241 Squadron was formed in August 1918 from the former Royal Naval Air Service flights operating at the RNAS seaplane station at the Isle of Portland (HMS Serepta) and their airfield at Chickerell; Flight numbers 416, 417 and 513.

They continued to fly patrols over the English Channel hunting submarines until the end of the war.

To this were added some Blackburn Roc naval dive bombers and some Curtiss Tomahawks.

In April 1942, the squadron moved to North Africa with Hawker Hurricanes where it flew reconnaissance and ground attack during the Tunisian campaign.

The squadron operated various reconnaissance and ground attack duties in Italy until the end of the war.