Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. It was the first squadron to fly a

VTOL A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can takeoff and landing, take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust- ...

aircraft. It currently operates

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Syste ...

aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. The squadron motto, ''In omnibus princeps'' ("First in all things") reflects the squadron's status as the RAF's oldest unit, having been involved in almost every major British military operation from the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

to the present time. These include the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

, and

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

(Iraq).

History

Early years (1878–1918)

No. 1 Squadron's origins go back to 1878 when its predecessor, No. 1 Balloon Company, was formed at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proof test, proofing, and explosives research for ...

, Woolwich as part of the Balloon Section. On 1 April 1911 the Air Battalion of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

was created. The battalion initially consisted of two companies, with No. 1 Company, Air Battalion taking responsibility for

lighter than air A lifting gas or lighter-than-air gas is a gas that has a density lower than normal atmospheric gases and rises above them as a result, making it useful in lifting lighter-than-air aircraft. Only certain lighter-than-air gases are suitable as lift ...

flying. The first Officer Commanding was Captain E. M. Maitland. On 13 May 1912, with the establishment of the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

, No. 1 Company of the Air Battalion was redesignated No. 1 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. No. 1 Squadron was one of the original three Royal Flying Corps squadrons. Maitland continued as the new squadron's Officer Commanding and he was promoted to major several days after the establishment of the squadron. It retained the airships ''Beta'' and ''Gamma'', adding ''Delta'' and ''Eta'', as well as kites and a few spherical balloons. However, in October 1913 a sudden decision was made to transfer all the airships to the Naval Wing of the RFC (which became the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

by Admiralty dictat, not Cabinet decision, on 1 July 1914). While retaining kites 1 Squadron was reorganised as an 'aircraft park' for the British Expeditionary Force. On 1 May 1914, Major Charles Longcroft was appointed as the new squadron commander. Apart from a few weeks as a supernumerary in August and September 1914, Longcroft continued as the squadron commander until January 1915. Brit Flying Squad

The squadron was reformed as an aircraft squadron in August 1914, and equipped with a mixture of

Avro 504 The Avro 504 is a single-engine biplane bomber made by the Avro, Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during World War I totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind ...

s and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8s, crossed over to France on 7 March 1915,Halley 1971, p.10. under the command of Major Geoffrey Salmond, later Chief of the Air Staff. It operated mainly in the reconnaissance role, with a few single seat fighters for escort purposes. The squadron was soon thrown into action, taking part in the

Battle of Neuve Chapelle The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) took place in the First World War in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to cause a rupture in the German lines, which would then be exploited with a rush to the Aubers Ridge an ...

in March 1915, and moved to Balleul at the end of the month, remaining there until March 1918, operating from an airfield next to the town's Asylum.Halley 1971, p. 28. In April–May 1915, the squadron flew reconnaissance missions during the

Second Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...

. On 19 August, Salmond was replaced as commander of the squadron by Major

Philip Joubert de la Ferté Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Bennet Joubert de la Ferté, (21 May 1887 – 21 January 1965) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1930s and the Second World War. Early life Joubert de la Ferté was born in Darjeeling, Ind ...

, later an

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

. By October 1915, the squadron had re-equipped with a mixture of various

Morane-Saulnier Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Léon and Robert. The company was taken over and diversified in the 1960s. History Model development ...

types, with Morane Parasols ( Types L and LA) in the Corps Reconnaissance role and Morane-Saulnier N single-seat fighters. The squadron supplemented its Parasols with more modern

Morane-Saulnier P The Morane-Saulnier Type P (official designations MS.21, MS.24 and MS.26) was a French parasol wing two-seat reconnaissance aeroplane of the First World War. Morane-Saulnier built 595 for the French air force, and it was also used by the Britis ...

parasols and

Morane-Saulnier BB The Morane-Saulnier BB was a military observation aircraft produced in France during World War I for use by Britain's Royal Flying Corps.Taylor 1989, 684"The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft", 2538 It was a conventional single-bay biplane de ...

biplanes in 1916, although the last LA remained with the squadron until 1917. The squadron became a dedicated fighter squadron on 1 January 1917, flying

Nieuport 17 The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) is a French sesquiplane fighter aircraft, fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little large ...

s and

Nieuport 27 The Nieuport 27 (or Nieuport XXVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a World War I French sesquiplane fighter aircraft designed by Gustave Delage. The 27 was the last of the line of Nieuport "V-strut" single seat fighters that began with the Nie ...

.Halley 1971, p.10.The obsolete Nieuports were replaced by more modern

S.E.5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...

s in January 1918. On incorporation into the RAF on 1 April 1918 the squadron kept its numeral; No 1 Squadron of the

(RNAS) was displaced to become No. 201 Squadron RAF.The war diary of No. 1 Squadron held by the Australian War Memorial, starts in January 1918. No. 1 Squadron had among its ranks no fewer than 31

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

s. They include Robert A. Birkbeck, Quintin Brand (later

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

), Douglas Cameron, William Charles Campbell, Percy Jack Clayson, Edwin Cole, Philip Fullard (later

Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

), Eustace Grenfell, Louis Fleeming Jenkin, Tom Hazell, Harold Albert Kullberg, Charles Lavers, Francis Magoun, Guy Borthwick Moore, Gordon Olley, Harry Rigby, William Wendell Rogers and William Rooper.

Interwar period (1919–1938)

The squadron returned to the UK from France in March 1919, being formally disbanded on 20 January 1920. On the next day it reformed at

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters abo ...

in the North West Frontier of India (now part of Pakistan), flying the

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe is a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of the ...

and from January 1920. It moved to Hinaidi near

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in May 1921, to carry out policing duties, retaining its Snipes,Halley 1971, p.12. although it also received one

Bristol Jupiter The Bristol Jupiter is a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine that was built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developme ...

engined Nieuport Nighthawk for evaluation.Halley 1971, p.15. It remained in Iraq, carrying out

strafing Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...

and bombing against hostile tribal forces until November 1926 when it was disbanded.Halley 1971, pp.12–15. In early 1927 it was reformed at

RAF Tangmere Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain. It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The Seco ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

as a Home Defence Fighter Squadron, equipped with the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin. After receiving the

Hawker Fury The Hawker Fury is a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was a fast, agile aircraft, and the first interceptor in RAF service faster than in level flight. It was the fighter counterpart to the Hawke ...

Mk.1 in February 1932, the squadron gained a reputation for aerobatics, giving displays throughout the United Kingdom and at the

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

International Air Meeting in July 1937, where its display impressed but it was clear that it was outclassed by the German

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

and

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke. Large numbers were operated by the ''Luftwaffe'' throughout the Second World War. The Do 17 was designed during ...

also displayed at Zurich. The squadron re-equipped with the Hawker Hurricane Mk.I in October 1938.Halley 1971, p.16.

Second World War (1939–1945)

Hurricane I 1 Sqn RAF at RAF Wittering 1940

On the outbreak of the

in September 1939 the squadron was deployed to France as part of the

RAF Advanced Air Striking Force The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of 1 Group RAF Bomber Command, which took part in the Battle of France during the Second World War. Before hostilities began, it had been agreed between the United Kingdom ...

. In October it flew over enemy territory for the first time and soon claimed its first victory, shooting down a

on 31 October.Halley 1971, p.20. Further successes were made during the

Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

, until the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

erupted in May 1940. Within a week the squadron was bombed out of its base at Berry-au-Bac, north-west of Paris. A series of retreats followed, ending only when the squadron evacuated from France on 18 June,Halley 1971, pp. 20–21. with a return to Tangmere on 23 June. In August 1940 the squadron entered the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

and was heavily engaged until 9 September, when the squadron was transferred to No. 12 Group and sent to

RAF Wittering Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire ...

to refit, rest and recuperate. It returned to No. 11 Group in early 1941 and was employed in fighter sweeps and bomber escort duties. In February, it began "

Rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...

" (low-level sweeps over occupied territory) and night flying missions, and was re-equipped with the Hurricane IIA. In this period its pilots included Karel Kuttelwascher DFC, who was the RAF's highest-scoring night intruder pilot and highest-scoring Free Czechoslovak pilot. The squadron carried out night intruder patrols until July 1942, when it was re-equipped with the

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems we ...

fighter-bomber and relocated to

RAF Acklington Royal Air Force Acklington, simply known as RAF Acklington, is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located southwest of Amble, Northumberland and north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The a ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

where it reverted to daytime operations. The squadron was equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX in April 1944, and in June began anti- V1 patrols, shooting down 39 flying bombs. Missions were also flown over the Falaise Gap, strafing targets of opportunity. Later in the year it reverted to bomber escort duties, based at

Maldegem Maldegem (), earlier spelled Maldeghem, is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Maldegem, Adegem and Middelburg. and have always been separate hamlets of Maldegem. On 1 Jan ...

. It was involved in supporting Operation Market Garden : the parachute drops into the Netherlands, and later in support of the Allied counter-offensive in the Ardennes. The squadron dropped 250 lb bombs on to 'Key Points' (KPs), directed by radar to counter the adverse weather conditions. In May 1945 it converted to the Spitfire Mk.XXI, but these were only used operationally to cover landings on the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

Post-war (1946–1968)

In 1946, the Squadron returned to Tangmere and took delivery of its first jet aircraft, the

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneere ...

. In October 1948, Major

Robin Olds Robin Olds (born Robert Oldys Jr.; July 14, 1922 – June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was a "Flying ace, triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II ...

, USAF, under the U.S. Air Force/Royal Air Force exchange program, was posted in and flying the

jet fighter. He eventually served as commander of the Squadron at RAF Station Tangmere, an unusual posting for a non-commonwealth foreigner in peacetime. The Squadron was then equipped with the Hawker Hunter F.5, which were flown from

RAF Akrotiri Royal Air Force Akrotiri, commonly abbreviated RAF Akrotiri (; ) is a large Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akroti ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

during the 1956

. The squadron disbanded on 23 June 1958. However, on 1 July 1958 the squadron was reformed by re-numbering No. 263 Squadron at

RAF Stradishall Royal Air Force Stradishall or more simply RAF Stradishall is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Haverhill, Suffolk and south west of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. History In his memoirs, Murray Peden, a Royal Can ...

. It then moved to RAF Waterbeach from where, flying the Hunter FGA.9, it operated in the ground attack role as part of No. 38 Group. The Squadron continued in this role for the next eight years, operating out of Waterbeach and then

RAF West Raynham Royal Air Force West Raynham, or more simply RAF West Raynham, is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located west of West Raynham, Norfolk and southwest of Fakenham, Norfolk, England. The airfield opened ...

. Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock of No. 1 Squadron was responsible for the infamous and very unofficial flying display on the 50th anniversary of the RAF in 1968.

Harrier (1969–2011)

Under the command of Squadron Leader Bryan Baker, the squadron became the world's first operator of a

V/STOL A vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft is an airplane able to takeoff and landing, take-off or land vertically or on short runways. VTOL, Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft are a subset of V/STOL craft that do ...

aircraft with the arrival of the

Hawker Siddeley Harrier The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is a British jet-powered attack aircraft designed and produced by the British aerospace company Hawker Siddeley. It was the first operational ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeo ...

in 1969, declared operational the following year. A detachment from No. 1 Squadron was deployed aboard the Carrier Battle Group (TG 317.8) of the Falklands Task Force during the

, operating from HMS ''Hermes'' and flying ground attack missions against Argentine forces.Ashworth 1989, p.26.Evans 1998, pp. 74–75. It replaced its first generation Harriers with Harrier IIs from 23 November 1988, being declared fully operational on the Harrier GR.5 on 2 November 1989.Evans 1998, p.123. The squadron was the subject of an episode of the BBC documentary series ''Defence of the Realm'' before and during its participation in the Bosnian War as part of NATO's ''

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the ...

''. During the Kosovo war the Squadron flew sorties as part of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

Operation Allied Force The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

. No. 1 Squadron left the "home of the Harrier" at

for RAF Cottesmore on 28 July 2000. Cottesmore became home to all operational RAF Harrier squadrons – No. 20 (Reserve) Squadron, later renumbered as No. 4 (R) Squadron, the Harrier Operational Conversion Unit remained at Wittering. The squadrons both flew missions during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

and were awarded the "Iraq 2003" battle honour. The squadron was awarded a

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or Military operation, operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In ...

in March 2020, recognising its role in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

. One outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review by the coalition government in 2010 was the decision to take the RAF's Harriers out of service almost immediately. All Harrier units, including No. 1 (F) Squadron, ceased Harrier flying on 15 December 2010, with No. 1 (F) Squadron formally disbanding on 28 January 2011.

Typhoon (2012–present)

On 15 September 2012, the squadron reformed on the

at RAF Leuchars. The squadron participated in multiple exercises in foreign countries including Exercise Shaheen Star in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

during January 2013 and Exercise Bersama Shield in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

during March 2013. On 8 September 2014, No. 1 (F) Squadron relocated to RAF Lossiemouth, to operate alongside No. 6 and XV (R) squadrons, as well as "D" Flight, No. 202 Squadron (SAR) and No. 5 Force Protection Wing. On 14 November 2019 the squadron deployed 4 fighters to

Keflavik Air Base Naval Air Station Keflavik (NASKEF) was a United States Navy air station at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland, located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island. NASKEF was closed on 8 September 2006 and its faci ...

as part of the NATO Air Policing, Iceland. The squadron also deployed an additional 100 personnel to support the squadron and forces based in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

Aircraft operated

(1915–1916) * B.E.8 (1915–1916) * Morane Parasol (1915–1916) *

(1916–1917) *

(1917–1918) * SE5a (1918–1920) *

(1920–1927) * Armstrong Whitworth Siskin (1927–1933) *

(1933–1937) *

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

(1937–1943) *

(1943–1944) *

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

(1944–1950) *

F.8 (1950–1957) *

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...

F.5/F.6/FGA.9/T.7 (1957–1970) * Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1 and GR.3 (1969–1989) * British Aerospace Harrier GR5, GR7 and GR9 (1988–2010) * Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 (2012 – present)

Heritage

No.1 Squadron's badge features a winged numeral "1" and was approved by

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

in July 1936. It is the authorised version of an earlier badge used during the First World War which had a "1" on the national roundel marking with a

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...

and two Royal Flying Corps wing. The squadron's motto is .

Battle honours

No. 1 Squadron has received the following

battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military ...

. Those marked with an asterisk (*) may be emblazoned on the squadron standard. * Western Front (1915–1918)* *

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

(1915)* * Neuve Chapelle (1915) * Loos (1915) *

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

(1916) *

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

(1917) *

(1917) * Lys (1918) *

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

(1918) *

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...

(1916–1917) * Independent Force and Germany (1918)* *

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

(1922–1925) *

(1923–1925) * France and Low Countries (1939–1940)* *

(1940)* *Channel and North Sea (1941–1945) * Home Defence (1940–1945) *

Fortress Europe Fortress Europe () was a military propaganda term used by both sides of World War II which referred to the areas of Continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany, as opposed to the United Kingdom across the Channel. World War II defences In ...

(1941–1944)* *

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

(1944)* *

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

(1944) * France and Germany (1944–1945)* *Biscay (1944–1945) *

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

(1945) *

South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

(1982)* *

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

(1999)* *

(2003)*

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of No. 1 Squadron, including date of appointment, sourced from Halley, Shaw and Franks & O'Connor. *

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

E M Maitland (13 May 1912) * Major C A H Longcroft (1 May 1914) * Major W G H Salmond (28 January 1915) * Major P B Joubert de la Ferté (19 August 1915) * Major G F Pretyman (24 November 1915) * Major G C St P de Dombasle (24 December 1916) * Major A Barton-Adams (20 June 1917) * Major W E Young (3 August 1918) *

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

J O Andrews (21 January 1920) * Squadron Leader J B Graham (18 September 1920) * Squadron Leader G G A Williams (10 November 1922) * Squadron Leader E O Grenfell (8 October 1923) * Squadron Leader E D Atkinson (25 May 1924) * Squadron Leader C.N. Lowe (19 April 1926) * Squadron Leader E D Atkinson (11 April 1927) * Squadron Leader E O Grenfell (19 March 1928) * Squadron Leader C B S Spackman (27 July 1931) * Squadron Leader R W Chappell (21 November 1933) * Squadron Leader C W Hill (1 October 1934) * Flight Lieutenant T N McEvoy (acting) (31 January 1936) * Squadron Leader C W Hill (1 December 1936) * Squadron Leader F R D Swain (12 April 1937) * Squadron Leader I A Bertram (15 January 1938) * Squadron Leader P J H Halahan (17 April 1939) * Squadron Leader D A Pemberton (24 May 1940) * Squadron Leader M H Brown (10 November 1940) * Squadron Leader R E P Brooker (23 April 1941) * Squadron Leader J A F MacLachlan (3 November 1941) * Squadron Leader R C Wilkinson (31 July 1942) * Squadron Leader A Zweigbergh (30 May 1943) * Squadron Leader J Checketts (3 April 1944) * Squadron Leader H P Lardner-Burke (29 April 1944) * Squadron Leader D G S R Cox (11 January 1945) * Squadron Leader R S Nash (21 April 1945) * Squadron Leader H R Allen (9 January 1946) * Squadron Leader C H MacFie (26 October 1946) * Flight Lieutenant N H D Ramsey (acting) (7 May 1947) * Squadron Leader T R Burne (15 July 1947) * Major R Olds (

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

) (4 February 1949) * Squadron Leader T R Burne (1 October 1949) * Major D F Smith (USAF) (10 January 1950) * Squadron Leader J L W Ellacombe (18 August 1950) * Squadron Leader R B Morison (21 November 1952) * Squadron Leader D I Smith (27 July 1953) * Squadron Leader F W Lister (1 December 1953) * Flight Lieutenant H Irving (acting) (1 June 1955) * Squadron Leader R S Kingsford (8 August 1956) * Squadron Leader L de Garis, AFC (5 July 1958) * Squadron Leader J J Phipps (1 December 1958) * Squadron Leader P V Pledger (1 January 1961) * Squadron Leader F L Travers-Smith (1 January 1963) * Squadron Leader D C G Brook (28 December 1964) * Squadron Leader G. Jones (1 November 1966) * Squadron Leader L A B Baker (20 September 1968) *

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

J A Mansell (10 April 1969) * Squadron Leader L A B Baker (21 May 1969) * Wing Commander D Allison (4 August 1969) * Squadron Leader L A B Baker (October 1969) * Wing Commander K W Hayr (1 January 1970) * Wing Commander E J E Smith (6 January 1972) * Wing Commander P P W Taylor (3 December 1973) * Wing Commander J G Saye (9 July 1976) * Wing Commander R B Duckett (17 July 1978) * Wing Commander P T Squire (26 March 1981) * Wing Commander J D L Feesey (23 December 1983) * Wing Commander I M Stewart (13 June 1986) * Wing Commander I R Harvey (3 October 1988) * Wing Commander C C N Burwell (17 May 1991) * Wing Commander D Walker (29 April 1994) * Wing Commander M A Leakey (18 March 1996) * Wing Commander I Cameron (acting) (26 November 1997) * Wing Commander A Golledge (9 January 1998) * Wing Commander S M Bell (26 October 1999) * Wing Commander M E Sampson (June 2004) * Wing Commander K A Lewis (1 November 2006) * Wing Commander D F Haines (31 October 2008) * Wing Commander M Flewin (15 September 2012) * Wing Commander M Sutton (9 October 2014)

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Ashworth, Chris. ''Encyclopedia of Modern Royal Air Force Squadrons''. Wellingborough, UK:PSL, 1989. . * Bowyer, Michael J.F and John D.R. Rawlings. ''Squadron Codes, 1937–56''. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. . * Bruce, J. M. ''The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)''. London: Putnam, 1982. . * Evans, Andy. ''BAE/McDonnell Douglas Harrier''. Malborough, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, 1998. . * Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. ''Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes Since 1938''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. . * Franks, Norman and Mike O'Connor. ''Number One in War and Peace: The History of No. 1 Squadron, 1912–2000''. London: Grub Street, 2000. . * Halley, James J. ''Famous Fighter Squadrons of the RAF: Volume 1''. Windsor, UK: Hylton Lacey, 1971. . * Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 1998 (second edition 2001). . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . * Shaw, Michael. ''No. 1 Squadron''. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1986. . * Shaw, Michael. ''Twice Vertical: The History of No. 1 Squadron Royal Air Force''. London: Macdonald & Company Ltd, 1971. . * Shores, Christopher; Franks, Norman & Guest, Russell. ''Above The Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920''. London: Grub Street, 1990. .

External links

Official websiteNo.1 (F) Sqn Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:001 Squadron Raf Military units and formations established in 1911 Royal Flying Corps squadrons Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Falklands War Military units and formations disestablished in 2011 RAF squadrons involved in the Battle of Britain 1911 establishments in the United Kingdom