No. 500 Squadron RAF

No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron RAuxAF
Active 16 Mar 1931 – 11 Jul 1944
1 Aug 1944 – 23 Oct 1945
10 May 1946 – 10 Mar 1957
Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Role Various
Part of Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Nickname(s) County of Kent
Motto(s) Latin: Quo fata vocent
(Translation: "Whither the fates may call")[1][2][3][4]
Battle honours Channel and North Sea, 1939–41
Dunkirk
Biscay ports, 1941
Atlantic, 1941–42
Operation Torch Arzeu -North Africa, 1942–43
Ghisonaccia Gare Aerodrome, Corsica 1943–44
Mediterranean, 1942–44
Italy, 1944–45.[5]
These honours are all emblazoned on the squadron standard
Commanders
Honorary Air Commodores The Duke of Kent[6]
Anthony Eden[7]
Notable
commanders		 Denis Spotswood
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry A horse forcene[4]
The white horse of Kent was adopted to commemorate the squadron's association with that country[2][3]
Squadron Codes SQ (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[8][9]
MK (Sep 1939 – Apr 1944)[10][11]
RAA (May 1946 – 1950)[12][13]
S7 (1950–1951)[14][15]

No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron AAF was formed in 1931 as a Special Reserve squadron and in 1936 became part of the Auxiliary Air Force. It served in a number of roles before being disbanded in 1957.

History

Formation and early years

The Squadron was formed at RAF Manston on 16 March 1931 as the first[16] Special Reserve night-bomber squadron with Vickers Virginia Mk.X aircraft. On 25 May 1936 the role changed to day-bombing and the squadron became part of the Auxiliary Air Force, flying Hawker Harts, later replaced with Hawker Hinds.[2][4]

To Coastal Command

On 7 November 1938 the squadron saw another role change as it was transferred to RAF Coastal Command and became a general reconnaissance squadron flying on Anson Mk.Is. In April 1941 these were replaced with Blenheim Mk.IVs which the squadron used till November 1941, when Lockheed Hudsons took their place. Some of 500 squadron ground crew, went in with the first wave of Operation Torch on 7 November, to secure beachheads and airfields around Arzeu, North Africa. Later, from December 1943, the squadron's Hudsons began to be replaced with Lockheed Ventura Mk.Vs. This process continued until the squadron was completely equipped with them in April 1944. In September 1943, a Special Detachment of RAF 500 squadron was flown into Ghisonaccia, Corsica over several days while the Nazis were still on the island with the orders "to establish squatters rights".[17] The squadron later operated up through Italy. It was briefly disbanded on 11 July 1944, but reformed soon after, handing over their Venturas to No. 27 Squadron SAAF.[2][18]

Back in Bomber Command

The Squadron was reformed on 1 August 1944 at La Sénia as a bomber squadron, receiving Martin Baltimores. In September 1945, No. 500 squadron left Italy and headed for Kenya, being renumbered on arrival 23 October 1945 at RAF Eastleigh to No. 249 Squadron RAF.[2][19][20] During World War II the squadron members had been awarded with 1 GC,[21] 2 DSOs, 21 DFCs, 1 bar the DFC, 9 DFMs and one CGM. Beside these, the squadron was mentioned in dispatches 25 times.[5]

Gloster Meteor preserved wearing the postwar unit markings of No. 500 Squadron.

To Fighter Command

The Squadron was reformed again on 10 May 1946 at RAF West Malling, equipped with Mosquito NF.19s and later NF.30s, as a night fighter squadron in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Later, following an Air Ministry decision to convert all RAuxAF units to day fighter roles, the squadron became equipped with Meteor F.3s.[22] The squadron disbanded finally on 10 March 1957, along with all other flying squadrons of the RAuxAF.[4][23][24]

Notable squadron members

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 500 Squadron RAuxAF[25][26][27][28][29]
FromToAircraftVersion
March 1931January 1936Vickers VirginiaMk.X
January 1936May 1937Hawker Hart
February 1937March 1939Hawker Hind
March 1939April 1941Avro AnsonMk.I. Some of these were modified by the squadron by putting a 303 in the tail, which shocked a lot of Nazi planes and also increased the speed by a few knots when fired!
April 1941November 1941Bristol BlenheimMk.IV
November 1941April 1944Lockheed HudsonMks.III, V. In 1943, 500 Squadron B Flight Unit, adapted their own aircraft by putting a 303 in the nose perspex.
December 1943July 1944Lockheed VenturaMk.V
September 1944February 1945Martin BaltimoreMk.IV
September 1944October 1945Martin BaltimoreMk.V
February 1947August 1947de Havilland MosquitoNF.19
April 1947October 1948de Havilland MosquitoNF.30
May 1948October 1948Supermarine SpitfireF.22
July 1948October 1951Gloster MeteorF.3
July 1951February 1952Gloster MeteorF.4
November 1951March 1957Gloster MeteorF.8

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 500 Squadron AAF, data from[2][26][27][28][30]
FromToBase
16 March 193128 September 1938RAF Manston, Kent
28 September 193830 July 1939RAF Detling, Kent
30 July 193913 August 1939RAF Warmwell, Dorset
13 August 193930 May 1941RAF Detling, Kent
30 May 19412 April 1942RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk
2 April 194231 August 1942RAF Stornoway, Western Isles, Scotland
31 August 19425 November 1942RAF St Eval, Cornwall
5 November 194211 November 1942RAF Gibraltar
11 November 194219 November 1942RAF Tafaraoui, Algeria
19 November 19423 May 1943RAF Blida, Algeria
3 May 19436 January 1944RAF Tafaraoui, Algeria
28 September 1943January 1944RAF Ghisonaccia Gare, Corsica
6 January 194411 July 1944RAF La Senia, Algeria
1 August 194424 August 1944RAF La Senia
24 August 194414 September 1944en route to Italy
14 September 194415 October 1944Pescara, Italy
15 October 19449 December 1944Perugia, Italy
9 December 194410 May 1945Cesenatico, Italy
10 May 194528 September 1945RAF Eastleigh, Kenya
10 May 194610 March 1957RAF West Malling, Kent

Commanding officers

Officers commanding no. 500 Squadron RAuxAF, data from[26][31]
FromToName
March 1931July 1931S/Ldr. S.R. Watkins, AFC
July 1931July 1933W/Cdr. L.F. Forbes, MC
July 1933May 1935W/Cdr. R. Halley, DFC, AFC
May 1935April 1936S/Ldr. G.M. Lawson, MC
April 1936October 1936F/Lt. W.G. Wooliams
October 1936October 1939S/Ldr. G.K. Hohler, Aux.AF
October 1939June 1940S/Ldr. W. LeMay, Aux.AF
June 1940March 1941W/Cdr. G.H. Turner
March 1941July 1941W/Cdr. M.Q. Candler
July 1941April 1942W/Cdr. G.T. Gilbert
April 1942April 1943W/Cdr. D.F. Spotswood, DSO, DFC
April 1943April 1944W/Cdr. D.G. Keddie
April 1944June 1944W/Cdr. C.K. Bonner
June 1944July 1944W/Cdr. C.E.A. Garton
July 1944August 1945W/Cdr. H.N. Garbett
August 1945October 1945W/Cdr. Matson
August 1946February 1949S/Ldr. P. Green, OBE, AFC, R.Aux.AF
February 1949March 1952S/Ldr. M.C. Kennard, DFC, R.Aux.AF
March 1952August 1954S/Ldr. D. de Villiers, R.Aux.AF
August 1954October 1954S/Ldr. D.M. Clause
October 1954March 1957S/Ldr. D.H.M. Chandler

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Hunt 1972, p. 327.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Moyes 1976, p. 262.
  3. 1 2 Rawlings 1982, p. 225.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Halley 1988, p. 388.
  5. 1 2 Brooks 1982, p. 156.
  6. ↑ Hunt 1972, p. 314.
  7. ↑ Brooks 1982, p. 138.
  8. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
  9. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 51.
  10. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 72.
  11. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 90.
  12. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
  13. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 184.
  14. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 95.
  15. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 156.
  16. ↑ Hunt 1972, p. 313.
  17. ↑ Photographic evidence + crew reports and interviews
  18. ↑ Halley 1988, pp. 388,549.
  19. ↑ Halley 1988, pp. 318,388.
  20. ↑ Brooks 1982, p. 136.
  21. ↑ Brooks 1982, pp. 46–47, 68–69.
  22. ↑ Bowyer 1984, p. 113.
  23. ↑ Barrass, M. B. (2016). "No. 500–520 Squadron Histories". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Jefford 2001, p. 96.
  25. ↑ Moyes 1976, pp. 262–263.
  26. 1 2 3 Rawlings 1982, p. 226.
  27. 1 2 Brooks 1982, p. 157.
  28. 1 2 Jefford 2001, pp. 95–96.
  29. ↑ Rawlings 1978, pp. 454–455.
  30. ↑ Rawlings 1978, p. 454.
  31. ↑ Brooks 1982, p. 155.

Bibliography

  • Bowyer, Chaz. Mosquito Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1984. ISBN 0-7110-1425-6.
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Brooks, Robin J. Kent's Own: The History of 500 (County of Kent) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, UK: Meresborough Books, 1982. ISBN 0-905270-54-1.
  • Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes Since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Hunt, Leslie. Twenty-one Squadrons: History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925–57. London: Garnstone Press, 1972. ISBN 0-85511-110-0. (New edition in 1992 by Crécy Publishing, ISBN 0-947554-26-2.)
  • Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1998 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (new edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
  • Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
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