and air sea rescue duties. No. 38 then converted to the Avro Lancaster in 1946 and moved to Palestine for eighteen months where they were involved in many long-range patrols over the Mediterranean in support of Royal Navy operations to suppress illegal Jewish immigration to Palestine before returning to Malta. Bill Brooks, founder of Christie's auction house was a pilot in 38 squadron and on 11 May 1947 he was the captain of one of four Lancasters which took 70 suspected Jewish terrorists from Palestine to Nairobi. He was told by his station commander that all log book entries should record "trooping" as the purpose of the trip; his secret orders stated: "Destroy after reading". The squadron continued with reconnaissance and air sea rescue duties, was re-equipped with the Avro Shackleton in 1954 and was based in Malta until 1967. During this time it sent detachments to participate in the Beira patrols during the period of Rhodesian UDI and to the Persian Gulf for an air blockade following the failure of negotiations with regard to the presence of a Saudi Arabian party at Hamasa. No.38 Squadron was disbanded at Hal Far, Malta on 31 March 1967. The numberplate emerged for the last time as the "shadow" identity of No. 236 Operational Conversion Unit RAF, the conversion unit for the Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft based at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall. This lasted until the Options for Change review following the Cold War when 236 OCU was disbanded in September 1992 and the Nimrod training role transferred to No. 42 Squadron RAF. See also List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons References Further reading History of No.'s 36–40 Squadrons at RAF Web External links 038 Squadron 038 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations established in 1935 Military units and formations disestablished in 1967 1916 establishments in the United Kingdom