Thank you for publishing the lovely Rewind picture of the air drill by the RAF’s 18 Squadron, from RAF Upper Heyford, on Empire Air Day in 1935 (Oxford Mail, July 20).

The photograph shows the light bombers flown by the squadron up to 1939.

The aircraft shown is the Hawker Hind, which was designed by Sidney Camm (who designed the Hawker Hurricane) which served with the squadron until it was replaced by the Bristol Blenheim in May 1939.

The squadron then went on to serve in France, Malta, Egypt, North Africa and Italy, and after the war in Greece, where it served until it was disbanded on March 31, 1946.

It was re-formed in March 1947 but only lasted eight months, when it was again disbanded.

Shortly after this, in December 1947 it was re-formed and given Dakotas, with which it took part in the Berlin Airlift.

The squadron has been disbanded and re-formed a number of times since then, but in 1964 is was re-formed as a helicopter squadron, became the first squadron to be equipped with Chinook helicopters and was shipped out to the Falklands on the ill-fated Atlantic Conveyor, which was sunk by an Argentine Exocet missile.

One helicopter survived and took part in the conflict, where it carried 1,500 troops, 600 tons of equipment and 650 prisoners of war in 150 sorties.

Quite a long and chequered history. Thank you for printing it.

Paul Brewer, Walkers Close, Freeland