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| Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
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Aviation Art Prints  Countries UK Squadron Index More Squadrons Squadrons 61 to 87  No.87 Sqn |
[UP] - No.61 Sqn - No.62 Sqn - No.65 Sqn - No.66 Sqn - No.68 Sqn - No.69 Sqn - No.70 Sqn - No.71 Sqn - No.72 Sqn - No.73 Sqn - No.74 Sqn - No.75 Sqn RAAF - No.76 Sqn - No.76 Sqn RAAF - No.77 Sqn RAAF - No.78 Sqn - No.79 Sqn - No.80 Sqn - No.81 Sqn - No.83 Sqn - No.84 Sqn - No.87 Sqn |
No.87 Sqn
Country : UK
Founded : 1st September 1917
Disbanded 3rd January 1961
Codes : , LK, PD,
Maximus me metuit - The most powerful fear me
No. 87 Squadron was formed from a major part of D Squadron of the Central Flying School at Upavon on 1st September 1917. In April 1918, 87 Squadron was equipped with Dolphins when it was sent to France to fly in fighter and ground attack operations. This the squadron did to the end of the Great War, returning back to the UK in February 1919, and was disbanding on 24th June 1919.
87 Squadron was reformed on 15th March 1937 at Tangmere and was equipped with Hawker Furies until being re-equipped with the Gloster Gladiator in June when the squadron was based at Debden. In July 1938, 87 Squadron was again re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes and with the outbreak of World War Two the squadron was moved to France as part of the Air Force supporting the British Expeditionary Force. 87 Squadron supplied air support to the troops on the Northern Front until their airfields were overrun by the German forces. The squadron was then moved to Yorkshire, moving again to south-west England in July for defence roles both day and night. The squadron was mainly used in a night fighter role during the Battle of Britain and remained mainly in that role until the end of 1942, while also beginning intruder missions in March 1941. The squadron was then moved to Gibraltar In November 1942 as part of the build up for the invasion of North Africa, remaining there until September 1943 when the squadron again moved to Sicily. In January 1944, the squadrons main role was to patrol over the Balkans form their base in Italy. In August 1944, the squadron returned to night duties performing fighter-bomber missions and in this role 87 squadron remained until the end of the war. On 30th December 1946, the squadron was disbanded.
No.87 reformed on 1st January 1952 at Wahn as a night-fighter squadron in Germany, initially operating the Meteor jet fighter but by the end of 1957 the Meteor was replaced with the Javelin until the squadron was finally disbanded in January 1961.
Pilots of 87 Sqn c.1941. Second from the right is P/O G. L. Roscoe.
Many thanks to Flight Lieutenant Alex Thom DFC who supplied this photo.
| No.87 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Hurricane Heroes by Nicolas Trudgian. Hurricanes of 87 Squadron return to their West Country base after repelling attacks by Luftwaffe bombers on nearby aircraft factories, August 1940. Flight Lieutenant Ian Gleeds Hurricane, in which he scored 20 victories, leads the Squadron pilots back to base to refuel, re-arm, and get airborne without delay. Published 2000. Signed by three famous Hurricane pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain. These are three fantastic rare signatures to have on one art print and sadly all three have since passed away. |
Guardian Angels by Ivan Berryman. Flt Lt Alex Thom in his Spitfire MkVc LK-P of 87 Squadron escorting a convoy with his wingman. |
An Early Bath by Ivan Berryman. In the early evening of the 18th of July 1941, following coastguard reports of an enemy aircraft in their vicinity, two Hurricanes of 87 Sqn on detachment at the Airfield at St Mary's, Scilly Isles were scrambled to an area some 30 miles south west of the Scilly Isles where they intercepted a lone Heinkel He111. Alex Thom was the first to attack, his windscreen being sprayed with oil as his rounds tore into the Heinkel's starboard engine. Breaking away, his wingman F/O Roscoe now took over the chase, but the German bomber was already mortally wounded and was observed to alight onto the sea where upon the crew immediately took to their life raft as the Heinkel began to sink beneath the waves just minutes later, Thom circled overhead until he saw the motor launch arrive to pick up the German aircrew before returning back to St Mary's. |
Vital Force by Richard Taylor. For perhaps the sixth time today, profoundly outnumbered, the RAFs young fighter pilots will intercept yet another Luftwaffe force as the evil raiders invade their beloved airspace. It is August 1940, and the Battle of Britain is raging towards its ferocious climax over southern England. The sturdy Hawker Hurricane MkIs, bearing the brunt of all the combat flying during the Battle, will account for no fewer than four fifths of the air victories achieved by RAF fighter pilots. The simplicity of its construction enabled the Hurricane to survive heavy punishment in combat, at the same time providing its pilots with a reliable and stable gun platform. Beautiful, distinctive, tough and aggressive, this remarkable fighter, together with its courageous young pilots, earned the undying gratitude of a nation on the verge of defeat and ultimately, an unrivalled position in the annals of air warfare. |
Strafing Run by David Pentland. Flt Lt Alex Thom DFC of No. 87 Sqn strafes an enemy convoy in Hurricane LK-A during his second mission of the day to Dieppe on 19th August 1942. |
Front Line Hurricanes by Robert Taylor. Based at a temporary formed airfield at Lille Marc, Hurricanes of No. 87 Squadron - showing the strains of battle - taxi in from a skirmish during heavy fighting in the Battle of France, May 1940. |
A Welcome Shore by Ivan Berryman. Hurricane LK-M of No.87 Squadron piloted by Flt Lt Alex Thom DFC limps over the south coast of England on 19th August 1942. While supporting troops on the ground at Dieppe, the Hurricane was hit by ground fire and lost oil pressure. Alex Thom got the damaged aircraft back to Britain, making a forced landing at East Den. Ferried back to 87 Sqns airfield, he immediately set off once more for Dieppe in Hurricane LK-A. |
Operation Jubilee by David Pentland. (P) Flt Lt Alex Thom DFC of No. 87 Sqn in his Hurricane (LK-M) encounters heavy ground fire on a mission over the Allied raid on Dieppe on 19th August 1942. |
Down and Out by Ivan Berryman. In the evening of 18th of July 1941, Alex Thom took off in his No.87 Sqn Hurricane to intercept an enemy aircraft, spotted off the Scilly Isles. Attacking the enemy Heinkel He111 at an altitude of 1000 feet, his windscreen became covered in oil from the damaged machine. His wingman F/O Roscoe then also made an attack on the Heinkel, and it descended to sea level, eventually crash landing on the surface. Thom circled the downed aircraft as the crew hastily took to their dinghy before the Heinkel sank. |
Winter Combat by Richard Taylor. The Hurricane was the RAF's first fighter capable of flying at over 300mph and proved to be one of the most rugged fighters in the history of combat aviation. Hurricanes fought with distinction in the Battle of France and, during the Battle of Britain, shot down more enemy aircraft than its famous counterpart, the Spitfire. Richard Taylor's superb painting hints at the bitter fighting that lies ahead. A few months ago they had been fighting for their lives during the Battle of Britain but for now the snow-clad tranquility of an English winter brings a brief, but welcome, relief for the Mk.1 Hurricane pilots of 87 Squadron. |
Tribute to Flt Lt Ian R Gleed by Ivan Berryman. Flight Lieutenant Ian Widge Gleed is depicted in his personal Hurricane 1 P2798 (LK-A) of 87 Sqn shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf.110 on 15th August 1940. Just visible beneath the cockpit of the Hurricane is his mascot, Figaro, shown kicking a swastika. His aircraft was also easily identifiable by the red flash on its nose, a feature that was retained even when P2798 was painted all black for its night fighter role. Gleed scored many victories before being shot down and killed whilst flying a Spitfire Vc in the Western Desert in April 1943. |
Late Arrival by Robert Taylor. A lone Hurricane of 87 Squadron returns to base at Exeter, at the end of a grueling day of combat during late August 1940. |
Taxi Service by David Pentland. Flt Lt Alex Thom DFC of No. 87 Sqn is ferried back to the airfield of No.87 Sqn in a Master aircraft on 19th August 1942 after his Hurricane made a forced landing at East Den. |
Danger Over Dieppe by David Pentland. While on an early morning sortie over Dieppe to support the allied landing Operation Jubilee, the Hawker Hurricane IIc of Alex Thom sustained flak damage to its engine. Despite a severe oil leak he nursed his aircraft safely back to England where he made a successful forced landing. |
| Aces for : No.87 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Geoffrey Allard | 23.80 | |
| William Dennis David | 20.00 | The signature of William Dennis David features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
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