No. 205 Squadron was aRoyal Air Force unit formed on 1 April 1918. Prior to this it had existed as No. 5 Squadron of theRoyal Naval Air Service (RNAS). In 1929, it became the first RAF squadron to be permanently based inSingapore, taking as its mottoPertama di Malaya ("First in Malaya"). No. 205 Squadron operated during theSecond World War and theCold War before disbanding on 31 October 1971.

No. 205 Squadron RAF
No. 205 Squadron badge
Active	Royal Naval Air Service 2 August 1915 – October 1915 31 December 1916 – 1 April 1918 Royal Air Force 1 April 1918 – 22 January 1920 15 April 1920 – 1 April 1923 8 January 1929 – 31 March 1942 23 July 1942 – 31 October 1971
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying squadron
Role	Maritime Reconnaissance
Motto(s)	Malay:Pertama di Malaya ("First in Malaya")[1][2][3]
Commanders
Notable commanders	H M Cave-Browne-Cave
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A kris and a trident in saltire[3] The badge points to two aspects of the squadron's history, the trident referring to its RNAS origins and the kris to its association with Malaya[1][2]
Squadron Codes	KM (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939 Allocated, no confirmation of use)[4] FV (Sep 1939 – Mar 1942)[5][6]

No. 5 Squadron of theRoyal Naval Air Service was formed atDover on 2 August 1915 from elements of No. 4 Squadron RNAS, which had relocated to Eastchurch. However, in October 1915, No. 5 Squadron ceased to exist as it was absorbed into RNAS Dover.

On 31 December 1916, 'B' Squadron of No. 5 (Naval) Wing was redesignated No. 5 (Naval) Squadron. It operatedSopwith 1½ Strutters, makingbombing raids onBelgian ports and German airfields. In August 1917, the squadron was equipped withDH.4s. No. 5 (Naval) Squadron was attached to 5th Brigade of theRoyal Flying Corps in February 1918. On 1 April 1918, atBois de Roche, France (some sources sayPetite-Synthe^[1][7]), it transferred to theRoyal Air Force and was redesignated No. 205 Squadron RAF. No. 205 Squadron's operations continued with raids against ports and attacks on German airfields until the end of the war. In September 1918, it was re-equipped withDH.9As.

It produced at least three notable aces, inEuan Dickson,^[8]Charles Bartlett, andWalter Naylor.

The squadron relocated to La Louveterie in Belgium following the end of hostilities before moving toHucknall Airfield in March 1919, where it was first reduced to cadre status and disbanded on 22 January 1920.^[3]

Reformed atRAF Leuchars on 15 April 1920, the squadron operated as a fighter-reconnaissance unit withParnall Panthers. It was disbanded on 1 April 1923, after being redesignated to No. 441 Flight.^[3] The squadron was reformed when the RAF'sFar East Flight was redesignated No. 205 Squadron on 8 January 1929, becoming the Air Force's first squadron to be permanently based at Singapore. It carried out survey flights withSupermarine Southamptons, re-equipping withShort Singapores in April 1935. From 1929 to 1930, the squadron commander wasGroup CaptainH M Cave-Browne-Cave. Cave-Browne-Cave had previously been Officer Commanding the Far East Flight.

At the outbreak ofWorld War II, No. 205 Squadron flew patrols over the approaches to Singapore and the Indian Ocean, employing bases inCeylon and theNicobar Islands as outstations. It was re-equipped withPBY Catalinas in 1941 before being withdrawn from Singapore and relocated toJava, leaving three aircraft atSelatar Air Base. One of 205 Squadron's Catalinas became the first Allied casualties of the war with Japan. According to Japanese reports found after the war Flying Officer Edwin Beddell's Catalina had spotted the Japanese invasion fleet approaching Northern Malaya when he was attacked by a catapult-launched float plane which must have damaged his radio. A short time later Beddell's plane was attacked by fiveKi-27 which shot him down. The Japanese report states the Catalina exploded 400 feet above the sea. When Japanese forces invaded Java the squadron retired to the south of the island and then to Australia, where it disbanded on 31 March 1942.Reformed in Ceylon on 23 July 1942, the squadron's Catalinas flewanti-submarine andair-sea rescue patrols out ofKoggala for the remainder of the war.

No. 205 Squadron continued Catalina operations from its base at Koggala until 1949, when it was re-equipped withSunderland Vs and returned toSeletar, Singapore. During 1950 and 1951, a detachment was based atIwakuni in Japan, carrying out patrols along theKorean coast. Detachments were also based atRAF Trincomalee,RAF Kai Tak andRAF Changi. Squadron Headquarters was moved to Changi in March 1959, leaving a detachment of Sunderlands at Seletar. The unit then began converting to land-basedmaritime patrol operations, equipped withAvro Shackletons. On 15 May 1959 the squadron flew the RAF's last Sunderland operation out ofRAF Seletar, Singapore. No. 205 Squadron continued Shackleton patrols until it disbanded on 31 October 1971.

Source:^[1][2][3][7]

Notable personnel who served with No. 205 Squadron include the following.

Included here are personnel who served with No. 5 Wing RNAS

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

• RAF Squadron history
• Air of Authority Squadron history
• Leslie Tomlin's War at RAF Koggala, Sri Lanka 1942-45