| No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 August 1916 (RFC) to 1919 1934–1961 1964–1970 1970–1974 1986–1992 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Heraldic badge of the squadron displayed on theBattle of Britain Monument in London |
| Mottos | Latin:Vi et armis "By force and arms"[1] |
| Battle honours | Western Front, 1917–1918*: Cambrai, 1918*: Somme, 1918*: France & Low Countries*: Dunkirk: Battle of Britain, 1940*: Home Defence, 1940–42: Fortress Europe, 1941–1944*: Channel & North Sea, 1942–1945*: Dieppe: Normandy, 1944: Arnhem: France & Germany, 1944–1945*: Baltic 1945: Honours marked with an asterisk are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | In front of fifteen swords in pile, the hilts in base, a lion passant.[2] The number of swords refers to a memorable combat in which fifteen enemy aircraft were destroyed. |
| Post 1950 Squadron Roundel |  |
| Squadron codes | FZ (Oct 1938 – Sep 1939) YT (Sep 1939 – Apr 1951) |
No. 65 Squadron was a flyingsquadron of theRoyal Air Force, which formed in 1916. the squadron saw action in both the First and the Second World Wars, before being reformed as a Bloodhound unit in the 1960s. The squadron then became an Operational Conversion Unit before disbanding in 1992.
The squadron was first formed atWyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of theRoyal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training station atNorwich.[3] It served as a training unit as part of the Norwich based No. 7 Training Wing until equipping withSopwith Camels and transferring to France as an operational fighter squadron in October 1917.[4][5] By the end of theFirst World War, it had claimed about 200 victories, including one incident a week before the Armistice, when a dogfight between the squadron and enemy aircraft resulted in at least nine enemy aircraft shot down, and a further 'probable' eight victories.[6] Thirteen aces had served with it, including:John Inglis Gilmour,Joseph White,Maurice Newnham,Thomas Williams,William Harry Bland,Alfred Leitch,Jack Armand Cunningham,Godfrey Brembridge, andGeorge M. Cox.[7]Arthur G. Jones-Williams, who would go on to long-range flight record attempts in 1929, also served in the squadron.[8]
The squadron was disbanded atRAF Yatesbury in October 1919.[9]
The squadron reformed in 1934 atRAF Hornchurch with theHawker Demon, converting to theGloster Gauntlet in 1936 and theGloster Gladiator in 1937.[10] DuringWorld War II, the squadron operatedSupermarine Spitfires, having converted from Gladiators in 1939.[6] The squadron was active during theBattle of Britain, with at least one pilot,Bolesław Drobiński, shooting down at least seven enemy aircraft.[11] Another noted pilot wasWing Commander Brendan Eamonn Fergus Finucane better known asPaddy Finucane, who flew with the squadron in 1940 and 1941.[12] In December 1943, the squadron converted toNorth American Mustangs. For a period of time theirWing Commander wasReg Grant.[13]
In 1946, the unit converted to the Spitfire LF.XVIe and then thede Havilland Hornet, theGloster Meteor F.4 and F.8, then theHawker Hunter F.6 (December 1956) at RAF Duxford from August 1952 until the squadron disbanded on 31 March 1961,[14] and then reformed in 1964 as asurface-to-air missile unit, operating theBristol Bloodhound.[15] During this period, it was based atRAF Seletar,Singapore, and it disbanded again in 1970.[16] From 1970, No. 65 Squadron became the reserve squadron number forNo. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF at RAF Coltishall, until its disbandment in the mid 1970s. It was thereafter the reserve squadron number ofNo. 229 Operational Conversion Unit RAF at RAF Coningsby.[15] It was last disbanded atRAF Coningsby in June 1992, by re-numbering asNo. 56 (Reserve) Squadron, after serving as theOperational conversion unit for thePanavia Tornado F.2 and F.3 interceptor, with the alternative identity ofNo. 229 Operational Conversion Unit RAF.[17]
Bolesław Drobiński, a Polish pilot who shot down seven Germans while flying with 65 Squadron during the battle said: "it is truly wonderful – a magnificent film."
