Ep.127 – Coastal Command Chapter 4: Strike Wings

Welcome to our Coastal Command series. This is Chapter 4 – Strike Wings. In this chapter we discuss the thinking behind the strike wings of RAF Coastal Command and focus on the North Coates and Banff squadrons, how they were structured and their successes and failures.

Beaufighter from 404 Squadron June 1944, Original B&W (c) DND Archives Colourised by Canadian Colour

North Coates with David Boyd:

David is a specialist corporate investor relations adviser developing and leading the Investor Relations function at a wide range of listed companies in the UK and internationally. He previously worked in a variety of management and advisory roles in the UK, USA, and Belgium. David is an Economics graduate and has an MBA from Manchester Business School.

In 2018 David’s research paper “Bridging the Gap – Exploring he role of the Staff during the 1916 campaign in Tanganyika” was included in “There Came a Time … Essays on the Great War in Africa”, published by TSL Publications.

Beaufighter TF Mark X, NT950 MB-T, of No. 236 Squadron RAF based at North Coates (c) IWM 1380

Banff with Andrew Bird:

Andrew Bird studied at Reading College of Art & Design and served in Royal Air Force Reserves based at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire working extensively with The Artists Rifles (Reserves). Andy is an author and military historian, publishing books in particular on the maritime air war in Europe. He started researching and corresponding with former Coastal Command Anti-Shipping Strike aircrews and ground staff 32 years ago and has a wealth of material and scanned images.

He is the author of ‘A Separate Little War’, ‘Coastal Dawn’ and ‘Heroes of Coastal Command: The RAF’s Maritime War 1939’. He has written for several newspapers and magazines and has also written, presented, or acted as a historical consultant in documentaries, for BBC Radio and Television, C4, and NRK in Norway.