No. 5 Wing RAF

In November 1915 the 5th Wing, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel W. G. H. Salmond, arrived in the Middle East. At this time it consisted of No. 14 Squadron, No. 17 Squadron and an aircraft park.[2][3] Between June 1916 and October 1917, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps – which was known as 67 Squadron in British military circles (to avoid confusion with similarly named RFC and RNAS units) – was also part of the wing.

In February 1916, 5th Wing HQ was at Ismailia, with auxiliary aerodromes for Nos 14 and 17 Squadrons (flying mostly BE2c aircraft) at Heliopolis, El Qantara and Suez. X Aircraft Park for repair and supply was at Abbasia. Unusually, the Qantara flight of No. 14 Sqn was made self-sufficient by being given 80 camels to transport petrol, and a number of sand carts for hauling tents and aircraft spares.[4]

At the opening of the Second Battle of Gaza (19 April 1917), 5th Wing was disposed as follows:[5]

BE2cs at Ismailia aerodrome.

• Wing HQ at Rafah
• Advanced HQ at Deir al-Balah
• No 14 Sqn, HQ and A Flight at Rafah
  • B Flight at Deir el Balah
• No 67 Sqn, AFC, at Rafah
• X Aircraft Park at Abbasia
• Advanced Aircraft Park at El Qantara

The wing had 25 aircraft at its disposal: 17 BE2s and 8 Martinsydes. A further 5 aircraft were detached to Arabia. Although the Martinsydes were the best fighting machines available, they were prone to overheating in the hot climate, and were inferior to the two German Halberstadts that had caused several casualties during the First Battle of Gaza.

In October 1917, before the Third Battle of Gaza, 5th Wing consisted of Nos 14 (16 BE2e) and 113 Sqn (8 BE2e, 5 RE8) and was now under the command of Palestine Brigade, RFC. In September 1918, at the time of the victory of Megiddo, it comprised:[6][7]

• Wing HQ at Er-Ramleh
• No 14 Sqn at Junction Station – 16 RE8s, 3 Nieuport Scouts
• No 113 Sqn at Sarona – 16 RE8s, 5 Nieuports
• No 142 Sqn at Sarona – 7 Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.8s
  • Detached flight at Jerusalem – 5 RE8s

When hostilities ended the Fifth Wing was headquartered at RAF Ramleh in Palestine.[8] The 5th Wing was disbanded on 1 April 1920.[9]

• 15 April 1915 L E O Charlton[1]
• November 1915 Lieutenant-Colonel W G H Salmond[10]
• 1 July 1916 Lieutenant-Colonel P B Joubert de la Ferté[11]
• 5 February 1917 Lieutenant-Colonel A E Borton[12]
• 8 October 1917 Lieutenant-Colonel C S Burnett[13]]

• 30 April 1923 Wing Commander J H S Tyssen[14]

• Baker, Anne (2003). From Biplane to Spitfire: the life of Air Chief Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond KCB KCMG DSO. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-980-8.
• David L. Bullock, Allenby's War: The Palestine-Arabian Campaigns 1916–1918, London: Blandford Press, 1988, ISBN 0-7137-1869-2.
• Lt-Gen Sir George MacMunn & Capt Cyril Falls, History of the Great War: Military Operations, Egypt and Palestine, Vol I, From the Outbreak of War with Germany to June 1917, London: HM Stationery Office, 1928/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1992, ISBN 1-870423-26-7.