No. 40 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport as No. 40 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and was disbanded for the last time in 1957. The squadron also included many non-British members, including volunteers from the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force. History World War I 40 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 26 February 1916 at Gosport, equipped with a mixture of training types. In July that year it received its intended operational mount, the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8, a single-seat pusher configuration fighter, being the first squadron equipped with the F.E.8. The squadron moved to France in August that year, but while the F.E.8 had good handling characteristics, it was found to be obsolescent. On 9 March 1917, a patrol of nine 40 Squadron F.E.8s were attacked by a formation of German fighters from Jasta 11, led by Manfred von Richthofen. All nine of the F.E.8s were shot down or forced landed, while one German aircraft, flown by Richthofen was damaged and made a forced landing while a second German pilot was slightly injured. Later that month, the squadron was re-equipped with more capable Nieuport 17s. Despite the F.E.8's obsolescence, the squadron did manage some successes on the type, claiming 16 German aircraft shot down, with one pilot, Edwin Benbow claiming eight confirmed victories when flying the F.E.8 with 40 Squadron. The better performance of the Nieuport allowed 40 Squadron to be more effective, flying offensive patrols, including attacks on German Observation balloons. From April 1917, as part of the 10th Wing RFC, it flew in support of the British offensive at the Battle of Arras, destroying four balloons (and damaging four more) in a low-level attack on 2 May, and seven more on 7 May. The squadron also flew in support of the Battle of Passchendaele. In October 1917, the squadron re-equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5s, operating this type through the rest of the war. The German spring offensive in March 1918 saw the squadron heavily deployed on ground attack missions against the advancing German forces. The squadron became part of the new Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. It remained active for the remainder of the year, supporting the Hundred Days Offensive. By the end of the war, the squadron had claimed 130 enemy aircraft and 30 balloons destroyed, with a further 144 aircraft driven