No. 64 Squadron was a
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
of the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
. It was first formed on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the
Royal Flying Corps. It was disbanded on 31 January 1991 at
RAF Leuchars.
History
1916 to 1919
No. 64 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed at
Sedgeford in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
on 1 August 1916. Initially, it was equipped with a variety of types for training purposes, including
Henry Farman
Henri Farman (26 May 1874– 17 July 1958) was a British-French aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. Before dedicating himself to aviation he gained fame as a sportsman, specifically in cycling and moto ...
s,
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2bs,
Avro 504
The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...
s and
Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying character ...
s. In June 1917, the squadron re-equipped with its intended operational equipment, the
Airco DH.5 fighter, and began to work up ready for operations.
[Halley 1980, pp. 101–102.] The DH.5 had poor altitude performance,
[Bruce 1965, p. 131.] and so the squadron extensively practiced low-level flying both prior to and following its move to France on 14 October 1917.
[Jones 1934, p. 235.] On 20 November, the British launched the
Battle of Cambrai, an offensive supported by the use of large number of tanks and No. 64 Squadron supported the British troops, flying many low-level ground attack missions, both during the British attack,
[Jones 1934, pp. 235–240, 243–247.] and during the German counterattack that followed.
[Jones 1934, pp. 253–254.]
The DH.5s were replaced by
SE.5As in March 1918 and conducted both fighter and ground-attack operations for the remainder of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. It returned to
Narborough in February 1919, where it was disbanded on 31 December 1919. During the World War I era, the squadron claimed in excess of 130 victories, and produced eleven
aces, among whom were
James Anderson Slater,
Edmund Tempest,
Philip Scott Burge,
Thomas Rose Thomas Rose may refer to:
* Thomas G. Rose (1901–1979), English cricketer
* Thomas M. Rose (born 1948), U.S. federal judge
* Thomas Rose (RAF officer) (1895–1968), British flying ace
* Thomas Rose (died 1837), publican and pioneer settler i ...
,
Charles Cudemore,
William H. Farrow,
Dudley Lloyd-Evans,
Edward Dawson Atkinson, and
Ronald McClintock.
1936 to 1939
On 1 March 1936, 64 Squadron reformed at
Heliopolis,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, from two flights detached from
6 and
208 Squadrons, both equipped with the
Hawker Demon
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...
two-seat
biplane fighters although it was officially announced that it was based at
Henlow
Henlow is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The name Henlow is believed to derive from the old English ''henna hlaw'', meaning ...
,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
in order to not give the impression that British air strength in Egypt was being built up.
[Dunnell 2015, p. 34.] Italy had
invaded Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
in October 1935, and Britain feared that the war could escalate into a conflict between Britain and Italy. As a result, the squadron moved to
Ismailia
Ismailia ( ar, الإسماعيلية ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population of 1,406,699 (or approximately 750,000, includi ...
in North-East Egypt on 9 April 1936. If hostilities broke out, its orders were to move west to
Mersa Matruh
Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...
, with duties of attacking Italian airfields and providing fighter cover to refuelling bombers at
advance airfield Advance airfield and forward airfield are military terms for a relatively primitive ad-hoc airfield used for refueling and re-arming air units as part of forward operations near the enemy. Also called advanced airfield for its advanced position, not ...
s.
[Dunnell 2015, pp. 32–35.] By the beginning of June 1936, Italy had conquered Ethiopia, ending the risk of war between Britain and Italy. The squadron left Egypt for the United Kingdom in August 1936 to become part of the UK air defences.
[Dunnell 2015, p. 36.]
On return to Britain, the squadron was based at
RAF Martlesham Heath,
Suffolk, initially as part of
11 Group and transferring to
12 Group in October 1937.
From May 1938 64 squadron's two-seat Demons were based at
RAF Church Fenton
Royal Air Force Church Fenton or RAF Church Fenton was a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England and north west of Selby, North Yorkshire, near the village of Church Fenton. The station wa ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
and the unit was reequipped with
Bristol Blenheim Mk I(F) fighters starting in December 1938. After the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the squadron was engaged in patrols off the British East Coast and in December 1939 provided fighter defence for the
Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow from
Evanton
Evanton ( gd, Baile Eòghainn or gd, Am Baile Ùr) is a small village in Easter Ross, in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It lies between the River Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of Inverness, some sout ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, for a month.
1940 to 1967
In April 1940 the squadron converted to the
Supermarine Spitfire Mk I. It was immediately engaged in the covering of the
Dunkirk evacuation and later took part in the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. In short order 64 squadron operated from
Kenley
Kenley is an area within the London Borough of Croydon. Prior to its incorporation into Greater London in 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is situated south of Purley, east of Coulsdon, north of Caterham and Whyteleafe and w ...
starting 16 May 1940, from
Leconfield
Leconfield is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, about north-west of Beverley town centre on the A164 road. The civil parish consists of Leconfield, the village of Arram and the hamlet of Scorborough. The 2011 ...
starting 19 August, from
Biggin Hill starting 13 October, from
Coltishall
Coltishall is a village on the River Bure, west of Wroxham, in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located within the Norfolk Broads.
History
Coltishall's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Cohhede's la ...
starting 15 October, and from
Boscombe Down
MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Def ...
starting 1 September 1940.
In May 1941, No. 64 Squadron moved up to Scotland for air defence duties but moved back south in November to take part in sweeps over northern France, until March 1943 when it moved back up to Scotland again. Then in August 1943 it moved back south again to resume offensive operations and in June 1944, moved to
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
for 2 months before beginning long-range escort missions from
East Anglia. During that time the squadron was equipped with various marks of the
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
: Mk IIA January to November 1941, Mk VB November 1941 to July 1942, and March to September 1943, Mk VC September 1943 to July 1944, and finally Mk IX June 1942 to March 1943, and June to November 1944. In 1944 64 Squadron took part in the operations of the
Normandy Landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
,
Operation Market Garden, and the
Battle of the Scheldt
The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Alli ...
.
In November 1944 the squadron received the
North American ''Mustang III'' and flew these for the rest of the war covering daylight raids of the
RAF Bomber Command on
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. After the end of hostilities the squadron moved to
RAF Horsham St Faith
RAF Horsham St Faith is a former Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England which was operational from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport.
RAF Bomber Command use
The airfield was first developed ...
and received the ''Mustang IV'' in August 1945.
In March 1946 No. 64 Squadron received
De Havilland Hornet F.1 twin-engined fighters and moved to
RAF Linton-on-Ouse
RAF Linton-on-Ouse was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England, north-west of York. It had satellite stations at RAF Topcliffe and Dishforth Airfield (British Army).
The station opened in 1937. With t ...
in August of the same year. The F.1 was replaced by the ''Hornet F.3'' in April 1948. In March 1951 the squadron converted to the
Gloster Meteor F.4/F.8 jet fighter. The squadron was also relocated to
RAF Duxford
Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Mus ...
. In September 1956 the F.8s were replaced by the radar-equipped, two seat ''Meteor NF.12/NF.14''.
In September 1958 64 squadron then converted to the
Gloster Javelin FAW.7/FAW.9. In 1964 the squadron moved to
RAF Tengah ''Tengah'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "Central". It can be found in topography, e.g.
*Kalimantan Tengah
*Tengah Islands or Central Archipelago.
*Tengah, Singapore
*Tengah Air Base
The Tengah Air Base is a military airbase of ...
, partnering
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of No. 1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire flying the Airbus H135 Juno HT1.
The squadron badge is a markhor's head and was app ...
. The squadron was disbanded on 16 June 1967.
1968 to 1991
Since then the squadron had been the
'Shadow'/Reserve identity of
No. 228 OCU, flying the
McDonnell Douglas ''Phantom FG.1/FGR.2'', first from
RAF Coningsby
Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and ho ...
since 16 May 1968 and then from
RAF Leuchars, to where the OCU moved on 22 April 1987. When No. 228 OCU was disbanded on 31 January 1991, so was No. 64 Squadron.
Notable members
*
Art Donahue
Arthur Gerald Donahue, (29 January 1913 – 11 September 1942) was an American fighter pilot who volunteered to fly for the British Royal Air Force in World War II. He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command between 10 Ju ...
*Squadron Leader/Wing Commander
Michel Donnet
Michel G. L. "Mike" Donnet, (1 April 1917 – 31 July 2013) was a Belgian pilot who served in the Belgian Army and British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He shot down four enemy aircraft confirmed, and achieved the RAF rank o ...
*Flying Officer
Raymond Sanders Draper
*
Adrian Francis Laws
*
Wing Commander
Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
Dudley Lloyd-Evans
*
John Noble MacKenzie
*
Jackie Mann
Jackie Mann, (11 June 1914 – 12 November 1995) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain, who in later life was kidnapped by Islamists in Lebanon in May 1989 and held hostage for more than two years.
RAF career
Born in Nort ...
*
James O'Meara
James Joseph "Orange" O'Meara, (20 February 1919 – 5 July 1974) was a Royal Air Force officer and fighter pilot of the Second World War. He became a flying ace during the Battle of Britain while flying the Supermarine Spitfire, and by war's ...
No. 64 Squadron in fiction
At the start of episode 2 of the miniseries
Piece of Cake the Adjutant, Flight Lieutenant 'Uncle' Kellaway reveals, during his recap of the events of episode 1, that it was one of the
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
s of No 64 Squadron that was accidentally shot down by Hornet Squadron.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Royal Air Force History: History of No. 64 Squadron*
ttp://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn061-65.htm Air of Authority: No 61 - 65 Squadron Histories
External links
Article about Major Arne Austeen, former 64 Squadron pilot
{{RAF squadrons
064 Squadron
064 Squadron
Military units and formations established in 1916
1916 establishments in the United Kingdom