No. 249 Squadron RAF - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

No. 249 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

squadron, active in the sea-patrol, fighter

RAF Fighter Command

RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...

and bomber

RAF Bomber Command

RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...

roles during its existence.

First formation

No. 249 Squadron was formed for the first time on 18 August 1918 from Nos. 400, 401, 419 and 450 flights at Dundee

Dundee

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

Equipped with a variety of seaplanes the squadrion flew coastal patrol and anti-submarine duties as part of No. 78 Wing RAF. It remained at Dundee until April 1919 when it moved to RNAS Killingholme

Killingholme

Killingholme is an area of Lincolnshire, comprising the villages of North Killingholme and South Killingholme. It is the site of two oil refineries, the Humber Refinery and Lindsey Oil Refinery, and an liquid petroleum gas storage facility .It is also a fast expanding port, handling RORO ferries...

, without its aircraft. The squadron disbanded not long after on 8 October 1919.

During World War II

On 16 May 1940, 249 squadron reformed as a fighter squadron

RAF Fighter Command

at RAF Church Fenton

RAF Church Fenton

RAF Church Fenton is a Royal Air Force airfield at Church Fenton in North Yorkshire, England.- History :Plans for a new airfield adjacent to the village of Church Fenton were announced in June 1935, it was subject to protest from the local population particularly concerning the waste of valuable...

. Equipped with Hurricanes

Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

, the unit fought in the Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...

. The only Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

awarded to an RAF Fighter Command

RAF Fighter Command

pilot during the Battle of Britain, was won by James Brindley Nicolson whilst serving with 249 squadron.

Into the jet age

The squadron was stationed at RAF Deversoir in the Egyptian Canal Zone

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

in 1952, flying Vampires

De Havilland Vampire

The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...

Present

In the year 2000 the Squadron gave its number to an Air Cadet Squadron based in Hailsham

Hailsham

Hailsham is a civil parish and the largest of the five main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the town of Hailsham has had a long history of industry and agriculture...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. This was because 249 Squadron lost a man over the town during the Battle of Britain. The Air Cadets Squadron is also an affiliated member of 249 Squadron Association.

Noted squadron members

Wg Cdr John "Beazle" Beazley DFC
Hugh John Beazley
Wing Commander Hugh John Sherard "Beazle" Beazley, DFC was a famed World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot.- Early life :...
Flt Lt George "Buzz" Beurling DSO DFC DFM*
George Beurling
George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling DSO, DFC, DFM & Bar, RCAF , was the most successful Canadian fighter pilot of the Second World War....
Wg Cdr Percy "Laddie" Lucas CBE DSO DFC
Percy Lucas
Percy Belgrave "Laddie" Lucas, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC, , was a Royal Air Force Officer, left-handed golfer, author and Member of Parliament .-Early and family life:...
Sqn Ldr Robert "Buck" McNair
Wg Cdr Tom "Ginger" Neil DFC* AFC AE
Tom Neil
Wing Commander Thomas Francis "Ginger" Neil, DFC*, AFC, AE is a famed World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot, ace and one of the few remaining survivors of the Battle of Britain. Neil scored a total of 14 kills during the Second World War....
Wg Cdr Eric Nicolson VC DFC
Eric James Brindley Nicolson
Fully recovered by September 1941, Nicolson was posted to India in 1942. Between August 1943 and August 1944 he was a Squadron Leader and C.O. of No 27 Squadron, flying Bristol Beaufighters over Burma. During this time he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross....
Flt Lt "Titch" Palliser DFC AE

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated
From	To	Aircraft	Version
Aug 1918	Mar 1919	Short 184
Aug 1918	Nov 1918	Sopwith Baby Sopwith Baby -See also:... , Fairey Hamble Baby Fairey Hamble Baby -See also:...
Aug 1918	Mar 1919	Curtiss H.12B Curtiss Model H The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the ₤10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, the Daily Mail, for the first non-stop aerial crossing...
Aug 1918	Mar 1919	Felixstowe F.2 Felixstowe F.2 \|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bruce, J.M. Flight, 2 December 1955, pp. 842–846.* Bruce, J.M. Flight, 16 December 1955, pp. 895–898.* Bruce, J.M. Flight, 23 December 1955, pp. 929–932.... a, Felixstowe F.3 Felixstowe F.3 -See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bruce, J.M. "". Flight, 2 December 1955, pp.842—846.* Bruce, J.M. "". Flight, 16 December 1955, pp.895—898.* Bruce, J.M. "". Flight, 23 December 1955, pp. 929—932.... , Felixstowe F.5 Felixstowe F.5 -See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bruce, J.M. " Flight, 2 December 1955, pp. 842—846.* Bruce, J.M. " Flight, 16 December 1955, pp. 895—898.* Bruce, J.M. " Flight, 23 December 1955, pp. 929—932....
May 1940	Jun 1940	Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...	Mk.I
Jun 1940	Feb 1941	Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...	Mk.I
Feb 1941	Mar 1942	Hawker Hurricane	Mks.IIa, IIb
May 1941	Aug 1941	Hawker Hurricane	Mk.I
Feb 1942	Sep 1944	Supermarine Spitfire	Mks.Vb, Vc
Jun 1943	Nov 1943	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IX
Sep 1944	Apr 1945	North American Mustang P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...	Mk.III
Apr 1945	Jun 1945	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IX
May 1945	Jun 1945	North American Mustang	Mk.III
Jun 1945	Aug 1945	North American Mustang	Mk.IV
Oct 1945	Apr 1946	Martin Baltimore Martin Baltimore The Martin 187 Baltimore was a two-engined light attack bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company in the United States, originally ordered by the French in May 1940 as a follow-up to the earlier Martin Maryland, then in service in France. With the fall of France, the production series was...	Mks.IV, V
Mar 1946	Aug 1946	De Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	FB.26
Dec 1946	Mar 1950	Hawker Tempest Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....	F.6
Feb 1950	May 1952	De Havilland Vampire De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...	FB.5
Jan 1952	Apr 1955	De Havilland Vampire	FB.9
Oct 1954	Dec 1955	De Havilland Venom De Havilland Venom The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....	FB.1
Jul 1955	Oct 1957	De Havilland Venom	FB.4
Oct 1957	Jan 1960	English Electric Canberra English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...	B.2
Nov 1959	Oct 1961	English Electric Canberra	B.6
Oct 1961	Feb 1969	English Electric Canberra	B.16

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