Editing Vickers Vimy (section)

===RAF service===
[[File:Alcock-Brown-Clifden.jpg|thumb|Alcock and Brown's Vimy at [[Clifden]], Ireland on 15 June 1919, having landed in a bog]]
[[File:Vickers Vimy, G-EAOU, first flight from England to Australia, 1919.jpg|thumb|Vickers Vimy, G-EAOU, flown by [[Ross Macpherson Smith]] and his brother [[Keith Macpherson Smith]] from England to Australia in 1919]]
[[File:Vickers Vimy 1920 (Brand and van Ryneveld).jpg|thumb|(L-R) Lt Col [[Pierre van Ryneveld|van Ryneveld]] with First Lt [[Quintin Brand]], February 1920, in front of Vickers Vimy ''Silver Queen'', before their England to South Africa flight]]

On 12 June 1918, according to ''[[Flight International]]'', the Air Board were to initially deploy the first production Vimy units as [[maritime patrol aircraft]], equipped for anti-submarine warfare, and once this requirement had been satisfied, subsequent aircraft would be allocated to performing night bombing missions from bases in France.{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=6}} This had been due to a recently introduced policy under which the number of land-based aircraft allocated to anti-submarine patrols was to be vastly expanded, from 66 landplanes in November 1917 to a projected force of 726 landplanes, in which the newly available Vimy would be a key aircraft due to its long-range capabilities. During August 1918, the application of [[Float (nautical)|floats]] to the Vimy was studied, but it is not known if any aircraft were ever so fitted.{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=6}}

Throughout the 1920s, the Vimy formed the main heavy bomber force of the RAF; for some years, it was the only twin-engine bomber to be stationed at bases in Britain.{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=8}} On 1 April 1924, [[No. 9 Squadron RAF|No. 9 Squadron]] and [[No. 58 Squadron RAF|No. 58 Squadron]], equipped with the Vimy, stood up, tripling the home-based heavy bomber force. On 1 July 1923, a newly formed Night Flying Flight, based at [[RAF Biggin Hill]], equipped with the Vimy, was formed; during the [[1926 United Kingdom general strike|general strike of 1926]], this unit performed aerial deliveries of the [[British Gazette]] newspaper throughout the country.{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=8}} Between 1921 and 1926, the type formed the backbone of the [[airmail]] service between [[Cairo]] and [[Baghdad]].{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=8}} The Vimy served as a front line bomber in the [[Middle East]] and in the United Kingdom from 1919 until 1925, by which point it had been replaced by the newer [[Vickers Virginia]].{{sfn|Mason|1994|page=98}}

Despite the emergence of the Virginia, which numerous Vimy squadrons were soon re-equipped with, the Vimy continued to equip a Special Reserve bomber squadron, [[No. 502 Squadron RAF|502 Squadron]], stationed at [[Aldergrove, County Antrim|Aldergrove]] in [[Northern Ireland]] until 1929.{{sfn|Mason|1994|page=98}}{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=8}} The Vimy continued to be used in secondary roles, such as its use as a training aircraft; many were re-engined with [[Bristol Jupiter]] or [[Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar]] [[radial engine]]s.{{sfn|Bruce|1965|page=9}} The final Vimys, used as target aircraft for [[searchlight]] crews, remained in use until 1938.{{sfn|Andrews|Morgan|1988|page=93}}