No. 201 Squadron RAF

Number 201 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It currently operates the Boeing Poseidon MRA1 from RAF Lossiemouth, Moray.
It is the only squadron affiliated with Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. This affiliation started in 1935 and is commemorated in the museum on Castle Cornet. Its history goes even further back than the RAF itself, being formed originally as No. 1 Squadron RNAS on 17 October 1914. It had previously operated the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray, between January 1982 and March 2010.

History

Formation and World War I

Despite its high squadron number, 201 Squadron is one of the oldest squadrons in the RAF. It was formed as No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service on 17 October 1914, and reformed under that designation on 6 December 1916, only being renumbered to 201 Squadron on the formation of the RAF on 1 April 1918 – all the RNAS squadrons getting new numbers by adding 200 to their original number.
A Victoria Cross was won by a member of No. 1 Squadron RNAS when on 7 June 1915 Sub-Lieutenant R.A.J. Warneford shot down Zeppelin LZ.37.
After the war the squadron was disbanded at RAF Eastleigh on 31 December 1919. Eighteen flying aces served in the squadron during the course of the war, including such notables as
Samuel Kinkead,
Stanley Wallace Rosevear,
Richard Minifie,
Roderic Dallas,
George Gates,
Reginald Brading,
Maxwell Findlay,
Cyril Ridley,
Thomas Gerrard,
John Jones, James Henry Forman,
Charles Dawson Booker,
Thomas Culling,
future Air Vice-Marshal F. H. Maynard,
Robert McLaughlin, and
Hazel Wallace.

Flying boat squadron

The squadron was reformed at RAF Calshot on 1 January 1929 by expanding no. 480 Flight, a Supermarine Southampton flying boat unit. In April 1936 the Southamptons gave way to the Saro London, which the squadron still had on strength when World War II broke out. Supermarine Stranraers flew shortly with the squadron in 1939, but by April 1940 the squadron was operational on the Short Sunderland, which would remain the squadron equipment for almost seventeen years up till 28 February 1957, when the squadron was disbanded at RAF Pembroke Dock.

Shackletons and Nimrods

The squadron was reformed at RAF St. Mawgan, when No. 220 Squadron RAF was renumbered to 201 Squadron. The squadron flew the next twelve years with the Avro Shackleton MR.3, a version that used a tricycle undercarriage as opposed to the earlier tailwheel variants. Following the Shackleton's retirement, the squadron converted to Nimrods in October 1970.
The squadron was active for over a decade in the Gulf region, in support of both Gulf War 1 and 2 and more recently the conflict in Afghanistan. Until March 2010, the squadron was also on active duty in the UK and maintained continuous 24-hour/365-day search and rescue standby, shared with the sister 120 Squadron, both flying from RAF Kinloss. The Nimrod MR2 was withdrawn in March 2010, and the squadron was formally disbanded on 26 May 2011. It had been preparing to operate the Nimrod MRA4 but this aircraft was cancelled under the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Reformation

In July 2017, it was announced that No. 201 Squadron would be one of two RAF squadrons to fly the P-8A Poseidon, based at RAF Lossiemouth. It was later confirmed the squadron would stand up in the 'Summer of 2021' operating in the role and at location as previously stated. No. 201 Squadron reformed on 7 August 2021, reclaiming their Squadron Standard from Government House in Guernsey on 22 October.

Notable squadron members

Aircraft operated

The squadron has operated the following aircraft types.

Squadron bases

From	To	Base
6 Dec 1916	15 Feb 1917	Furnes, Belgium
15 Feb 1917	11 Apr 1917	Chipilly, France
11 Apr 1917	1 Jun 1917	La Belle-vue, France
1 Jun 1917	2 Nov 1917	Bailleul, France
2 Nov 1917	10 Dec 1917	Middle Aerodrome
10 Dec 1917	16 Feb 1918	Dover, Kent
16 Feb 1918	27 Mar 1918	Téteghem, France
27 Mar 1918	28 Mar 1918	Sainte-Marie-Cappel, France
28 Mar 1918	12 Apr 1918	Fienvillers, France
12 Apr 1918	20 Jul 1918	Nœux-lès-Auxi, France
20 Jul 1918	6 Aug 1918	Sainte-Marie-Cappel, France
6 Aug 1918	14 Aug 1918	Poulainville, France
14 Aug 1918	19 Sep 1918	Nœux-lès-Auxi, France
19 Sep 1918	14 Oct 1918	Baizieux, France
14 Oct 1918	27 Oct 1918	Beugnâtre, France
27 Oct 1918	22 Nov 1918	La Targette, France
22 Nov 1918	5 Feb 1919	Béthencourt, France
15 Feb 1919	2 Sep 1919	RAF Lake Down, Wiltshire
2 Sep 1919	31 Dec 1919	RAF Eastleigh, Hampshire
1 Jan 1929	29 Sep 1938	RAF Calshot, Hampshire
29 Sep 1938	7 Oct 1938	RAF Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
7 Oct 1938	9 Aug 1939	RAF Calshot, Hampshire
9 Aug 1939	6 Nov 1939	RAF Sullom Voe, Shetland, Scotland
6 Nov 1939	26 May 1940	RAF Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
26 May 1940	9 Oct 1941	RAF Sullom Voe, Shetland, Scotland
9 Oct 1941	8 Apr 1944	Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
8 Apr 1944	3 Nov 1944	RAF Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales
3 Nov 1944	2 Aug 1945	RAF Castle Archdale, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
2 Aug 1945	1 Apr 1946	RAF Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales
1 Apr 1946	18 Jan 1949	RAF Calshot, Hampshire
18 Jan 1949	28 Feb 1957	RAF Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales
1 Oct 1958	1 Jul 1965	RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall
1 Jul 1965	26 May 2011	RAF Kinloss, Moray, Scotland
7 Aug 2021	present	RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland

Battle honours

No. 201 Squadron has received the following battle honours. Those marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the squadron standard.