No.249 Squadron
- Badge
- In front of a bezant an elephant passant
- Motto
- Pugnis et cacibus - With fists and heels
- Formed
- 18 August 1918
- Disbanded
- 24 February 1969
No 249 Squadron was originally formed from Nos 400, 419 and 450 Flights on 18 August 1918 at the seaplane station at RAF Dundee as a coastal reconnaissance unit. It flew anti-submarine patrols until the end of the war and was disbanded at RAF Dundee on 8 October 1919.
On 16 May 1940 the unit was reformed at RAF Church Fenton as a fighter squadron, named “Gold Coast”. It became operational with Hurricanes and in August moved south to take part in the Battle of Britain, during which Flt Lt James B. Nicholson won the VC. In December the unit commenced offensive operations over France and later bomber escort duties.
The squadron was deployed to Malta in May 1941 and began defensive operations there. In November 1942 it flew fighter-bomber raids over Sicily and in October 1943 moved to Italy. During 1944 it flew mainly armed reconnaissance missions over Albania and Yugoslavia and on 16 August 1945 the unit was disbanded.
On 23 October 1945 the unit was reformed from the renumbered No 500 Squadron in Kenya and moved to Iraq in June 1946. Following a period in Egypt it moved to Jordan in 1950 and converted to Venoms in 1955, which eventually saw service during the Suez Crisis in 1956. In January 1957 the unit moved to Cyprus where it remained until disbanded on 24 February 1969.
AIRCRAFT
Short 184 1918 - 1919
Sopwith Baby 1918 - 1918
Spitfire I 1940 - 1940
Hurricane I/IIA/IIB 1940 - 1942
Spitfire VB/VC/IX 1943 - 1945
Mustang III/IV 1944 - 1945
Baltimore IV/V 1945 - 1946
Mosquito FB26 1946 - 1946
Tempest F5/F6 1946 - 1950
Vampire FB5/FB9 1950 - 1954
Venom FB1/FB4 1954 - 1957
Canberra B2/B6/B16 1957 - 1969
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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