From November to the middle of March the conditions underfoot were very difficult and temperatures plummeted. The airfield at San Stefano was badly affected and on numerous occasions many aircraft had to be manhandled to the take off point and again when they landed.

The political stalemate continued throughout the winter months as the squadron continued with its regular reconnaissance patrols and training flights. The resumption of the Lausanne peace talks on 23 April 1923 coincided with improving weather, which allowed the RAF squadrons to conduct more intensive bombing, and gunnery training flights, the relevance of which was not lost on the Turks. A long succession of diplomatic talks took place during the summer resulting in the Lausanne Treaty signed on 23 August. The following day orders were issued for the RAF to evacuate and flying came to an end.

For the RAF, still only five years old, the ‘Chanak Crisis’ was the first post-war test of its capability to mobilise and transfer a fighting force to an overseas trouble spot in rapid time. A remarkable feature of the operation was the speed of reaction for the initial deployment and the efficiency of the withdrawal. The squadron had been away for twelve months. 1,685 flights had been made amounting to 1,077 flying hours. Conditions had been harsh yet the task of monitoring Turkish troop movements, aerial photography and maintaining a deterrent presence had been a great success.  The Commander-in-Chief praised the squadron for its efforts, and paid particular tribute to the photographic and reconnaissance work of the squadron, which he described as invaluable.  

Graham Pitchfork

Naval 8 - 208 Sqn Association Historian

The Chanak Crisis 1922 - 03

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