No. 25 (City of Perth) Squadron is a general reserve squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is based at RAAF Base Pearce in Perth, Western Australia, and forms part of the Combat Support Group. The squadron was formed in early 1937 and until early 1939 was designated as No. 23 (City of Perth) Squadron. During World War II, it provided local air defence for the Perth region, before undertaking Army co-operation duties in 1943–1944 and then converting to a heavy bomber role in 1945. Flying B-24 Liberators, the squadron took part in operations against Japanese targets in the Netherlands (or Dutch) East Indies (NEI) and supported Allied ground operations during the Borneo Campaign.
Following the end of hostilities, No. 25 Squadron was disbanded in mid-1946 but was re-raised two years later as a Citizen Air Force (CAF) unit based at RAAF Base Pearce. From 1948 the squadron's reservist (CAF) and Permanent Air Force (PAF) pilots flew fighter aircraft, initially Mustangs, later also Vampire jets, to provide air defence over Western Australia. In 1960 the squadron ceased flying duties and switched to the ground support role. In 1989, flying operations resumed with the Macchi MB-326 as No. 25 Squadron assumed responsibility for jet introduction training and fleet support; this role ceased in 1998 and since then the squadron has been tasked with providing a pool of trained personnel to the Air Force.
History
No. 25 Squadron was formed at RAAF Station Laverton in Victoria, on 3 May 1937 and was initially known as "No. 23 (City of Perth) Squadron". Equipped with 6 Hawker Demons, 6 Avro Ansons and 3 Avro Trainers it was originally tasked with providing support for the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy, as well as pilot training.[4] The squadron moved to RAAF Station Pearce in Perth, Western Australia, in 1938.[5] The squadron's first commanding officer was Raymond Brownell.[2] It was renamed No. 25 Squadron on 1 January 1939. Following the declaration of World War II, the squadron was allocated Australian-built, 2 seater Wirraways, operating these in convoy protection and anti-submarine roles off the Western Australia coast around Fremantle and Rottnest Island.[2] Squadron aircraft participated in the protection of convoys transporting the 2nd AIF to the Middle East and in the unsuccessful search for survivors from HMAS Sydney, the RAN cruiser sunk on 19 November 1941 by the German raider Kormoran off Western Australia's mid-west coast.[6]
After Japan entered the war, the squadron's Wirraways were complemented in 1942 by Brewster Buffaloes originally intended for the NEI Air Force.[7] Although these two aircraft types were already considered obsolete as fighters No. 25 Squadron was tasked with providing the air defence of Perth, amid concerns of a possible Japanese invasion.
The squadron's Buffalos were replaced with Vultee Vengeance dive bombers in August 1943 and in an army cooperation role it began joint exercises with Army units in Western Australia.[5]On 27 August 1944 Vengeance A27-295 disappeared in bad weather during a cross country formation flight exercise. 4 days after successfully bailing out the pilot reached safety at a remote farm house. The aircraft's wreckage was found on 3 September but despite a 20 day air and land search no trace of the aircraft's navigator/wireless operator has ever been found.[8][9]
A No. 25 Squadron B-24 Liberator bomber and its crew, wearing the RAAF's then khaki "summer dress" uniform, at RAAF Base Cunderdin in 1945. RAAF photo circa Mar-Aug 1945: A No. 25 Squadron B-24 Liberator over the Netherlands (Dutch) East Indies (NEI or DEI - now Indonesia).
With the threat of invasion passed, in early January 1945 the squadron was re-located to Cunderdin and re-equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers tasked with attacking Japanese shipping and base facilities in the Japanese occupied Netherlands East Indies (NEI – now Indonesia). Operations against these targets began 2 months later with the squadron's Liberators usually staging through Corunna Downs and Truscott airfields in north-Western Australia.[10]
From March to August 1945 the squadron's Cunderdin based[lower-alpha 1] Liberators flew a combined total of at least 85 missions totaling 5,960 hours against enemy targets, including diversionary raids over NEI to assist the Allied landings at Brunei Bay in northern Borneo.[11][12] During these operations one Liberator (A72-133) was lost on a 26/27 April 1945 night strike when it was forced to land in shallow water off a Japanese held island in the Lesser Sunda group. The aircraft's crew survived the war after 4 months of brutal treatment as POWs in Batavia (now Jakarta).[13][14][15][16]
The AWM's WWII Honour Roll for 25 Squadron lists 23 members who died on WWII service, including 6 due to ground incidents or illness.[17] Five aircrew died as a result of 3 Wirraway crashes from February 1941 to July 1943 and 7 died in 4 Vultee Vengeance crashes from September 1943 to August 1944. The squadron's worst loss occurred on 14 February 1945 when 5 of the 11 aboard Liberator A72-124 died when it crashed on take-off at Cunderdin.[18][19][20] The aircraft was tasked to participate in the squadron's successful search for survivors from the SS Peter Silvester after it was torpedoed 1300 kilometres off the WA coast on 6 February 1945 by the German submarine U-862. The squadron's search flights of up to 19 hours duration were instrumental in the rescue of 100 of the 174 aboard the last Allied ship lost to enemy action in the Indian Ocean.[21][22]
In the months following the end of the war, No. 25 Squadron aircraft evacuated liberated prisoners of war to Australia from Morotai and Borneo. The squadron was disbanded in July 1946.[5]
RAAF photo June 1967: No 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader C H Mawby (PLT)] in old "summer dress" uniform on annual camp at RAAF Base Darwin (NT) during exercise "High Venus".RAAF photo c1972-73: No 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader H A Collits (PLT)] on an annual camp providing technical and non-technical support to Mirage lll fighter and other units at RAAF Williamtown, New South Wales. Uniforms are a mix of the RAAF's then new light blue "all-seasons" uniform and the dark blue World War II-era winter "battle dress".RAAF photo c1974-76: No 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader K R Page (NAV)] at its home base, RAAF Pearce, Western Australia wearing the RAAF's then (1970s – 2005) light blue "all-seasons" uniform with "cool weather" tunics.
No. 25 Squadron was reformed in April 1948 as a Citizen Air Force unit based at RAAF Pearce. Between 1948 and 1960, the squadron trained reservist pilots and ground crew and operated Australian-built or assembled P-51 Mustangs and de Havilland Vampires, along with Tiger Moth and Wirraway trainers. From late 1951 the Vampire jets enhanced satisfaction of the squadron's responsibility for maintaining a fighter presence in Western Australia.[23]
Doing so came at a cost. From 1948 to 1960 two No. 25 Squadron pilots died in flying accidents; the first when Mustang A68-13 crashed at the RAAF Pearce bombing range on 2 June 1950;[24][25][26] the second when Vampire A79-536 crashed during a flying display at a RAAF Pearce Open Day on 18 September 1955.[27][28][29]
In 1960 the squadron's flying role ceased and it began providing ground support for PAF units at RAAF Base Pearce and until 1981, for its affiliated fighter squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown. In 1989, with a substantially increased number of PAF personnel and equipped with the 2-seat Aermacchi MB-326 aircraft, the squadron resumed flying operations in the roles of initial jet training at RAAF Pearce and providing fleet support for the Royal Australian Navy. With its Macchi aircraft, supplemented later with Pilatus PC-9 turbo-prop aircraft, No. 25 Squadron was the only flying RAAF Reserve squadron.[30]
Members of 25 Squadron on a training exercise in 1990 at RAAF Base Pearce with A2-509 of 5 Squadron. W/O Hull left rear, and F/SGT Ron Pearse right rear. No. 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer Wing Commander G J Ennis DFC (PLT)] in "working dress" on exercises at RAAF Base Learmonth in 1991 – the Squadron's traditional Black Swan tail emblem is clearly displayed on its Macchi aircraft.RAAF photo c1995: No. 25 Squadron Macchi MB-326 aircraft over Rottnest Island, Western Australia.
On 1 July 1998, the majority of 25 Squadron's PAF component were separated from the Reserve element and reformed as No. 79 Squadron, taking with it responsibility for flying operations. No. 25 Squadron returned to its role of providing a reserve pool of trained personnel to PAF units as part of 96 Wing in the Combat Support Group.[31]
In recognition of its long flying and non-flying history, on 31 October 1975 the squadron was presented with the No. 25 Squadron Standard. Mounted on a wooden pike surmounted by a Golden Eagle the Standard is a fringed and tasselled Air Force blue silken banner with a decorative border of roses, thistles, shamrocks, leeks and wattle. A white scroll inscribed with the squadron's World War II Battle Honour Eastern Waters 1941–1945 is shown to the left of the No. 25 Squadron Crest.[32]
On 2 March 1976 No. 25 Squadron was granted the "Freedom of Entry to the City of Perth" by the City's Lord Mayor and Council.[33] The squadron has also received the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Trophy for "the most proficient Air Force Reserve Squadron" nine times (1961, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1976, 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2008) since the award's inception in 1961 (the award was suspended from 2010 until its re-introduction in 2017 as an award for RAAF wings and groups).[34]
In 2015 No. 25 (City of Perth) Squadron was awarded the 2014 Hawker Siddeley trophy as "the most proficient RAAF unit with primary whole of base support functions". The Award recognised the Squadron's part in RAAF Bases Pearce and Learmonth providing from 18 March 2014, air basing and support for the multi-national search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 [Operation Southern Indian Ocean (SIO)].[35]
No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit is a fighter training unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Located at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, the unit trains pilots to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Pilots new to the F-35 enter No. 2 2OCU after first qualifying to fly fast jets at No. 79 Squadron and undertaking initial fighter combat instruction at No. 76 Squadron. Once qualified on the F-35, they are posted to one of No. 81 Wing's operational F-35 units, No. 3 Squadron, No. 75 Squadron or No. 77 Squadron.
No. 4 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron composed of the air force special forces Combat Controllers, aircrew who operate the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft and instructors for the Australian Defence Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) course.
The CAC Wirraway is a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of the North American NA-16 training aircraft. The Wirraway has been credited as being the foundation of Australian aircraft manufacturing.
No. 5 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force training, army co-operation and helicopter squadron. The squadron was formed in 1917 as a training unit of the Australian Flying Corps in Britain, readying pilots for service on the Western Front. It subsequently became a naval fleet co-operation squadron, but was later redesignated as No. 9 Squadron RAAF before being re-formed as an army co-operation squadron during World War II. In the mid-1960s, it was re-formed as a helicopter squadron, before being disbanded in December 1989, when it was used to form the Australian Defence Force Helicopter Training School.
No 85 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron which provided air defence to Western Australia during World War II. It was formed in 1943 and disbanded in 1945. The squadron did not see combat during the war, although it attempted to intercept Japanese aircraft on several occasions in 1943, without success.
No. 14 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron of World War II. It was formed in 1939 and was based in Western Australia throughout the war. While it conducted many patrols over the waters off Western Australia, it did not see combat. The squadron was disbanded in December 1945.
No. 200 Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force special duties flight of World War II. The flight was formed in February 1945 to support the Allied Intelligence Bureau (AIB) and saw action over Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) from March that year until the end of the war in August. No. 200 Flight was disbanded in December 1945.
No. 12 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) general purpose, bomber and transport squadron. The squadron was formed in 1939 and saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. From 1941 to 1943, it mainly conducted maritime patrols off northern Australia. The squadron was based at Merauke in western New Guinea from November 1943 to July 1944, when it was withdrawn from operations. After being re-equipped, it operated as a heavy bomber unit from February 1945 until the end of the war. The squadron continued in this role until it was redesignated No. 1 Squadron RAAF in February 1948. The squadron was reformed in 1973 to operate transport helicopters but was again disbanded in 1989.
No. 24 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. The squadron was formed in 1940 and saw action as a bomber squadron during World War II serving in the Pacific theatre against the Japanese, and undertaking operations during the Battle of Rabaul, and the New Guinea, New Britain and Borneo campaigns. The squadron was disbanded in 1946 following the conclusion of hostilities, but was re-formed in 1951. From then until 2010 the squadron was an RAAF Reserve squadron located near Adelaide, South Australia; for part of this time, until 1960, the squadron continued to perform flying duties, before converting to a ground support role. In 2010, the squadron combined with Combat Support Unit Edinburgh to become a Permanent Air Force unit and it currently forms part of No. 96 Wing, Combat Support Group.
No. 21 Squadron RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) general reserve squadron. Formed in the mid-1930s as a unit of the part-time Citizen Air Force (CAF), it was mobilised for service during World War II, when it saw action against the Japanese as a fighter unit in the Malayan campaign, a dive bomber unit in the New Guinea campaign, and a heavy bomber unit in the Borneo campaign. After the war, the squadron continued to fly until 1960, when the CAF ceased flying operations. At that time, No. 21 Squadron converted to a non-flying support role, which it currently fulfils at RAAF Base Point Cook and RAAF Williams - Laverton.
No. 23 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is a non-flying base operations and training squadron headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley near Brisbane, Queensland. The squadron was formed in 1937 and saw action against the Japanese during World War II as a bomber squadron. Operating from Archerfield during the early stages of the war, the squadron undertook maritime patrols off Australia's east coast before converting to a dive-bomber role and taking part in the New Guinea campaign. Later in the war, the squadron converted to Liberator heavy bombers and flew missions against Japanese targets in the Netherlands East Indies. After the war, No. 23 Squadron was used to reform No. 6 Squadron and was then re-raised as a Citizens Air Force unit based in Brisbane. Until 1960, the squadron flew jet fighter aircraft before converting to a ground support role and now forms part of the RAAF's Combat Support Group.
Mungalalu Truscott Airbase or Truscott-Mungalalu Airport, which during World War II was known as Truscott Airfield is today a commercial airport in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia.
RAAF Station Cunderdin was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield located at Cunderdin, Western Australia, during World War II.
No. 4 Operational Training Unit was an operational conversion unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War. It was formed at Williamtown, New South Wales, in October 1942 to train pilots and wireless air gunners to operate Vultee Vengeance dive bombers. The school was equipped with Vengeances and CAC Wirraway aircraft. Accidents were common in operational conversion units and No. 4 OTU suffered several fatal crashes during its existence. It was disbanded in April 1944, handing Williamtown over to No. 5 Operational Training Unit.
Air Commodore Raymond James Brownell, was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a First World War flying ace. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Brownell was working as a clerk with a firm of accountants when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the outbreak of the First World War. He served during the Gallipoli Campaign before transferring to the Western Front. Awarded the Military Medal for his actions during the Battle of Pozières, he was accepted for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. After flight training in the United Kingdom, Brownell was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted for operational service over the Western Front in September 1917. Moving with his squadron to Italy, he was awarded the Military Cross and credited with shooting down 12 aircraft by war's end. Taking his discharge in 1919, Brownell returned to Australia.
No. 1 Flying Training School is a school of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is one of the Air Force's original units, dating back to the service's formation in 1921, when it was established at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. By the early 1930s, the school comprised training, fighter, and seaplane components. It was re-formed several times in the ensuing years, initially as No. 1 Service Flying Training School in 1940, under the wartime Empire Air Training Scheme. After graduating nearly 3,000 pilots, No. 1 SFTS was disbanded in late 1944, when there was no further requirement to train Australian aircrew for service in Europe.
The Avro Anson Memorial, also known as the RAAF Anson Aircraft Memorial, Air Disaster Memorial, or Mokine Memorial, commemorates four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airmen killed when their Avro Anson aircraft crashed near Clackline, Western Australia on 9 October 1942. The memorial, assembled by members of the local community in the months following the crash, features a cairn of granite and boulders supporting a jarrah cross. The names and details of the deceased airmen − Flying Officer Lynton Birt, Sergeant Geoffrey Debenham, Sergeant Noel Nixon, and Sergeant Kenneth Hugo − are carved into the cross. Birt was interred in the Northam Cemetery, and later reinterred in the Perth war cemetery and annex (N.A.8) while the others were buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.
Western Area Command was one of several geographically based commands raised by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. It was formed in January 1941, and controlled RAAF units located in Western Australia. Headquartered in Perth, Western Area Command was responsible for air defence, aerial reconnaissance and protection of the sea lanes within its boundaries. Its aircraft conducted anti-submarine operations throughout the war, and attacked targets in the Dutch East Indies during the Borneo campaign in 1945.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated Vultee Vengeance dive bombers during World War II. The Australian Government ordered 297 of the type in late 1941 as part of efforts to expand the RAAF. This order was later increased to 400 aircraft. A few Vengeances arrived in Australia during 1942, and large-scale deliveries commenced in early 1943; further orders were cancelled in 1944 after 342 had been delivered.
The CAC Mustang is an Australian variant of the North American P-51 Mustang. It was built under license by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in the final stages of World War II, and though it was too late to see combat, it did participate in the Occupation of Japan after VJ-Day.
↑ G Clarke, B Cowan (20 August 2014). "RAAF A51 Brewster Buffalo". ADF Serials: Australian & New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials & History. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
↑ G Birkett (21 November 2017). "RAAF A27 Vultee Vengeance". ADF Serials: Australian & New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials & History. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
↑ Author not stated; March 1987; Re Crash of Vultee Vengeance A27-195 (sic); Wings, Autumn/March 1987, Vol. 39 No. 1 page 53; RAAF Association, Sydney NSW.
↑ "Presentation of the Standard to No 25 Squadron" on Friday, 31 October 1975": Royal Australian Air Force Base Pearce, Western Australia (14 unnumbered pages): RAAF Museum History and Heritage Branch – Air Force, Point Cook, Victoria, Australia.
↑ City of Perth (1976) Ceremony Program: "Conferment of the Freedom of Entry on the Commanding Officer, Officers and Men of No 25 (City of Perth) (Auxiliary) Squadron"; 2 March 1976 (20 unnumbered pages): City of Perth History Centre Collection, Perth, Western Australia
↑ RAAF Units Awarded the Annual Air Force Association Trophy 1960–2020: Air Force Association (AFA) Australia, National Board of Management. Unpublished Internal Excel Spreadsheet List/Record provided by the AFA's National Secretary, 1 December 2001.
↑ Until November 2022 The Australian War Memorial (AWM) No. 25 Squadron webpage (and thus this article) stated 25 Squadron moved to Tarakan "...in June 1945 until the end of the war." After being requested to review RAAF and other sources the AWM deleted this factual mis-statement as per AWM Information Research Centre RCIS101804 email 1 December 2022.
Bibliography
Dennis, Peter; etal. (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (1sted.). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. ISBN0-19-553227-9.
Eather, Steve (1995). Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force. Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications. ISBN1-875671-15-3.
RAAF, Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force a concise history bomber units. Canberra, ACT: AGPS Press. ISBN0644427957.
Nelmes, Michael V (1994). Tocumwal to Tarakan Australians and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Belconnen, ACT: Banner Books. ISBN1875593047.
Lilleyman, Peter G (2023). No. 25 Squadron RAAF - Perth's Own Squadron: No. 25 City of Perth Squadron: A Brief History & Some Personal Connections & Recollections. Perth, WA: Self-published Edeposit Publication - NED270410 Libraries Australia ID 74175703.
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![RAAF photo June 1967: No 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader C H Mawby (PLT)] in old "summer dress" uniform on annual camp at RAAF Base Darwin (NT) during exercise "High Venus". 25SQNPhotoatRAAFDarwinCampJune1967withC130A Hercules transport aircraft.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/25SQNPhotoatRAAFDarwinCampJune1967withC130A_Hercules_transport_aircraft.jpg/220px-25SQNPhotoatRAAFDarwinCampJune1967withC130A_Hercules_transport_aircraft.jpg)
![RAAF photo c1972-73: No 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader H A Collits (PLT)] on an annual camp providing technical and non-technical support to Mirage lll fighter and other units at RAAF Williamtown, New South Wales. Uniforms are a mix of the RAAF's then new light blue "all-seasons" uniform and the dark blue World War II-era winter "battle dress". 25SQNUnit PhotoWilliamtownCampPhotoc1972-1973.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/25SQNUnit_PhotoWilliamtownCampPhotoc1972-1973.jpg/220px-25SQNUnit_PhotoWilliamtownCampPhotoc1972-1973.jpg)
![RAAF photo c1974-76: No 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader K R Page (NAV)] at its home base, RAAF Pearce, Western Australia wearing the RAAF's then (1970s - 2005) light blue "all-seasons" uniform with "cool weather" tunics. 25SQNUnitPhotoRAAFPearcec1975.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/25SQNUnitPhotoRAAFPearcec1975.jpg/220px-25SQNUnitPhotoRAAFPearcec1975.jpg)
![No. 25 Squadron [Commanding Officer Wing Commander G J Ennis DFC (PLT)] in "working dress" on exercises at RAAF Base Learmonth in 1991 - the Squadron's traditional Black Swan tail emblem is clearly displayed on its Macchi aircraft. 25 Squadron at Learmonth.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/25_Squadron_at_Learmonth.jpg/220px-25_Squadron_at_Learmonth.jpg)
