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No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron is a British Royal Air Force squadron. It was first formed in 1936 and was disbanded in 1957 after seeing combat as a fighter unit during the Second World War. It was reformed as a reserve squadron in 2013.

No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron RAuxAF
No. 611 Squadron badge
Active10 February 1936 – 15 August 1945
10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957
2013 – current
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Part ofRoyal Auxiliary Air Force
BaseRAF Woodvale
Nickname(s)West Lancashire
Motto(s)Beware Beware[1][2]
Commanders
Honorary Air CommodoreG.L. Pilkington
Notable
commanders		Roland "Bee" Beamont
Insignia
Squadron BadgeIn front of a trident, a rose[2]
The rose points to the County of Lancaster and the trident to Liverpool[1]
Squadron CodesGZ (May 1939 – Sep 1939)[3]
FY (Sep 1939 – Aug 1945
and 1949 – Apr 1951)[4]
RAR (May 1946 – 1949)[5]
Post-1950 squadron roundel

History



Early years


The squadron was formed at RAF Hendon, Middlesex on 10 February 1936[1][2] as a day bomber unit. The squadron set up its permanent base at RAF Speke (now Liverpool John Lennon Airport) on 6 May and began recruiting personnel from Liverpool and the surrounding area. Its first Hawker Hart light bombers arrived in June, being replaced by Hawker Hinds from April 1938.


Wartime operations


Flight Lieutenant Barrie Heath of 611 Squadron, photographed in 1940 on the wing of Spitfire IIa P7883 Grahame Heath, named after his brother.
Flight Lieutenant Barrie Heath of 611 Squadron, photographed in 1940 on the wing of Spitfire IIa P7883 "Grahame Heath", named after his brother.
Two Spitfire Mk.IX of 611 Sqn. over Biggin Hill in 1943.
Two Spitfire Mk.IX of 611 Sqn. over Biggin Hill in 1943.

On 1 January 1939, the unit became a fighter squadron, receiving its first Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I's in May. The squadron left for RAF Duxford on 13 August, as part of the Fighter Command's No. 12 Group, After a period of defensive duties on the east coast, No. 611 became fully operational from its RAF Digby base in Lincolnshire in May 1940, firstly over Dunkirk and then taking part in the Battle of Britain campaign with the Duxford Wing, 12 Group's 'Big Wing' formation. The squadron commenced offensive sweeps over occupied northern France in January 1941, based at RAF Hornchurch, moving to RAF Drem in Scotland for recuperation in November 1941. The unit moved south again in June 1942 to RAF Kenley for deployment on shipping reconnaissance, escort and defensive missions. For Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy) it was equipped with the Spitfire V LF as part of Air Defence of Great Britain, though under the operational control of RAF Second Tactical Air Force. No. 611 provided covering patrols for the invasion from its base at RAF Deanland.[6] The squadron then moved to south-west England for a short period.

Long-range escort missions began to be flown from RAF Bradwell Bay, Essex, from late August 1944, until No. 611 moved to RAF Skeabrae in Orkney on 3 October. After converting to Merlin powered North American Mustang Mk.IV's the squadron again moved south, this time to RAF Hawkinge in Kent and resumed escort duties for the rest of the war. The squadron disbanded as an RAF squadron on 15 August 1945 at RAF Peterhead.[2]


Postwar operations


No. 611 Squadron Meteor F.8 WH505 'A' outside the Belfast Truss hangars at RAF Hooton Park in September 1952
No. 611 Squadron Meteor F.8 WH505 'A' outside the Belfast Truss hangars at RAF Hooton Park in September 1952

The squadron reformed again at Liverpool's Speke airport on 10 May 1946 as a fighter squadron within the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Because of growing airliner movements at Speke, the unit moved to RAF Woodvale near Southport on 22 July 1946 equipped with Spitfire F.14's and from June 1948 with the higher performance Spitfire F.22. Gloster Meteor F.4 jet fighters were received in May 1951, these requiring a move to the longer runways at RAF Hooton Park on the Wirral on 9 July. Re-equipment with updated Meteor F.8's came in December 1951 and these were flown from Hooton Park until the squadron disbanded on 10 March 1957, together with all other RAuxAF flying units.[2]

611 Squadron was reformed at RAF Woodvale during 2013 in line with the expansion of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force recommended by the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) Commission and endorsed by the Air Force Board Standing Committee. The commission was set up by the Prime Minister in 2010 to examine the shape and role of the Reserve Forces as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The role of the squadron is to provide trained personnel to other RAF units.[7]


Notable Pilots


Barrie Heath with a piece of a Dornier Do 215.
Barrie Heath with a piece of a Dornier Do 215.

Aircraft operated


Aircraft operated by no. 611 Squadron RAF, data from[2][8][9]
From To Aircraft Version
June 1936April 1938Hawker Hart
April 1938June 1939Hawker Hind
May 1939September 1940Supermarine SpitfireMk.I
Aug 1940October 1940Supermarine SpitfireMk.IIa
October 1940March 1941Supermarine SpitfireMk.I
February 1941May 1941Supermarine SpitfireMk.IIa
May 1941July 1941Supermarine SpitfireMk.Va
June 1941November 1941Supermarine SpitfireMk.Vb
November 1941February 1942Supermarine SpitfireMks.IIa, IIb
January 1942July 1942Supermarine SpitfireMk.Vb
July 1942July 1943Supermarine SpitfireMk.IX
July 1943July 1944Supermarine SpitfireLF.Mk.Vb
July 1944March 1945Supermarine SpitfireMk.IX
December 1944December 1944Supermarine SpitfireMk.VII
March 1945August 1945North American MustangMk.IV
November 1946August 1949Supermarine SpitfireFR.14
February 1949November 1951Supermarine SpitfireF.22
May 1951April 1952Gloster MeteorF.4
March 1952February 1957Gloster MeteorF.8

Squadron bases


Bases and airfields used by no. 611 Squadron RAF, data from[2][8][10]
From To Base
10 February 19366 May 1936RAF Hendon, Middlesex
6 May 193613 August 1936RAF Speke, Lancashire
13 August 193610 October 1939RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire
10 October 193914 December 1940RAF Digby, Lincolnshire
14 December 194027 January 1941RAF Rochford, Essex
27 January 194120 May 1941RAF Hornchurch, Essex
20 May 194116 June 1941RAF Rochford, Essex
16 June 194113 November 1941RAF Hornchurch, Essex
13 November 19413 June 1942RAF Drem, East Lothian, Scotland
3 June 194213 July 1942RAF Kenley, Surrey
13 July 194220 July 1942RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk
20 July 194227 July 1942RAF Redhill, Surrey
27 July 19421 August 1942RAF Ipswich, Suffolk
1 August 194223 September 1942RAF Redhill, Surrey
23 September 19421 July 1943RAF Biggin Hill, Kent
1 July 194331 July 1943RAF Matlaske, Norfolk
31 July 19434 August 1943RAF Ludham, Norfolk
4 August 19436 September 1943RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
6 September 194313 September 1943RAF Southend, Essex
13 September 19438 February 1944RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
8 February 194419 February 1944RAF Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
19 February 194429 February 1944RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
29 February 194423 June 1944RAF Deanland, Sussex
23 June 19443 July 1944RAF Harrowbeer, Devon
3 July 194417 July 1944RAF Predannack, Cornwall
17 July 194430 August 1944RAF Bolt Head, Devon
30 August 19443 October 1944RAF Bradwell Bay, Essex
3 October 194431 December 1944RAF Skeabrae, Orkney, Scotland
31 December 19443 May 1945RAF Hawkinge, Kent
3 May 19457 May 1945RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire
7 May 194515 August 1945RAF Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
10 May 194626 June 1946RAF Speke, Lancashire
26 June 194622 July 1946RAF Hooton Park, Cheshire
22 July 19469 July 1951RAF Woodvale, Lancashire
9 July 195110 March 1957RAF Hooton Park, Cheshire
RAF Woodvale, Lancashire

Commanding officers


Officers commanding no. 611 Squadron RAF, data from[11][12]
From To Name
8 February 19394 September 1939S/Ldr. G.L. Pilkington
4 September 193919 October 1940S/Ldr. J.E. McComb, DFC
19 October 194018 May 1941S/Ldr. E.R. Bitmead, DFC
18 May 194128 June 1941S/Ldr. F.S. Stapleton, DFC
28 June 194117 November 1941S/Ldr. E.H. Thomas, DFC
17 November 194112 September 1942S/Ldr. D.H. Watkins, DFC
12 September 194217 February 1943S/Ldr. H.T. Armstrong, DFC
17 February 194322 April 1943S/Ldr. C.'Wag'Haw, DFM, Order of Lenin
22 April 194326 August 1943S/Ldr. E.F.J. Chorley, DFC
26 August 194326 August 1944S/Ldr. W.A. Douglas, DFC
26 August 194417 January 1945S/Ldr. P.R. McGregor, CdG
17 January 194513 July 1945S/Ldr. D.H. Seaton, DFC
13 July 194515 August 1945S/Ldr. P.C.P. Farnes, DFM
10 May 194631 August 1948S/Ldr. W.J. Leather, DFC
31 August 19486 November 1951S/Ldr. R.P. Beamont, DSO, DFC
6 November 1951May 1952S/Ldr. H.R.P. Pertwee, DFC
May 1952May 1952S/Ldr. D.P. Sampson, DFC
May 195215 January 1954S/Ldr. S.G. Nunn, DFC
15 January 19541 June 1956S/Ldr. S. Kirtley
1 June 195610 March 1957S.Ldr. S. Walker

See also



References



Citations


  1. Moyes 1976, p. 279.
  2. Halley 1988, p. 428.
  3. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
  4. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 42.
  5. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
  6. Delve 1994, p. 137.
  7. "611 (West Lancashire)". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  8. Jefford 2001, pp. 100–101.
  9. Rawlings 1978, pp. 498–500.
  10. Rawlings 1978, p. 498.
  11. Rawlings 1978, p. 500.
  12. "611 Squadron – Commanding Officers".

Bibliography




Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 611 Squadron RAF.


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