No. 59 Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1 August 1916 – 4 August 1919 28 June 1937 – 15 June 1946 1 Dec 1947 – 31 October 1950 1 Sept 1956 – 4 January 1961 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Air Force |
Motto(s) | Latin: Ab uno disce omnes ("From one teach all") [1] |
Insignia | |
Badge | A broken wheel. |
Squadron codes | PJ Sep 1938 – Sep 1939 TR Sep 1939 – Oct 1942 1 Aug 1943 – Jul 1944 WE Jul 1944 – Oct 1945 BY Oct 1945 – Jun 1946, Dec 1947 – Oct 1950 |
No. 59 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, based in Norfolk, England.
No.59 Squadron was formed at Narborough Airfield in Norfolk on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. [2] On 13 February 1917, the squadron crossed the English Channel, deploying to Saint-Omer in northern France to operate in the army co-operation role, equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8s. [3] On 1 April 1918 all RFC squadrons were absorbed into the newly formed Royal Air Force (RAF)
During the Second World War No. 59 Squadron was attached to RAF Fighter Command (1937–1940), Bomber Command (taking part in the Millennium II raid on Bremen) and Coastal Command (1940–1945). After the war, it was attached to Transport Command, flying troops to India from September 1945 until 15 June 1946, when the squadron was disbanded. On 1 December 1947 whilst at RAF Waterbeach, half the crew of No 51 Squadron were designated to reform as No 59 Squadron. At 0800 the move from RAF Waterbeach to RAF Abingdon commenced whereupon the arrival of their commanding officer, Squadron Leader E.V Best A.F.C at 1000, the squadron officially reformed, as a Long Range Transport Unit flying Avro Yorks. A detached flight would later take part in the Berlin Airlift (1948–49). The squadron disbanded again on 31 October 1950, then reformed at RAF Gutersloh, Germany in August 1956, when No. 102 Squadron was re-numbered No 59 Sqn flying English Electric Canberra B.2s and B(I).8s. No 59 Squadron was last disbanded in 1961, when it was re-numbered to No.3 Squadron. [4]
No. 206 Squadron is a Test and Evaluation Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Until 2005 it was employed in the maritime patrol role with the Nimrod MR.2 at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It was announced in December 2004 that 206 Squadron would disband on 1 April 2005, with half of its crews being redistributed to Nos. 120 and 201 Squadrons, also stationed at Kinloss. This was a part of the UK Defence Review called Delivering Security in a Changing World; the Nimrod MR.2 fleet was reduced in number from 21 to 16 as a consequence.
Number 8 Squadron of the Royal Air Force last operated the Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1 (AWACS) from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. As of 2020, the RAF AWACS fleet was made up of three Sentry AEW1s, down from seven originally ordered in the late 1980s. Pursuant to the 2021 defence review, the E-3D Sentry aircraft made its final flight in U.K. service in August 2021.
Number 23 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force responsible for 'day-to-day space operations', having been reformed in January 2021, as the first "space squadron". Up until its disbandment in October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.
Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth.
No. 7 Squadron is a special operations support squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC6 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire.
No. 30 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft and is based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.
No. 220 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) was founded in 1918 and disbanded in 1963 after four separate periods of service. The squadron saw service in both the First and Second World Wars, as a maritime patrol unit, and finally as part of Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent.
No. 21 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1979.
No. 26 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1976.
No. 36 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed in 1916 at Cramlington Aerodrome, just north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in order to defend a section of the North East coast from German Zeppelin attacks at night. Disbanded shortly after the end of WWI, it was reformed as a torpedo bomber unit and served in Singapore and Burma in the 1930s, seeing action in 1941–42 when Japan entered the war. After re-equipping with Vickers Wellingtons, it served the remainder of the war as an anti-submarine unit, in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and later in UK home waters. After WWII the squadron operated intermittently in various roles, including maritime reconnaissance, and later as a transport unit flying C-130 Hercules until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.
No. 40 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport as No. 40 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and was disbanded for the last time in 1957. The squadron also included many non-British members, including volunteers from the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force.
No. 102 Squadron was a Royal Air Force night bomber squadron in the First World War and a heavy bomber squadron in the Second World War. After the war it flew briefly as a transport squadron before being reformed a light bomber unit with the Second Tactical Air Force within RAF Germany. Its last existence was as a Thor strategic missile unit.
No. 52 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both World War I and World War II.
No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars.
No. 62 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was originally established as a Royal Flying Corps squadron in 1916 and operated the Bristol F2B fighter in France during the last year of the First World War. After the war the squadron was disbanded and it was re-established in 1937 as part of the buildup of the RAF in the late 1930s. During the Second World War the Squadron was deployed to the Far East, operating the Bristol Blenheim from Singapore and Malaya. In 1942 No. 62 Squadron was re-equipped with the Lockheed Hudson and it moved to Sumatra, then Burma and then India. After the close of World War II the squadron disbanded for the second time. It was briefly re-established from 1946 to 1947 as a Dakota squadron and operated out of Burma and India. It final incarnation was as a Bristol Bloodhound missile unit in the early 1960s.
No. 204 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit first formed in March 1915 as No.4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service.
No. 608 Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It flew during its existence as a bomber, fighter and reconnaissance unit and was the only RAF squadron to be equipped with the unsuccessful Blackburn Botha torpedo bomber.
No. 223 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Originally formed as part of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), the Squadron flew in both World Wars.
No. 98 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I and World War II. It flew fighter-bombers post-war, and converted to fighters in 1955. Reformed as a ballistic missile unit between 1959 and 1963, its final incarnation was as a radar calibration unit. It was disbanded in 1976.
RAF Iceland is a former Royal Air Force command which controlled RAF units within Iceland. The command was operational between July 1941 and July 1945 during the Second World War, the unit was previously No. 30 Wing RAF.