No. 216 Squadron

No. 216 Squadron RAF was formed on 1 April 1918 from its predecessor Royal Naval Air Service unit and spent the entire inter-war period based in Egypt, operating as a bomber-transport squadron across the Middle East. When the Second World War began the squadron was stationed at Heliopolis, equipped with Vickers Valentias and Bristol Bombays, and initially flew night bombing raids against Axis targets in Libya including Tobruk and El Adem. By 1941 the bombing role was handed to dedicated units and 216 became a pure transport squadron, evacuating the Greek Royal Family and Allied troops from Greece and Crete, flying supplies into besieged Tobruk and Habbaniya, and supporting SAS and special operations across the desert theatre. Operating under No. 216 Group within RAF Middle East and later Mediterranean Air Command, the squadron re-equipped with Lockheed Hudsons and then Douglas Dakotas, extending its reach from Cairo West across Africa and into Burma, where a detachment at Agartala in 1944 dropped over 600 tons of supplies and evacuated hundreds of casualties in support of Chindit operations. The squadron’s motto, “CCXVI dona ferens” — “216 bearing gifts” — reflected its long identity as a provider of transport and logistical support wherever the RAF operated.