| No. 43 (China-British) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 15 April 1916 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 31 December 1919 (RAF) 1 July 1925 – 16 May 1947 1 February 1949 – 14 October 1967 1 September 1969 – 13 July 2009 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Nickname | 'The Fighting Cocks' |
| Mottos | Latin:Gloria finis ("Glory is the end")[1] |
| Battle honours | Western Front (1917–1918),Arras (1917),Ypres (1917)*,Cambrai (1917),Somme (1918)*, Lys,Amiens (1918),Dunkirk (1940)*,Battle of Britain (1940)*, Home Defence (1940–1942), Fortress Europe (1942), Dieppe, *North Africa (1942–1943)*, Sicily (1943), Salerno, Italy (1943–1945), Anzio and Nettuno*, Gustav Line,France and Germany (1944)*,Gulf (1991),Iraq (2003) Honours marked with an asterisk* are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | AGamecock[2] |
| Squadron Roundel |  |
| Squadron Codes | NQ (November 1938 – September 1939) FT (September 1939 – May 1947) SW (February 1949 – April 1951) AA–AZ (1986 – July 1989) GA–GZ (September 1989 – June 2009) |
Number 43 Squadron, nicknamedthe Fighting Cocks, was aRoyal Air Force aircraft squadron originally formed in April 1916 as part of theRoyal Flying Corps. It saw distinguished service during two world wars, producing numerous"aces". The squadron last operated thePanavia Tornado F3 fromRAF Leuchars,Scotland, in the air defence role, until it was disbanded in July 2009.
_-_India_Office_Official_Record_of_the_Great_War_(1921)_-_BL_Photo_21-116.jpg)
The squadron was formed atStirling,Scotland, on 15 April 1916, fromNo. 18 Reserve Squadron[2] as a unit of theRoyal Flying Corps, and was equipped with various types, which it used for training until December 1916 whenSopwith 1½ Strutters arrived. These were taken to theWestern Front the following month, where it operated as an Army squadron carrying out fighter reconnaissance duties.[citation needed]
In September 1917,Sopwith Camels arrived, and the squadron undertook ground attack duties; the squadron continued in this vein until the end of the war.[3] It was based atLa Gorgue in northern France from 15 January until 22 March 1918.[4]
The squadron receivedSopwith Snipe in August 1918 and conversion was completed in October, but theArmistice prevented these playing a major part in the conflict, instead they were taken to Germany for occupation duties until August 1919, when the squadron moved toRAF Spitalgate and was disbanded on 31 December 1919.[3]
During the course of the war, ten aces served in the squadron, includingHenry Woollett,Cecil Frederick King,John Lightfoot Trollope,Geoffrey Bailey,Harold Balfour,Charles C. Banks,Hector Daniel,George Lingham, andJohn Womersley, all surviving the war.[citation needed] (Robert Johnstone Owen).
The squadron was re-formed atRAF Henlow,Bedfordshire, on 1 July 1925,[2][5][6] (or 1 July 1923),[3][7] once again equipped withSopwith Snipes.[8] In 1926, the squadron converted toGloster Gamecocks, thus inspiring the squadron badge and the nickname "The Fighting Cocks". The black and white checkered markings also date from this era.[9] The squadron flewArmstrong Whitworth Siskins from 1928 and received the first productionHawker Fury Mk.I in May 1931.[10]
Prior to the outbreak of World War II the squadron re-equipped withHawker Hurricane Mk.Is.
On 3 February 1940, three No. 43 Squadron Hurricanes based atRAF Acklington intercepted and shot down a LuftwaffeHeinkel He 111 bomber at Whitby. The formation was led by Flight LieutenantPeter Townsend. The other two pilots were Flying Officer "Tiger" Folkes and Sergeant James Hallowes. It was the first German aircraft to fall on English soil in World War II (although it was not the first to be shot down in the United Kingdom, that having occurred in Scotland). Townsend visited the German rear gunner in hospital the next day, and visited him again in 1968 when Townsend was writing his highly-successful book about the Battle of Britain, "Duel of Eagles," which recounts the incident in detail.[11]
Still flying Hurricanes, the squadron covered theDunkirk retreat,[12] and fought in theBattle of Britain.
In November 1942, No. 43 Squadron moved toNorth Africa, now flyingSupermarine Spitfire Mk.Vcs.[citation needed]
In 1944, as the tide of war turned in favour of the Allies, the squadron moved toFrance, where it was known by the local French population as "les coqs Anglais". By then the squadron's main role was ground attack, strafing and occasionally dive bombing enemy targets. On 9 September 1944, Wing CommanderBarrie Heath, flying Spitfire Mk.IXMJ628, led a formation on the squadron's first sortie into German territory, strafing motor transport and railway communications.[13]
The squadron ended the war inAustria and was disbanded on 16 May 1947.[8]
On 1 February 1949,No. 266 Squadron was renumbered to No. 43 (Fighter) Squadron, flyingGloster Meteor F.4s fromRAF Tangmere,Sussex.[8] The squadron moved toRAF Leuchars,Fife, in 1950 and in 1954 became the first to receive theHawker Hunter F.1, replacing the Meteor F.8.[14] No. 43 (Fighter) Squadron began receiving its first Hunter F.4s on 24 February 1956, before receiving four Hunter F.6s on 2 November 1956 however these were only operated until early December.[15] The Hunters of No. 43 Squadron featured in the 1957 filmHigh Flight.[citation needed] The squadron began to receive the Hunter F.6 for the second time on 10 January 1958, these were operated until being replaced by the Hunter FGA.9, which began to arrive in May 1960.[16]
The Fighting Cocks relocated toRAF Nicosia,Cyprus, in June 1961, before further relocating toRAF Khormaksar,Aden, on 1 March 1963, becoming part ofMiddle East Command (MEC).[17] Within five days of arrival, No. 43 (F) Squadron was flying sorties in theBeihan region as a show of force against theMutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, and by the end of the month had managed 264 flying hours.[17] While based at RAF Khormaksar, No. 43 (F) Squadron operated alongsideNos. 8 and208 Squadrons as part of the Khormaksar Tactical Wing.[17] On 20 June 1963, the squadron sent a detachment of Hunters toBahrain, relieving No. 8 Squadron, before returning on 22/23 August.[17]The Fighting Cocks sent another detachment on 24 September, this time toNairobi,Kenya, with the main purpose being to provide a flying display at the Royal Show, before returning to Khormaksar on 6 October.[17] The squadron briefly relocated toRAF Muharraq, Bahrain, from late December 1963 until late February 1964.[17]
.jpg)
Between April and May 1964, the squadron participated in theRadfan Campaign known as Operation Nutcracker, providingclose air support (CAS) for ground troops.[18] On 17 April 1964, Hunter FGA.9XG136 crashed while carrying out manoeuvres, killing the pilot Flying Officer Herring.[19] In July 1964,the Fighting Cocks had their Hunters pooled with No. 8 Squadron.[16] On 11 August, another Hunter was lost whenXE624 suffered an engine flame out shortly after take-off and couldn't be recovered, pilot Fg. Off. Burrows safely ejected.[20] On 18 August, the squadron carried out a strike on the Jabal Fahman mountain where dissidents where supposed to be located.[18] In October 1964 the squadron carried out 15 strikes – 11 inDhala on the 6th, with the rest inMudiyah on the 29th.[18] From 8 to 16 October, five pilots from No. 43 (F) Squadron and five from No. 8 Squadron spent a brief deployment with six Hunters atRAF Masirah onMasirah Island, which ended with the loss of Fg. Off. Stephens who was killed after flying into the sea on the return journey to Khormaksar.[18][21] On 15 November, MEC announced to the squadron that operations inRadfan would be limited to solely providing CAS for the army.[18] Few operational tasks were taken in December 1964, with one of the few sorties being an attack on a gun emplacement at Beihan on the 5th.[18]
In January 1965, sorties increased with an attack being carried out by eight Hunters on 16 January against a dissident camp and supply dump in the Wādī Yahar region.[22] More strikes were carried out on 25, 26 and 29 January.[22] On 11 February, the squadron carried out an 15-ship flypast in the form of a 78 to celebrateNo. 78 Squadron being presented its squadron standard.[22] Sorties picked back up in March, with 94 being flown in total, with 80 of these being a response to MiGs from theUnited Arab Republic Air Force who were entering into Aden's airspace.[22] On 8 May, a pair of Hunters carried out a strike on a dissident position nearAl-Khuraybah, with another pair attacking a fort destroying an arms dump in the process.[22] Between 10 and 25 June, the squadron deployed to RAF Masirah to undergo a training exercise which included high level reconnaissance sorties overSharjah,United Arab Emirates, andMuscat,Oman, as well as practising a hypothetical war situation.[22] On 1 September 1965, 13 sorties were flown which saw multiple strikes being carried out against dissidents in the Jabal Khuder region.[22] Operations were briefly suspended for a month on 25 September after the constitution of theAden Protectorate was suspended by theHigh Commissioner of AdenSir Richard Turnbull.[22][23] The squadron ended the year with a strike being conducted on 31 December in the Wādī Taym area in support of45 Commando who requested assistance.[22]
On 16 and 29 January 1966,the Fighting Cocks flew naval co-operation exercises withHMSEagle, which saw 2 versus 2 combat being carried out againstde Havilland Sea Vixens.[24] February saw operations being carried out in support of theSpecial Air Service, with assistance being given on 1st and top cover being provided on 15th.[24] The squadron celebrated its 50th anniversary on 15 April 1966 with three separate flypasts, the first being an 18-ship in the form of a 43.[24] On 11 May, the squadron conducted a strike on two houses in the village of Al-Mazabah which were reported to hold military supplies.[24] On 31 June, four Hunters from No. 43 (F) Squadron launched an attack on dissidents who were preparing to free political prisoners fromJaʿār prison, while caught by surprise the mission was reported as unsuccessful.[24] 106 sorties were flown in August 1966, the most since June 1964, which primarily includedshows of force.[24] On 13 September, three strikes were carried out – one on Wādī Bana and a further two on Wādī Yahar, the attacks were launched as a way of dissuasion towards local dissidents.[24] On 28 October, No. 43 (F) Squadron provided top cover for theIrish Guards,HMSFearless andWestland Wessex HC.2s of No. 78 Squadron as part of Operation Fate, which saw an assault onHawf.[24] December saw a decrease in sorties, with only 26 border patrols, three scrambles and three shows of force.[24]
January 1967 saw less than 20 sorties being carried out, however February saw an increase to 53 sorties – including a twelve-ship strike being launched in Wādī Bana on 24 February.[25] On 15 May, No. 43 (F) Squadron carried out a preemptive strike on an arms shipment in Jabal Al Urays to prevent it from being received by a local dissident leader.[25] The squadron carried out another attack on Wādī Bana on 21 June, usingRP-3 high explosive rockets and the Hunter's gun pack.[25] August sawthe Fighting Cocks flying 101 sorties, this included an attack by eight Hunter FGA.9s on the fort atShurjan, that had been taken over by theNational Liberation Movement, which was struck by 89 rockets and 2,940 rounds of ammunition.[25] Sorties ramped up even further in September, seeing 142 missions being flown in total, with up to five air cover sorties being flown each day from the 14 September onwards.[25] On 24 September, six Hunters launched as a show of force to three different forts inWādī Hadhramaut, which were over 250 miles away from Khormaksar, after the Hadhrami Bedouin Legion called for assistance.[25] October 1967 was the squadron's busiest month while based at RAF Khormaksar with a 159 sorties being flown, with an average of 1 hour 40 minutes each. On 14 October 1967, No. 43 (F) Squadron was formally disbanded,[8] marked by a flypast of six Hunters, however operations officially continued up until November whenSouth Yemen was given independence,[25] with the last No. 43 (F) Squadron sortie being carried out on 9 November against rebels in Kirch.[26]
No. 43 (Fighter) Squadron received its firstMcDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 (XT874) on 6 June 1969 at RAF Leuchars.[27] The squadron officially reformed at Leuchars on 1 September 1969, operating as part of NorthernQuick Reaction Alert (QRA).[8]The Fighting Cocks received the FG.1 (which had an extendable nose wheeloleo strut among a few other differences), as opposed to the FGR.2 operated by other RAF units, due to the cancellation of refit works on HMS Eagle.[28] In November 1970, the squadron deployed eight Phantoms toRAF Luqa,Malta, to participate in Exercise Lime Jug 70, which aimed to improve co-operation between the RAF andRoyal Navy.[29]
The Fighting Cocks deployed ten Phantoms to RAF Luqa between February and March 1973 for an Armament Practice Camp (APC), and were later joined by aircraft fromHMSArk Royal.[30] No. 43 (F) Squadron lost its first Phantom on 18 September 1975, whenXV580 lost control during a 'Canadian break' manoeuvre and crashed nearForfar,Angus, with both crew ejecting.[31] The squadron deployed once again for an APC at Luqa in November 1975, this time operating alongsideAvro Vulcans andAvro Shackletons.[30] Between February and March 1978, No. 43 (F) Squadron participated in another APC at RAF Luqa.[30]
On 9 July 1981, the squadron lost Phantom FG.1XT866 after an instrument failure on approach to Leuchars which led to a loss of control, both crew safely ejected.[32]
No. 43 (Fighter) Squadron celebrated their 70th anniversary in 1986 by giving Phantom FG.1XV571 a special commemorative scheme.[28]
The Fighting Cocks briefly operated three Phantom FGR.2s (XV406,XV470 andXV489) between May 1988 and July 1989.[33] No. 43 (F) Squadron's last Phantoms departed Leuchars on 31 July 1989 in preparation for conversion to thePanavia Tornado F.3.[33]
The first Tornado F.3s arrived at Leuchars in September 1989.[33] With the Tornado F.3, the squadron participated in the 1991Gulf War and maintained a presence in theIraqi no-fly zones. Later, No. 43 (F) Squadron crew and personnel were tasked with QRA duty (short notice air defence 'scrambles'), both in Fife, and in the Falklands as part ofNo. 1435 Flight and participated inOperation Telic.[8] The squadron was awarded the "Freedom of the City" ofStirling in 2005, the squadron being Stirling's home squadron in the past.[34]
To mark the 90th anniversary ofthe Fighting Cocks, the squadron's flagshipZG757 received an all gloss black paint scheme, which was later reduced to just a gloss black spine and tail and 90th anniversary emblem on the tail.[35]
In April 2008, the squadron absorbedNo. 56 (Reserve) Squadron to perform the role of Tornado F.3Operational Conversion Unit,[36] with No. 56 Squadron reforming in theISTAR role.[37]
No. 43 (F) Squadron stood down on 13 July 2009 for the fourth time in its history, with it initially rumoured that it would reform as the third operationalEurofighter Typhoon squadron.[38]
The Squadron Standard, presented in person by HM The Queen at RAF Leuchars on 4 June 1957, was laid up on Sunday 22 May 2016 in theChurch of the Holy Rude, Stirling, after it was understood the unit would not be reformed as a Typhoon squadron.[39] The No. 43 Squadron Standard is emblazoned with a black gamecock badge on a field of sky blue and surrounded with the following honours: Western Front 1917–1918, Ypres 1917, Somme 1918, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain 1940, North Africa 1942–1943, Anzio and Nettuno, and France and Germany 1944.
Aircraft operated include:[45][46]
| Formations and units |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branches and components | |||||||
| Reserve forces | |||||||
| Equipment | |||||||
| Personnel | |||||||
| Appointments | |||||||
| Symbols and uniform | |||||||
| Associated civil organisations | |||||||
