| No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron RAuxAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 November 1938 – 29 August 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957 1 April 2019 - |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Reserve Sqn |
| Role | ISTAR |
| Part of | Royal Auxiliary Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Waddington |
| Nickname(s) | South Yorkshire |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Nulla Rosa Sine Spina (Translation: "No rose without a thorn")[1][2] |
| post 1951 aircraft insignia |  |
| Commanders | |
| Honorary Air Commodore | The Duke of Portland[3] |
| Notable commanders | Colin Falkland Gray, Percy "Laddy" Lucas |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A white Yorkshire rose, superimposed on an arrow[2] The badge commemorates the squadron's association with Yorkshire as the South Yorkshire Auxiliary Squadron[1] |
| Squadron Codes | QJ (Apr 1939 – Jul 1941)[4] YQ (Jul 1941 – Aug 1945, 1949 – Apr 1951)[5] RAW (Jul 1946 – 1949)[6] |
No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron is an active Reserve unit of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) assigned to the RAF ISTAR Force at RAF Waddington. It was originally formed as a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force in 1938, active throughout World War 2 as a fighter unit, becoming the 1st operational RAF unit to fly jets and disbanded in 1957. The unit reformed in its current guise in April 2019 as 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
- ^ a b Rawlings 1978, p. 509.
- ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 434.
- ^ Pitchfork 2009, pp. 124–125.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 117.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.