No. 605 Squadron was formed as an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron. Initially formed as a bomber unit, it became a fighter squadron prior to the Second World War and was one of the most successful participants of the Battle of Britain. It also had the distinction of being active during the war on two fronts at the same time, when the squadron was split up between Malta and the Dutch East Indies. In its last incarnation as an active flying unit, the squadron served as the first jet fighter unit in the post-war Royal Auxiliary Air Force; 616 having already flown Gloster Meteors during the war. No. 605 Squadron was reformed as a RAuxAF Logistic Support Squadron (LSS) on 1 Nov 2014 within No. 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing of the RAF A4 Force. On the 1 January 2019, the Reserve Logistic Support Wing (RLSW) was established with 501, 504 and 605 LSS Squadron's moving from No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing RAF to form RLSW.
| No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron RAuxAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 5 October 1926 – March 1942 7 June 1942 – 31 August 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957 1 November 2014 – |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Auxiliary Air Force |
| Role | Logistics |
| Part of | No 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing, RAF A4 Force |
| Nickname(s) | County of Warwick |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Nunquam Dormio (Translation: "I Never Sleep")[1][2][3] |
| Battle honours | Dunkirk* Battle of Britain, 1940* Malta, 1941* Eastern Waters, 1942* Fortress Europe, 1942–1943* Home Defence, 1944* France and Germany, 1944–1945* Honours marked with an asterisk* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard[4] |
| Commanders | |
| Honorary Air Commodore | Viscount Bearsted (1928–1937)[5] William Lindsay Everard (1937–1947)[6] J.A.C. Wright (1947–1957) |
| Notable commanders | Archie McKellar, Eric William Wright, Peter Townsend, Bertie R. O'Bryen "Sammy" Hoare |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | On a mount, a bear supporting a ragged staff[1][2][3] |
| Squadron Codes | HE (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[7] UP (Jan 1942 – Aug 1945)[8] RAL (May 1946 – 1949)[9] NR (1949 – Apr 1951)[10] |
History
editFormation and early years
editNo. 605 Squadron was formed on 5 October 1926 at RAF Castle Bromwich as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force, recruiting in the Birmingham area. Initially equipped with DH.9As, it received Westland Wapitis in April 1930 and Hawker Harts in October 1934. The latter were replaced by Hawker Hinds in August 1936. On 1 January 1939 No. 605 Squadron was re-designated as a fighter squadron and re-equipped with Gloster Gladiators.[11][12]
Second World War
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Hawker Hurricanes began to arrive a few weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War, and the squadron took up its war station at RAF Tangmere with a mixture of six Hurricanes and ten Gladiators, completing re-equipment during October 1939. In February 1940 the squadron moved to Scotland, but returned south in May to fly patrols over northern France for a week before moving back to Scotland at RAF Drem. It again moved south again in September for the closing stages of the Battle of Britain. It then continued to operate from bases in the south, carrying out escort duties and fighter sweeps until posted overseas.
Malta and the Far East
editIn November 1941, the squadron were embarked on the aircraft carrier HMS Argus and taken via Gibraltar to a launch point near enough to Malta that they would be able to fly the remaining distance. See Club Run and Operation Perpetual. The squadron was then temporarily based at Malta in order to augment the island's defences, prior to elements of the squadron continuing their journey to the Far East. Arriving in Singapore too late to prevent its capture, the squadron moved to Sumatra and then to Java, in the event caught up in the Japanese invasion.[13] It operated any aircraft it could fly until it ceased to exist with its personnel either escaping in small groups or being captured. In the meantime, the small detachment of the squadron that had been left on Malta during the transit journey to the Far East, began operations on 10 January 1942[14] using the 605 squadron number in its reports. This ended two months later when these detachments were absorbed into No. 185 Squadron RAF.[11][12]
Reformation as night intruders
editA new No. 605 squadron was formed at RAF Ford on 7 June 1942, equipped with Douglas Boston and Havocs in the intruder role. These were replaced with de Havilland Mosquitos from February 1943 and it continued to operate this type until the end of the war. During this period, Peter Middleton, the grandfather of the Duchess of Cambridge, was a pilot on the squadron.[15] The squadron moved to Belgium in March 1945 and then the Netherlands in April. The squadron disbanded by being re-numbered to No. 4 Squadron RAF on 31 August 1945 at Volkel Air Base.[11][12]
One of the squadron's Mosquitos FB.VI TA122 is now on permanent display at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum located in Hertfordshire.
After the war
editWith the reactivation of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, No. 605 Squadron was reformed on 10 May 1946 at RAF Honiley as a night fighter squadron, though its initial equipment of Mosquito NF.30s did not arrive until April 1947. In July 1948 the squadron's role was changed to that of a day fighter squadron, for which it received de Havilland Vampire F.1s, replacing them with Vampire FB.5s in May 1951. A little short of six years later the squadron was disbanded, along with all the flying units of the RAuxAF, on 10 March 1957.[11][12]
Present day
editNo. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron was reformed as a RAF Reserve Logistics Support Squadron on 1 Nov 2014 within No. 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing of the RAF A4 Force. Based at RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton. The first reservist recruiting event was 30 May 2015, recruiting drivers, chefs, suppliers and police, which will be broken down as 112 part-time and 14 full-time posts.
605 Squadron currently deploys personnel onto RAF exercises and RAF operations across the world including recent deployments in 2022 and 2023 to The Falklands, Cyprus, The USA and The Middle East.
They were fully operational by May 2018 and as of 2023 are still recruiting Logisticians including Drivers, Suppliers, Police and Chefs.[16]
Aircraft operated
edit| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1926 | June 1930 | Airco DH.9A | |
| April 1930 | December 1934 | Westland Wapiti | Mk.IIa |
| February 1934 | August 1936 | Hawker Hart | |
| August 1936 | February 1939 | Hawker Hind | |
| February 1939 | October 1939 | Gloster Gladiator | Mks.I, II |
| August 1939 | December 1940 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.I |
| December 1940 | August 1941 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.IIa |
| August 1941 | March 1942 | Hawker Hurricane | Mk.IIb |
| July 1942 | October 1942 | Douglas Havoc | Mks.I, II |
| July 1942 | March 1943 | Douglas Boston | Mk.III |
| February 1943 | July 1943 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.II |
| July 1943 | August 1945 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.VI |
| April 1947 | January 1949 | de Havilland Mosquito | NF.30 |
| July 1948 | May 1951 | de Havilland Vampire | F.1 |
| April 1951 | March 1957 | de Havilland Vampire | FB.5 |
Squadron bases
edit| From | To | Base | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 October 1926 | 27 August 1939 | RAF Castle Bromwich, England | First formation |
| 27 August 1939 | 11 Feb 1940 | RAF Tangmere, Sussex, England | |
| 11 Feb 1940 | 27 Feb 1940 | RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland | |
| 27 Feb 1940 | 21 May 1940 | RAF Wick, Caithness, Scotland | |
| 21 May 1940 | 28 May 1940 | RAF Hawkinge, Kent, England | |
| 28 May 1940 | 7 Sept 1940 | RAF Drem, Lothian, Scotland | |
| 7 Sept 1940 | 26 Feb 1941 | RAF Croydon, Surrey, England | |
| 26 Feb 1941 | 31 March 1941 | RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, England | |
| 31 March 1941 | 1 July 1941 | RAF Tern Hill, Shropshire, England | |
| 1 July 1941 | 4 Sept 1941 | RAF Baginton, Warwickshire, England | |
| 4 Sept 1941 | 31 October 1941 | RAF Honiley, Warwickshire, England | Left to Far East from here on HMS Argus |
| 5 Nov 1941 | 12 Nov 1941 | RAF Gibraltar | to Malta via HMS Argus and HMS Ark Royal |
| 12 Nov 1941 | 18 March 1942 | RAF Hal Far, Malta | Dets. at RAF Luqa and RAF Ta Kali. Absorbed into No. 185 Squadron |
| c. January 1942* | 2 Feb 1942 | Singapore | *arrived too late to prevent Fall of Singapore |
| 3 Feb 1942 | 10 Feb 1942 | Batavia, Dutch East Indies | ad-hoc operations whilst pursued by advancing Japanese forces |
| 10 Feb 1942 | 14 Feb 1942 | Palembang, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies | 605 personnel join with Nos. 238 and 242 Squadron RAF on 14 Feb.[citation needed] |
| 14 Feb 1942 | Feb 1942 | Tjililitan, Java, Dutch East Indies | ad-hoc operations whilst pursued by advancing Japanese forces |
| Feb 1942 | March 1942 | Tasik Malaya, Java, Dutch East Indies | Dispersed from here, some ground personnel captured as POWs[24] |
| 7 June 1942 | 15 March 1943 | RAF Ford, Sussex, England | Second formation |
| 15 March 1943 | 6 October 1943 | RAF Castle Camps, Cambs, England | |
| 6 October 1943 | 7 April 1944 | RAF Bradwell Bay, Essex, England | |
| 7 April 1944 | 21 Nov 1944 | RAF Manston, Kent, England | |
| 21 Nov 1944 | 15 March 1945 | RAF Hartford Bridge, Hampshire, England | Airfield name changed to RAF Blackbushe, December 1944 |
| 15 March 1945 | 28 April 1945 | B.71/Koksijde, Belgium | |
| 28 April 1945 | 31 August 1945 | B.80/Volkel, the Netherlands | |
| 10 May 1946 | 11 March 1957 | RAF Honiley, Warwickshire, England | Third formation and last disbandment |
| 1 Nov 2014 | Present | RAF Cosford, Shropshire, England | Reformed as a Logistics Support Squadron |
Commanding Officers
editCommanding Officers of 605 Squadron include:[25][26][27]
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| October 1926 | March 1936 | S/Ldr. J.A.C. Wright, AFC, TD |
| March 1936 | December 1939 | S/Ldr. Lord Willoughby de Broke, MC, AFC |
| December 1939 | May 1940 | S/Ldr G.V. Perry |
| May 1940 | June 1940 | F/Lt. R.G. Grant-Ferris, MP (acting) |
| June 1940 | September 1940 | S/Ldr. W.M. Churchill, DSO, DFC |
| September 1940 | November 1940 | S/Ldr. A.A. McKellar, DSO, DFC |
| November 1940 | November 1940 | F/Lt. C.F. Currant, DFC (acting) |
| February 1942 | March 1942 | S/Ldr. E.W. Wright, DFM (Batavia) |
| June 1942 | August 1942 | W/Cdr. P.W. Townsend, DSO, DFC |
| August 1942 | May 1943 | W/Cdr. G.L. Denholm, DFC |
| May 1943 | September 1943 | W/Cdr. C.D Tomalin, AFC |
| September 1943 | April 1944 | W/Cdr. B.R.O'B Hoare, DSO, DFC and Bar |
| April 1944 | September 1944 | W/Cdr. N.J. Star, DFC |
| September 1944 | March 1945 | W/Cdr. R.A.Mitchell, DFC and Bar |
| March 1945 | April 1945 | S/Ldr. A.G.Woods, DFC (acting) |
| April 1945 | July 1945 | W/Cdr. A.W. Horne, DFC, AFC |
| July 1945 | May 1946 | S/Ldr. I.F.McCall, DFC (acting) |
| May 1946 | December 1947 | S/Ldr. R.J. Walker, DSO |
| December 1947 | July 1949 | S/Ldr. R.C.T. Goodwin |
| July 1949 | August 1951 | S/Ldr. J.A. Timmis |
| August 1951 | May 1956 | S/Ldr. P.M.R. Walton |
| May 1956 | March 1957 | S/Ldr. R.E. Tickner |
| March 1957 | All RAuxAF units disbanded | |
| August 2014 | Reformed as a Logistics Support and RAF Police Sqn | |
| August 2014 | November 2015 | Wg Cdr. M. Sherburn |
| November 2015 | January 2016 | Sqn Ldr. T. Newton, (acting) |
| January 2016 | May 2019 | Wg Cdr. P.N. Bell |
| May 2019 | July 2019 | Wg Cdr. A.G. Kime (acting) |
| July 2019 | October 2021 | Sqn Ldr. C.J. Krolikowski |
| October 2021 | June 2022 | Flt Lt. M. Salt (acting) |
| June 2022 | Present | Sqn Ldr J. A. Roylance |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 422.
- ^ a b Rawlings 1976, p. 486.
- ^ a b Moyes 1976, p. 276.
- ^ Piper 1996, p. 223.
- ^ Piper 1996, p. 17.
- ^ Piper 1996, p. 33.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 102.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 77.
- ^ a b c d e f Halley 1988, p. 423.
- ^ a b c d e f Jefford 2001, p. 100.
- ^ Thomas 2003, pp. 68–69 and 46.
- ^ Thomas 2003, pp. 29 and 46.
- ^ "New lease of life for historic squadron at its RAF Cosford home". The Shropshire Star. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Disbanded squadron at RAF Cosford in Shropshire to re-form". BBC News. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ Moyes 1976, p. 277.
- ^ Piper 2003, pp. 95–96.
- ^ Rawlings 1976, p. 487.
- ^ Moyes 1976, pp. 276–277.
- ^ Piper 1996, pp. 241–242.
- ^ "Base overview on 605 website". Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ Base overview on RAFcommands website
- ^ "Journey From the Far East". BBC; WW2 People's War. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ Piper 1996, pp. 239–240.
- ^ Rawlings 1976, p. 488.
- ^ Piper 2003, p. 94.
Bibliography
edit- Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- Ford-Jones, Martyn R. (2004). Desert Flyer: The Log and Journal of Flying Officer William Marsh. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7643-0347-3.
- Halley, James J. (1980). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-083-9.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Hunt, Leslie (1972). Twenty-One Squadrons: The History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925–1957. London: Garnstone Press. ISBN 0-85511-110-0.
- Jefford, Wing Commander C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
- Piper, Ian (2003). 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron. Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire, UK: 605 Squadron Association. ISBN 0-9529516-1-4.
- Piper, Ian (1996). We Never Slept: the Story of 605 County of Warwick, Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1926–1957. Kingsbury, Tamworth, Staffordshire, UK: Ian Piper. ISBN 0-9529516-0-6. (reprinted in 1997)
- Rawlings, John (1976) [1969]. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft (2nd ed.). London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
- Thomas, Andrew (2003). Hurricanes Aces: 1941–45. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-610-0.
External links
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