No. 616 Squadron RAF

No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron RAuxAF
616 Squadron badge
Active1 November 1938 – 29 August 1945
10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957
1 April 2019 -
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeReserve Sqn
RoleISTAR
Part ofRoyal Auxiliary Air Force
Garrison/HQRAF 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 CommodoreThe Duke of Portland[3]
Notable
commanders
Colin Falkland Gray, Percy "Laddy" Lucas
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA 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 CodesQJ (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.

  1. ^ a b Rawlings 1978, p. 509.
  2. ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 434.
  3. ^ Pitchfork 2009, pp. 124–125.
  4. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
  5. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 117.
  6. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.