France & Low Countries, 1940* Dunkirk* Battle of Britain, 1940* Home Defence, 1940–42 Fortress Europe, 1941–42 Malta, 1942 Egypt & Libya, 1942* El Alamein* El Hamma North Africa, 1943* Sicily, 1943* Italy, 1943–45* Anzio & Nettuno Gustav Line Gothic Line Honours marked with an asterisk* are those that are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Number 601 (County of London) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF Reserves, based in London. The squadron took part in the Battle of Britain, during which the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of the squadron.
Reactivated in 2017, it is a specialist squadron "tapping into the talents of leaders from industry, academia and research to advise and shape and inspire [the RAF]".[10]
History
Formation
No. 601 Squadron was formed at RAF Northolt on 14 October 1925 when a group of wealthy aristocratic young men, all of whom were amateur aviators, decided to form themselves into a Reserve Squadron of the RAF after a meeting in White's Club, London.[11] The original officers were picked by the first commanding officer, Lord Edward Grosvenor, youngest son of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster. Grosvenor tested potential recruits by plying them with alcohol to see if they would behave inappropriately. Grosvenor wanted officers "of sufficient presence not to be overawed by him and of sufficient means not to be excluded from his favourite pastimes, eating, drinking and White's".[12] The Squadron was initially known as "the millionaires squadron", a nametag gained because of a reputation for filling their ranks with the very 'well-heeled'. Most of these affluent young pilots had little regard for the rigid discipline of the regular service; they lined their uniform tunics with bright red silk and wore blue ties rather than the regulation black. They played polo on brand-new Brough Superior motor cycles, drove fast sports cars (the squadron car park was said to resemble a Concours d'Elegance) and most of the pilots owned their own private aircraft.
Second World War
The Squadron became a day fighter unit in 1940 and operated both the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. Aircrew attrition and transfers to other units, war quickly took its toll on the pre-war personnel and as replacements were drafted in from all walks of life and all parts of the Commonwealth to cover casualties and promotions, the Squadron became as cosmopolitan as any other.[13]
Postwar operations
The unit reformed in 1946 as a fighter squadron within the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), initially equipped with the Spitfire, followed by the jet powered De Havilland Vampire and the Gloster Meteor twin-jet. The squadron disbanded along with all other RAuxAF units during the defence cuts of early 1957.
Present
Reforming on 20 April 2017 at RAF Northolt, 601 Squadron is now a Specialist Support Squadron of the RAuxAF. The 3 principal roles of the Squadron are to provide advice to the Chief of the Air Staff and the RAF to help address important issues; to provide access to new networks that the RAF has not traditionally been connected with; and to develop advocates for the RAF.
Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 601 Squadron, data from[14][15][16]
Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham (1920 - 1981). Painter, teacher and author of 'One man's window' his autobiographical account of the Siege of Malta otherwise titled as 'Malta Spitfire Pilot - Ten weeks of terror April - June 1942.
^Christopher Shore; Clive Williams (15 July 2008). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the ..., Volume 2. Grub Street Publishing. p. 335.
^"P/O B. P. Legge". Battle of Britain London Monument. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
^"F/O H. C. Mayers". Battle of Britain London Monument. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN0-85059-364-6.
Halley, James J. (1980). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN0-85130-083-9.
Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN0-85130-164-9.
Hunt, Leslie (1972). Twenty-One Squadrons: The History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925–1957. London: Garnstone Press. ISBN0-85511-110-0.
Jefford, Wing Commander C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN1-85310-053-6.
Moulson, Tom (1964). The Flying Sword: The Story of 601 Squadron. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.
Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN0-354-01027-1.
Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN0-7106-0187-5.
Rawlings, John (1976) [1969]. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft (2nd ed.). London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. ISBN0-354-01028-X.
Robinson, Anthony (1999) [1987]. RAF Squadrons in the Battle of Britain. London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN1-86019-907-0.