No. 605 Squadron RAF

No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron RAuxAF
Active5 October 1926 – March 1942
7 June 1942 – 31 August 1945
10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957
1 November 2014 –
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Auxiliary Air Force
RoleLogistics
Part ofNo 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 honoursDunkirk*
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 CommodoreViscount 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 heraldryOn a mount, a bear supporting a ragged staff[1][2][3]
Squadron CodesHE (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[7]
UP (Jan 1942 – Aug 1945)[8]
RAL (May 1946 – 1949)[9]
NR (1949 – Apr 1951)[10]

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.

  1. ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 422.
  2. ^ a b Rawlings 1976, p. 486.
  3. ^ a b Moyes 1976, p. 276.
  4. ^ Piper 1996, p. 223.
  5. ^ Piper 1996, p. 17.
  6. ^ Piper 1996, p. 33.
  7. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
  8. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 102.
  9. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
  10. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 77.