No. 500 Squadron RAF

No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron RAuxAF
Active	16 Mar 1931 - 11 Jul 1944 1 Aug 1944 - 23 Oct 1945 10 May 1946 - 10 Mar 1957
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Various
Part of	Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Nickname	County of Kent
Motto	Latin: Quo fata vocent (Translation: "Whither the fates may call")[1][2][3][4]
Battle honours	Channel and North Sea, 1939-41 Dunkirk Biscay ports, 1941 Atlantic, 1941-42 North Africa, 1942-43 Mediterranean, 1942-44 Italy, 1944-45.[5] These honours are all emblazoned on the squadron standard
Commanders
Honorary Air Commodores	The Duke of Kent[6] Anthony Eden[7]
Notable commanders	Denis Spotswood
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A horse forcene[4] The white horse of Kent was adopted to commemorate the squadron's association with that country[2][3]
Squadron Codes	SQ (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939)[8][9] MK (Sep 1939 - Apr 1944)[10][11] RAA (May 1946 - 1950)[12][13] S7 (1950 - 1951)[14][15]

No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron AAF was formed in 1931 as a Special Reserve squadron and in 1936 became part of the Auxiliary Air Force. It served in a number of roles before being disbanded in 1957.

History

Formation and early years

The Squadron was formed at RAF Manston on 16 March 1931 as the first^[16] Special Reserve night-bomber squadron with Vickers Virginia Mk.X aircraft. On 25 May 1936 the role changed to day-bombing and the squadron became part of the Auxiliary Air Force, flying Hawker Harts, later replaced with Hawker Hinds.^[2][4]

To Coastal Command

On 7 November 1938 the squadron saw another role change as it was transferred to RAF Coastal Command and became a general reconnaissance squadron flying on Anson Mk.Is. In April 1941 these were replaced with Blenheim Mk.IVs which the squadron used till November 1941, when Lockheed Hudsons took their place. From December 1943 these were replaced with Lockheed Ventura Mk.Vs, until the squadron was completely equipped with them in April 1944. The squadron disbanded on 11 July 1944, handing over their Ventura's to No. 27 Squadron SAAF.^[2][17]

Back in Bomber Command

The Squadron was reformed on 1 August 1944 at La Senia as a bomber squadron, receiving Martin Baltimores. In September 1945 No. 500 squadron left Italy and headed for Kenya, being renumbered on arrival 23 October 1945 at RAF Eastleigh to No. 249 Squadron RAF.^[2][18][19] During World War II the squadron members had been awarded with 1 GC^[20], 2 DSOs, 21 DFCs, 1 bar the DFC, 9 DFMs and one CGM. Beside these, the squadron was mentioned in dispatches 25 times.^[5]

To Fighter Command

RAF West Malling Station Crest

The Squadron was reformed again on 10 May 1946 at RAF West Malling, equipped with Mosquito NF.19s and later NF.30s, as a night fighter squadron in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Later, following an Air Ministry decision to convert all RAuxAF units to day fighter roles, the squadron became equipped with Meteor F.3s^[21]. The squadron disbanded finally on 10 March 1957, along with all other flying squadrons of the RAuxAF.^[4][22][23]

Today

The squadron number 500 has been inherited by Headcorn squadron of the air training corps. Here they are based at Lashenden airfield and today carry on the RAuxAF squadron number of the county of kent 500 squadron.

Notable squadron members

• Daphne Pearson
• Denis Spotswood

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 500 Squadron RAuxAF^{[24][25][26][27][28]}

From	To	Aircraft	Version
March 1931	January 1936	Vickers Virginia	Mk.X
January 1936	May 1937	Hawker Hart
February 1937	March 1939	Hawker Hind
March 1939	April 1941	Avro Anson	Mk.I
April 1941	November 1941	Bristol Blenheim	Mk.IV
November 1941	April 1944	Lockheed Hudson	Mks.III, V
December 1943	July 1944	Lockheed Ventura	Mk.V
September 1944	February 1945	Martin Baltimore	Mk.IV
September 1944	October 1945	Martin Baltimore	Mk.V
February 1947	August 1947	de Havilland Mosquito	NF.19
April 1947	October 1948	de Havilland Mosquito	NF.30
May 1948	October 1948	Supermarine Spitfire	F.22
July 1948	October 1951	Gloster Meteor	F.3
July 1951	February 1952	Gloster Meteor	F.4
November 1951	March 1957	Gloster Meteor	F.8

Squadron bases

Bases and airfields used by no. 500 Squadron AAF, data from^{[2][25][26][27][29]}

From	To	Base
16 March 1931	28 September 1938	RAF Manston, Kent
28 September 1938	30 July 1939	RAF Detling, Kent
30 July 1939	13 August 1939	RAF Warmwell, Dorset
13 August 1939	30 May 1941	RAF Detling, Kent
30 May 1941	2 April 1942	RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk
2 April 1942	31 August 1942	RAF Stornoway, Western Isles, Scotland
31 August 1942	5 November 1942	RAF St Eval, Cornwall
5 November 1942	11 November 1942	RAF Gibraltar
11 November 1942	19 November 1942	RAF Tafaraoui, Algeria
19 November 1942	3 May 1943	RAF Blida, Algeria
3 May 1943	6 January 1944	RAF Tafaraoui, Algeria
6 January 1944	11 July 1944	RAF La Senia, Algeria
1 August 1944	24 August 1944	RAF La Senia
24 August 1944	14 September 1944	en route to Italy
14 September 1944	15 October 1944	Pescara, Italy
15 October 1944	9 December 1944	Perugia, Italy
9 December 1944	10 May 1945	Cesenatico, Italy
10 May 1945	28 September 1945	RAF Eastleigh, Kenia
10 May 1946	10 March 1957	RAF West Malling, Kent

Commanding officers

Officers commanding no. 500 Squadron RAuxAF, data from^[25][30]

From	To	Name
March 1931	July 1931	S/Ldr. S.R. Watkins, AFC
July 1931	July 1933	W/Cdr. L.F. Forbes, MC
July 1933	May 1935	W/Cdr. R. Halley, DFC, AFC
May 1935	April 1936	S/Ldr. G.M. Lawson, MC
April 1936	October 1936	F/Lt. W.G. Wooliams
October 1936	October 1939	S/Ldr. G.K. Hohler, Aux.AF
October 1939	June 1940	S/Ldr. W. LeMay, Aux.AF
June 1940	March 1941	W/Cdr. G.H. Turner
March 1941	July 1941	W/Cdr. M.Q. Candler
July 1941	April 1942	W/Cdr. G.T. Gilbert
April 1942	April 1943	W/Cdr. D.F. Spotswood, DSO, DFC
April 1943	April 1944	W/Cdr. D.G. Keddie
April 1944	June 1944	W/Cdr. C.K. Bonner
June 1944	July 1944	W/Cdr. C.E.A. Garton
July 1944	August 1945	W/Cdr. H.N. Garbett
August 1945	October 1945	W/Cdr. Matson
August 1946	February 1949	S/Ldr. P. Green, OBE, AFC, R.Aux.AF
February 1949	March 1952	S/Ldr. M.C. Kennard, DFC, R.Aux.AF
March 1952	August 1954	S/Ldr. D. de Villiers, R.Aux.AF
August 1954	October 1954	S/Ldr. D.M. Clause
October 1954	March 1957	S/Ldr. D.H.M. Chandler

See also

• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• Royal Auxiliary Air Force

References

Notes

1. ^ Hunt 1972, p. 327.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Moyes 1976, p. 262.
3. ^ ^{a b} Rawlings 1982, p. 225.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Halley 1988, p. 388.
5. ^ ^{a b} Brooks 1982, p. 156.
6. ^ Hunt 1972, p. 314.
7. ^ Brooks 1982, p. 138.
8. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
9. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 51.
10. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 72.
11. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 90.
12. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
13. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 184.
14. ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 95.
15. ^ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 156.
16. ^ Hunt 1972, p. 313.
17. ^ Halley 1988, pp. 388,549.
18. ^ Halley 1988, pp. 318,388.
19. ^ Brooks 1982, p. 136.
20. ^ Brooks 1982, pp. 46–47, 68–69.
21. ^ Bowyer 1984, p. 113.
22. ^ RafWeb
23. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 96.
24. ^ Moyes 1976, pp. 262–263.
25. ^ ^{a b c} Rawlings 1982, p. 226.
26. ^ ^{a b} Brooks 1982, p. 157.
27. ^ ^{a b} Jefford 2001, pp. 95–96.
28. ^ Rawlings 1978, pp. 454–455.
29. ^ Rawlings 1978, p. 454.
30. ^ Brooks 1982, p. 155.

Bibliography

• Bowyer, Chaz. Mosquito Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1984. ISBN 0-7110-1425-6.
• Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937-56. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
• Brooks, Robin J. Kent's Own: The History of 500 (County of Kent) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, UK: Meresborough Books, 1982. ISBN 0-905270-541.
• 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. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
• Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Hunt, Leslie. Twenty-one Squadrons: History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925-57. London: Garnstone Press, 1972. ISBN 0-85511-110-0. (New edition in 1992 by Crécy Publishing, ISBN 0-94755-426-2.)
• Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1998 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (new edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
• Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
• 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). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.

External links

• Official squadron history
• Bases of no. 500 squadron
• A history of no. 500 squadron on RafWeb
• Aircraft and markings of no. 500 squadron on RafWeb

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