Formed
at Rochford on 24 July 1917 as a Home Defence unit, it was equipped with Sopwith
Pups until January 1918, when SE5As arrived. Its only action was fought on
12 August 1917 when the squadron intercepted a raid by Gotha bombers over the
Thames estuary. The Gothas failed to reach their targets and the Pups
caught the enemy 40 miles out to sea, although no claims were made. Camels replaced the SE5As in
October 1918 but in June 1919 the squadron was disbanded, still being based at
Rochford.
When the squadron reformed on 8 March 1937, it was as a
bomber squadron at Hemswell in Lincolnshire. Its initial equipment was the
Hawker Audax but it soon received Ansons in preparation for the arrival of more
modern equipment in the form of Blenheims, which arrived in January 1938.
However, in February 1939 the Blenheims began to be replaced by Hampden's and
the squadron was fully equipped by the following month.
The squadron began
operations against German targets in early 1940 as well as carrying out
'Gardening' operations around the coasts of occupied Europe. The squadron
continued to take part in the night offensive throughout the war as part of
Bomber Command's Main Force. The Hampdens began to be replaced by
Manchesters in Jul 1941 but re-equipment was not completed until October and the
failure of the Manchester as a bomber led to their replacement by Lancasters in
June 1942, which the squadron flew for the remainder of the war.
For two
periods in 1942 the squadron was loaned to Coastal Command for anti-submarine
operations over the Bay of Biscay and on 17 July 1942, one of its crews
actually attacked and sunk an U-boat. The squadron moved from Hemswell in
July 1941 and re-located to a number of airfields, North Luffenham, Woolfax
Lodge, Syeston, Skellingthorpe, Coningsby, back to Skellingthorpe and finishing
the war at Waddington, where it remained until August 1953. On 3 November
1943, one of its members, Flt Lt Bill Reid
was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during a raid on Dusseldorf.
Lincolns arrived
in May 1946 and these were taken to Malaya in 1950 when the squadron was
detached to take part in 'Operation Firedog' In 1954 the
squadron carried out similar operations in Kenya against the 'Mau Mau'. In
1953 the squadron moved to Wittering and then in 1954 (August), the squadron
received Canberras, taking these to Upwood in 1955, and these were used during
the Suez crisis of 1956, when the squadron operated from Cyprus. From 1
February 1949 until disbanding on 31 March 1958No 61 was linked to No 144
Squadron.
Squadron Codes used: -
61 |
Mar 1937 - Mar 1939 |
LS |
Mar 1939 - Sep 1939 |
QR |
Sep 1939 - Apr 1951 |
Photo of a No 61 Sqn 'Sweethearts Pin' ©Stuart
Farman (click on image to enlarge)
[Aircraft & Markings |
Personnel, aircraft and locations |
Commanding Officers]
No 62 Squadron
Formed
on 8 August 1916 at Filton from a nucleus provided by No 7 Training Squadron, it
spent the following year as a training unit before receiving Bristol F2Bs in May
1917. However it was January 1918 before the squadron moved to France,
where it carried out fighter-reconnaissance duties until the end war.
Following duty with the occupation forces, it disbanded at Spich in Germany on
31 July 1919.
The squadron reformed in the day bomber role on 3
May 1937 when 'B' Flight of No 40 Squadron at Abingdon was raised to squadron
status. Initially equipped with Hinds, it began to receive Blenheim Is in
February 1938 and in August 1939 these where taken to Singapore. here the
squadron flew training missions interspersed with coastal patrols. Having
moved to Butterworth in Malaya in early December 1941, the squadron carried out
attacks against Japanese shipping and airfields during the invasion.
However, having lost most of its aircraft in enemy attacks against its
airfields, it re-equipped with Hudsons in January 1942 and moved to Sumatra.
As the Japanese advance continued the squadron withdrew to Burma, absorbing what
remained of No 139 Squadron and continued to carry out attacks on enemy
airfields and shipping.
In May 1943, the squadron was withdrawn
to India, where it began converting to the transport role, equipped with
Dakotas. It was now mainly involved in supply dropping operations to the
14th Army in Burma and these continued until the end of the war. After the
war it changed over to general transport duties throughout South-East Asia
Command until disbanding at Mingaladon on 15 March 1946. Nearly six months
later, No 76 Squadron at Mingaladon was re-numbered No 62 on 1 September, again
equipped with Dakotas.
It moved to India in March 1947 as a cadre, but having been
brought back up to full strength, was disbanded on 10 August 1947. A
further spell as a Dakota equipped transport squadron began on 8 December 1947
when it reformed at Waterbeach. It had been reformed to work on the Berlin
Airlift and following its successful conclusion, the squadron disbanded again on
1 June 1949. Its final incarnation was from 1 February 1960 to 31 January
1963 as a Bloodhound surface-to-air missile unit at Woolfax Lodge.
Squadron Codes used: -
62 |
May 1937 - Nov 1938 |
JO |
Nov 1938 - Sep 1939 |
PT |
Sep 1939 - Feb 1942 |
|
|
|
'B' Flight, No 62 Squadron - 1939 |
Blenheims of No 62 Squadron - 1939 |
Flight Sergeant A W Clifton, 62 Sqn 1939-42 |
All photos - courtesy Val Clifton
|
Bloodhounds of No 62 Squadron at RAF Woolfax Lodge
1960 - 1963
(photo courtesy - Arthur Elsey) |
[Aircraft & Markings |
Personnel, aircraft and locations |
Commanding Officers]
No 63 Squadron
Formed
on 31August 1916 at Stirling as a light bomber unit for operations on the
Western Front. However, following training, the squadron was transferred
to Mesopotamia in June 1917, arriving in Basra in August. Heat and disease
resulted in the first two aircraft not being ready for flight until September,
but the unit then undertook support to the forces advancing on Kirkuk and
Mosul. The squadron then moved to Mosul from where it operated detachments
throughout the country, until these were all brought together at Baghdad in
early February 1920, where the squadron disbanded on the 29th of the same month.
The squadron reformed in the light bomber role at Andover on 15 February 1937
from a nucleus provided by 'B' Flight of no 12 Squadron. Initially
equipped with Hinds, it soon re-equipped with the Audax and at the same time it
moved to Upwood, where it became the first squadron to receive the Fairey Battle
in May 1937. However, just prior to the outbreak of war the squadron
became the training unit for this type, also receiving some Ansons for this
role. Shortly after the outbreak of war, the squadron moved to Abingdon
and joined No 6 Group, later re-locating to Benson, where on 8 April 1940, the
squadron was re-designated No 12 Operational Training Unit.
A new
No 63 Squadron formed on 15 June 1942 at Gatwick from a detachment of No 239
Squadron. Until January 1943 it was involved in training for its tactical
support role, equipped with Mustang Is, carrying out its first operation on 11
January. the squadron moved south to join No 123 Airfield of the 2nd
Tactical Air Force in November 1943. However, this move was short-lived
and in January 1944, it returned to Scotland, where it re-equipped with
Hurricanes and began training for spotting for Royal Navy guns. It was in
this role that it took part in Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy on 6
June 1944, but with Spitfires, with which it had re-equipped in May 1944.
Until it was next needed to undertake its spotting role for the Walcheren
landings, it carried out defensive duties and after the landings it conducted a
few escort missions, but on30 January 1945, the squadron was disbanded and its
aircraft handed over to No 41 OTU.
The squadron reformed in the
fighter role on 1 September 1946 when No 164 Squadron at Middle Wallop was
re-numbered. It moved to Thorney Island in January 1948, where its
Spitfires were replaced by Meteor F Mk 3s the following April. Meteor F Mk
4 were received in June 1948 and F Mk 8s in December 1950, by which time the
squadron was based at Waterbeach. In 1956, the Meteors were replaced by
Hunters, but on 31 October 1958, the squadron disbanded.
However,
since disbanding as an operational squadron it has seen a number of periods of
existence as either a 'Shadow' or Reserve squadron. The first of these was
as a 'Shadow' unit for the Day Fighter Combat Squadron of the Central Fighter
Establishment from 30 Nov 1958 until 1 June 1963. On the same day the
number was transferred to No 229 OCU as the 'Shadow' designation for one of its
constituent squadrons. On 2 September 1970 No 229 OCU was re-designated as
the Tactical Weapons Units and No 63 remained one of its 'Shadow' units.
No 63 was transferred to No 2 TWU on 1 August 1980 and when that unit was
redesignated No 7 FTS (1 April 1992), No 63 remained a component part until 23
September 1992; when No 63's role was transferred to No 19 (Reserve) Squadron.
During all of this period, the squadron was equipped with various versions of
the Hunter, but as part of No 2 TWU, it also began using the Hawk.
Squadron Codes used: -
63 |
Feb 1937 - Nov 1938 |
NE |
Nov 1938 - May 1939 |
ON |
May 1939 - Sep 1939 |
UB |
Sep 1946 - Apr 1951 |
|
Five Battles of No 63 Sqn in line
abreast between 1937 and late 1938. Photo from the collection of Kenneth
Trotman, courtesy of Lesley Dunlop. |
[Aircraft & Markings |
Personnel, aircraft and locations |
Commanding Officers]
No 64 Squadron
Formed
as a training unit on 1 August 1916 at Sedgeford, it was equipped with FE2bs.
It received DH5 fighters in June 1917 and in October moved to France to began
operations. The DH5s were replaced by SE5As in March 1918 and conducted
both fighter and ground-attack operations for the remainder of the war. It returned to Narborough in
February 1919, where it disbanded on 31 December of the same year.
The
squadron was reformed at Heliopolis on 1 March 1936 as a Demon fighter squadron,
its aircraft having already been sent out and operated as extra flights of No's
6 and 208 Squadrons. It was immediately involved in the Abyssinian crisis
carrying out attacks against enemy (Italian) airfields and providing fighter
cover to refuelling bombers.
With the crisis over the squadron
returned to the Martlesham Heath to become part of the UK air defences.
Turret Demons began arriving in February 1938 and Blenheim fighters in December,
by which time the squadron was based at Church Fenton. From here it
carried out coastal patrols before moving up to Evanton for defence of the
fleet. The squadron converted to Spitfires in April 1940, just in time to
assist with air cover for the Dunkirk evacuation and later took part in the
Battle of Britain.
From early 1941 the squadron then began a
series of moves between Scotland and the south, providing defensive cover whilst
up north and carrying out offensive operations from southern bases, equipped
with various marks of Spitfire. However, in November 1944 the squadron
converted to Mustangs and began long-range support duties to Bomber Command
daylight raids.
With the war in Europe over, the squadron settled
at Horsham St Faith, where it received the De Havilland Hornet long-range
fighter in May 1946. In August it moved to its new base of Linton-on-Ouse,
where it remained until August 1951, when it took its Meteors, received in
April, to Duxford. Duxford remained its base for ten years, with the
squadron converting to the night fighter role there in 1956. In September
1958 the squadron adopted the all-weather fighter role when it received
Javelins. These were taken to Singapore in April 1965, where it provided
all-weather cover until disbanding on 16 June 1967.
Since then
the squadron has been the 'Shadow'/Reserve identity of No 228 OCU, first at
Coningsby from 16 May 1968 and then Leuchars, to where the OCU moved on 22 Apr
1987. When the OCU disbanded on 31Jan 1991, so did No 64 Squadron.
Standards |
Battle
Honours* |
Award of Standard originally announced on 29 Jul 1958,
effective from 1 Apr 1958 but
presented:-
6
July 1960
MRAF Sir William Dickson |
Western
Front, 1917-1918: Cambrai, 1918:
Amiens: Hindenburg
Line:
Somme, 1918: Lys: Channel & North Sea, 1940: Dunkirk:
Battle of Britain: Home
Defence, 1940: Fortress
Europe, 1941-1944: Normandy, 1944:
Arnhem: Walcheren: France
& Germany, 1944-1945: |
Squadron Codes used: -
XQ |
Feb 1939 - Sep 1939 |
SH |
Sep 1939 - Apr 1951 |
[Aircraft & Markings |
Personnel, aircraft and locations |
Commanding Officers]
No 65 (East
India) Squadron
Formed on1 August 1916 at Wyton from a nucleus provided by Norwich training
station, the squadron was equipped with a variety of training types until
October 1917, when it received Camels. At the same time the squadron moved
to France conducting defensive patrols until February 1918, when it started
ground attack operations. A move to the Belgium coast came in August 1918
with the squadron escorting day bombers. It remained in Belgium until the
end of war and returned to Yatesbury in February 1919, where it disbanded on 25
October 1919.
The squadron was reformed at Hornchurch on 1 August
1934 as a Demon fighter squadron. The squadron was reduced to cadre in
September 1935 as personnel were drafted to Egypt to boast the strength of units
taking part in the Abyssinian crisis. When the squadron began rebuilding
to full strength in July 1936, it also received new equipment in the form of
Gauntlets, thereby becoming a single seater fighter unit. Gladiators
replaced the Gauntlets in June 1937 and in their turn were replaced by Spitfires
from March 1939. Operations began with coverage of the Dunkirk evacuation
after which it moved Kirton-in-Lindsay, returning to Hornchurch in June from
where it took part in the Battle of Britain until the end of August.
Throughout 1941 and 1942, the squadron moved between bases in the south, the
north of England and Scotland, carrying out defensive duties in the north and
Scotland and offensive operations in the south and occasionally carrying out
similar missions whilst based up north by operating from advanced bases in the
south. In early 1943 the squadron carried out deck-landing training aboard
HMS Argus, but then moved to Cornwall for coastal patrols and bomber escort
duties. In May, the squadron joined 2nd Tactical Air Force and the
following December converted to Mustangs, with which it operated in the
fighter-bomber role up to the invasion.
The squadron moved to the
continent at the end of June 1944 operating in the close support role until
September, when it moved back to Matlask in Norfolk in the bomber-escort role.
Another move to Scotland came in January 1945 where it provided similar support
to the Strike Wings of Coastal Command operating along the Scandinavian coasts.
It later moved to Andrews Field, Bentwaters and Fairwood Common before a return to Norfolk
at Hethal in September 1945 brought conversion to Spitfires in February 1946.
The same month the squadron moved to Spilsby followed a month later by a move to
Horsham St Faith, where in July
1946 the squadron began to receive Hornet long-range fighters and the following
month it moved to its peacetime base at Linton-on-Ouse. Meteor F Mk 4s
began to arrive in December 1950 and conversion was complete by April 1951 and
the following August, it re-located to Duxford. The squadron spent the
next ten years at Duxford, re-equipping with Hunters in December 1956,
disbanding on 31 March 1961. The squadron reformed on 1 January 1964 as a
surface-to-air missile unit at Seletar equipped with Bloodhound Mk 2s,
disbanding on 30 March 1970.
Since then the squadron number has
been allocated to No 226 OCU, equipped with Lightnings at Coltishall from 1
September 1970 until 17 Jun 1974 and then No 229 OCU flying Tornadoes at
Coningsby from 31 December 1986 to 30 June 1992, when the OCU was re-numbered No
56 (Reserve) Squadron.
Standards |
Battle
Honours* |
Award of Standard
originally announced on 15 Oct 1957, effective from 1 Apr 1957 but presented:-
16
October 1957
MRAF Sir William Dickson |
Western
Front, 1917-1918: Cambrai, 1918:
Somme,
1918: France & Low Countries: Dunkirk:
Battle of
Britain, 1940:
Home Defence, 1940-42: Fortress
Europe, 1941-1944: Channel & North Sea, 1942-1945:
Dieppe: Normandy, 1944: Arnhem: France
& Germany, 1944-1945: Baltic
1945: |
Squadron Codes used: -
FZ |
Oct 1938 - Sep 1939 |
YT |
Sep 1939 - Apr 1951 |
[Aircraft & Markings |
Personnel, aircraft and locations |
Commanding Officers]
*Honours in Black are those the squadron has a been granted the right to emblazon on the Squadron
Standard, but does not do so.
Honours in Red are those actually emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Honours in Blue are those the squadron has not been
granted the right to emblazon on the Squadron
Standard
Squadron badge image on this page is courtesy of Steve
Clements
© Crown Copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Directorate of
Intellectual Property Rights
This page was last updated on
08/05/24©
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