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RAF Squadrons (Numbers 1-9)

1 Squadron

The Company, still equipped with balloons, was renamed 1 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1912 but in August 1914 the squadron was reformed as an aircraft squadron and equipped with the Royal Aircraft Factory BE8 and Avro 504’s.

Deployed to Northern France in March 1915 the squadron was initially tasked in the battlefield reconnaissance role but in early 1917 became a dedicated fighter squadron when it was re-equipped with the Nieuport 17 and 27. The Nieuport was replaced a year later when the squadron was re-equipped with the more up to date Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 fighter aircraft.

In the inter-war years 1 Squadron was disbanded twice and subsequently reformed. In the immediate post war years the squadron remained in France until early 1919 and after a short period in England was moved to Iraq to carry out policing duties until disbandment in late 1926. Reformed at Tangmere, West Sussex, in early 1927 the newly formed squadron was named No 1 (Fighter) Squadron and equipped with the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin fighter. The Squadron was re-equipped with the Hawker Fury before receiving some of the first Hawker Hurricanes to see service with the Royal Air Force in October 1938.

At the start of WWII 1(Fighter) Squadron deployed to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force. In October 1939 the squadron claimed its’ first victory and in the coming months, as the Germans advanced further into France, contact with the Luftwaffe became an everyday event. In June 1940 the squadron returned to Tangmere and was committed to the fierce aerial battles of the Battle of Britain during August and September. After a brief period at Wittering, near Peterborough, the squadron returned to the South of England where night flying gradually became their main focus of operations with the new Hurricane 11A until, re-equipped with the Hawker Typhoon in mid-1942, the squadron moved north to RAF Acklington in Northumberland where daytime operations were undertaken. The squadron received the Spitfire XI in April 1944 and in June ‘took on’ the menace of the V1 Flying Bomb, with squadron pilots shooting down nearly 40 V1’s before returning to bomber escort duties later in the year. Shortly before the end of WWII the squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire F21 which were only used to cover the landings onto the Channel Islands a few days after the German surrender in Europe.

Returning to RAF Tangmere at the end of WWII No 1 (Fighter) Squadron RAF took delivery of the first British jet Fighter aircraft, the Gloster Meteor. The squadron was eventually re-equipped with Hawker Hunters, an aircraft they were to use for many years to come. In 1956 1Squadron deployed to Cyprus in support of the Suez landings and since then squadron aircraft have been deployed to virtually every major operation where fast jets of the Royal Air Force have been needed.

1 Squadron’s conversion onto the Hawker Siddeley Harrier started in July 1969, becoming the first squadron to fly the Vertical Short Take Off & Landing (VSTOL) aircraft operationally. In 1982 1 Squadron flew their Harriers south to take part in the Falklands Conflict where they operated from HMS Hermes and later in the conflict from hastily constructed shore locations. The squadron lost three aircraft during the conflict with no fatalities. Since the Falklands Conflict the Harriers of No 1 (Fighter) Squadron have been deployed to the Middle East for both Gulf Wars, the policing of the Northern Exclusion Zone in Iraq, the Kosovo War and the Bosnian area of operations – to name but a few.

Present day deployments for 1 Squadron aircraft and personnel are mainly in support of coalition and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations in Afghanistan. 1 Squadron’s home base location is RAF Cottesmore, Leicestershire.

SDSR Decisions

As part of SDSR it was announced in October 2010 that the Harrier would be withdrawn from service – with the subsequent disbandment of 1(F) Squadron, part of Joint Force Harrier (JFH).

With other units of JFH, 4® Squadron RAF and 800 Naval Air Squadron, 1(F) Squadron was disbanded at a joint RAF/RN parade held at RAF Wittering on 28th January 2011. Reviewing Officers at the parade were Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Sir Stephen Dalton and the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope.

NEXT: 2 Squadron and 3 Squadron