Squadron flies through adversity to the stars

This month marks the 95th anniversary of No. 267 Seaplane Squadron, which was stationed in Malta at RAF Kalafrana Throughout its 60-year stay on the island, the Royal Air Force shared with the people of Malta “not only the happiness in peace, but the hardship, tragedy and final victory in war”. That is what Air Commander Malta, Air Commodore H.D. Hall, had written in a souvenir programme published to mark the operational closure of the RAF in Malta in 1978. A ceremony on that occasion included a fly-past by a number of aircraft – including Canberras, Harriers and Jaguars – culminating in a display by the Red Arrows. The origins of the decision to use air power from Malta can be traced to the growing activity of German U-boats in the Mediterranean in 1915. By the end of that year, about 15 German submarines were operating in the Mediterranean and, to counter this threat, it was decided to set up a seaplane base in Malta from where aircraft could be dispatched in search of U-boats. A seaplane shed and a slipway were constructed at Kalafrana and, in June 1917, a dockyard construction unit was set up to assemble aircraft from components sent out from the UK. The RAF Malta Group was...