No.247 Squadron
- Badge
- In front of a bezant, a demi-lion erased and crowned holding in the paws a scroll inscribed in Chinese characters ‘Chu Feng’
- Motto
- Rise from the east
- Formed
- 20 August 1918
- Disbanded
- 31 December 1963
No 247 Squadron was originally formed from Nos 336, 337 and 338 Flights at the former Royal Naval Air Service station at Felixstowe on 20 August 1918 as a coastal reconnaissance unit. It flew patrols over the North Sea until the end of the war and was disbanded at RAF Felixstowe on 22 January 1919.
On 1 August 1940 the unit was reformed at RAF Roborough, named “China-British”, from the Fighter Flight, Sumburgh, to defend Plymouth. It fought in the Battle of Britain and in 1941 went over to night fighter operations. In September the unit began intruder missions into France and in May 1941 began attacking enemy shipping. It converted to Typhoons in January 1943, joined the newly formed Second Tactical Air Force and commenced bomber escort and some bombing operations. In June it took part in the Normandy invasion. It conducted army co-operation operations during the advance towards Germany and functioned in an armed reconnaissance role until VE day.
The unit returned to the UK from Germany and in March 1946 became the first unit to fly the Vampire, later moving to RAF Odiham where it remained until disbanded on 31 December 1957. The squadron was reformed on 1 July 1960 at RAF Carnaby as a Bloodhound ground-to-air missile unit, which eventually disbanded on 31 December 1963.
AIRCRAFT
F2A 1918 - 1919
Gladiator II 1940 - 1941
Hurricane I/IIA/IIB/IIC 1940 - 1943
Typhoon IB 1943 - 1945
Tempest II 1945 - 1946
Vampire F1/F3/FB5 1946 - 1951
Meteor F8 1951 - 1955
Hunter F1/F4/F6 1955 - 1957
Bloodhound 1960 - 1963
Reference Sources
The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force
James J Halley Air Britain (Historians) Ltd 1988
RAF Squadrons
Wg Cdr C G Jefford Airlife 2001
Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their aircraft
John D R Rawlings Macdonald & Company 1969
Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their aircraft
John D R Rawlings Jane’s Publishing Company Limited 1982
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