as research continues:
Since the 1970’s the Squadron reformed in UK and saw service in Rhodesia, the Falklands war and in 2006 Afghanistan.

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updated 17th June 2010