Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
No 61 Wing Personnel, units and locations
It was originally formed at St.Pol on 1 April 1918 from No 1 Wing RNAS as 61st (Naval Wing) Wing in Dover-Dunkirk Command. By August it had been placed under No 5 Group and disbanded on 13 November 1918, by which time it controlled Nos 202, 204, 210, 213, 217 and 218 Squadrons.
It began reforming at Hendon on 23 September 1939 as the Special Cadre Unit (A/839), moving to Hartlebury on 30 September to collect their MT. It began moving to Avonmouth that night but this was changed to Newport, Monmouthshire during the journey, which it reached on the afternoon of 1 October. The vehicles were loaded onto the SS Treworlas, whilst the personnel boarded the SS Duke of Rothesay the following day, arriving at St Nazaire on 4 October, moving to Savenay on 7 October and arrived at Norrent-Fontes on 10 October, In the meantime, on 5 October a further three officers and 40 men assembled at RAF Croydon and under the title Special Fighter Cadre Wing and remained there until 12 October, when they flew out to join the ground party at Norrent Fontes. Three days later the unit was redesignated as No 61 Fighter Wing Servicing Unit to await the arrival of two fighter squadrons, making further moves to Auchy-au-Bois on 20 October and Merville on 4 November, where the two squadrons of Gladiators, Nos 607 and 615 Squadrons arrived on 15 November and on 13 December it moved again, this time to Vitry-en-Artois, and finally to Achicourt in January 1940, where it was redesignated as No 61 (Fighter) Wing on 20 January. It was now under the control No 14 Group, still with Nos 607 and 615 Squadrons and by 4 May 1940 was at Abbeville, but following the German breakthrough it returned to the UK sometime in May and disbanded at Kenley on 31 May 1940.
Personnel Movements
Rank | Name |
Date |
Notes |
Various parties of NCOs and Airmen | 23 Sep 1939 | Reported for duty to RAF Hendon | |
Flt Lt | P Tremlett | 24 Sep 1939 | RAFVR, reported for duty at RAF Market Drayton |
Flt Lt | P Tremlett | 28 Sep 1939 | RAFVR, ordered to proceed to RAF Hendon pending proceeding to France |
Flt Lt | P Tremlett | 29 Sep 1939 | RAFVR, arrived at RAF Hendon and placed in command of Special Cdre Unit |
Wg Cdr | J A Boret | 5 Oct 1939 | Arrived at RAF Croydon and appointed to command Special Fighter Cadre Wing |
Fg Off | R S Cromie | 5 Oct 1939 | Arrived at RAF Croydon as Medical Officer |
Fg Off | E W Walker | 5 Oct 1939 | Arrived at RAF Croydon as Armament Officer |
Plt Off | A M Roberts | 8 Oct 1939 | Arrived at RAF Hendon for duty as Equipment Officer |
Wg Cdr | J A Boret | 12 Oct 1939 | Flew from RAF Croydon to Norrent Fontes and assumed command of A/839 |
Flt Lt | P Tremlett | 12 Oct 1939 | Relinquished command of A/839 and assumed duties of Adjutant |
Plt Off | A M Roberts | 12 Oct 1939 | Flew from RAF Croydon to Norrent Fontes |
Fg Off | R S Cromie | 12 Oct 1939 | Flew from RAF Croydon to Norrent Fontes |
Wg Cdr | J A Boret | 15 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to the Air Ministry for final instructions |
Plt Off | A M Roberts | 15 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to the Air Ministry for final instructions |
Wg Cdr | J A Boret | 18 Oct 1939 | Returned from the UK |
Plt Off | A M Roberts | 18 Oct 1939 | Returned from the UK |
Fg Off | E W Walker | 18 Oct 1939 | Arrived from the UK |
Wg Cdr | J A Boret | 28 Nov 1939 | Posted to No 60 Wing as OC |
Wg Cdr | R Y Eccles | 30 Nov 1939 | Posted in and assumed command of No 61 Fighter Wing Servicing Unit |
Flt Lt | H J Larkin | 3 Jan 1940 | Posted in for duty with No 2 Mobile D/F Unit |
Wg Cdr | R Y Eccles | 20 Jan 1940 | Reposted as OC, No 61 Fighter Wing |
Flt Lt | P Tremlett | 20 Jan 1940 | Reposted as Sqn Ldr - Administration, No 61 (Fighter) Wing |
Fg Off | Fieldsend | 20 Jan 1940 | Reposted as Flt Lt - Operations, No 61 (Fighter) Wing |
Plt Off | B B Hicks | 23 Jan 1940 | Posted in for Operations Room duties |
Plt Off | A T Gregory | 23 Jan 1940 | Posted in for Operations Room duties |
Source - No 61 Wing ORB
Unit Composition and Movements
Unit | Date | Notes |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 28 Sep 1939 | Assembled at RAF Hendon |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 30 Sep 1939 | Proceeded to No 25 MU, RAF Hartlebury |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 1 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to Newport Monmouthshire for embarkation |
MT, Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 1 Oct 1939 | Embarked at Newport Monmouthshire |
Personnel, Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 2 Oct 1939 | Embarked at Newport Monmouthshire |
Personnel, Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 4 Oct 1939 | Arrived at St Nazaire and disembarked |
MT, Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 5 Oct 1939 | Arrived at Nantes |
Special Fighter Cadre Wing | 5 Oct 1939 | Assembled at RAF Croydon |
MT, Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 6 Oct 1939 | Disembarked at Nantes |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 6 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to No 2 Base Transit Camp, Savenay |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 8 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to Le Mans |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 9 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to Beauvais |
Special Cadre Unit (A/839) | 10 Oct 1939 | Proceeded to Norrent-Fontes via Amiens |
Special Fighter Cadre Wing | 12 Oct 1939 | Moved from RAF Croydon to Norrent Fontes by air |
Unit A/839 | 15 Oct 1939 | Redesignated No 61 Fighter Wing Servicing Unit |
Source - No 61 Wing ORB
The ORB entries for April and May 1940 are missing, probably lost or destroyed during the evacuation from France.
This page was last updated on 15/05/20©