Number 601 (County of London) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF Reserves, based in London. The squadron took part in the Battle of Britain, during which the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of the squadron.

Reactivated in 2017, it is a specialist squadron "tapping into the talents of leaders from industry, academia and research to advise and shape and inspire [the RAF]".

History

Formation No. 601 Squadron was formed at RAF Northolt on 14 October 1925 when a group of wealthy aristocratic young men, all of whom were amateur aviators, decided to form themselves into a Reserve Squadron of the RAF after a meeting in White's Club, London. The original officers were picked by the first commanding officer, Lord Edward Grosvenor, youngest son of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster. Grosvenor tested potential recruits by plying them with alcohol to see if they would behave inappropriately. Grosvenor wanted officers "of sufficient presence not to be overawed by him and of sufficient means not to be excluded from his favourite pastimes, eating, drinking and White's". The squadron was known in its earlier days as "The Millionaires' Squadron", a nametag gained because of a reputation for filling their ranks with the very 'well-heeled'. Most of these affluent young pilots had little regard for the rigid discipline of the regular service; they lined their uniform tunics with bright red silk and wore blue ties rather than the regulation black. They played polo on brand-new Brough Superior motor cycles, drove fast sports cars (the squadron car park was said to resemble a Concours d'Elegance), and most of the pilots owned their own private aircraft.

Second World War The Squadron became a day fighter unit in 1940 and operated both the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. Aircrew attrition and transfers to other units, war quickly took its toll on the pre-war personnel and as replacements were drafted in from all walks of life and all parts of the Commonwealth to cover casualties and promotions, the Squadron became as cosmopolitan as any other.

Postwar operations The unit reformed in 1946 as a fighter squadron within the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), initially equipped with the Spitfire, followed by the jet powered De Havilland Vampire and the Gloster Meteor twin-jet. The squadron disbanded along with all other RAuxAF units during the defence cuts of early 1957.

Present Reforming on 20 April 2017 at RAF Northolt, 601 Squadron is now a Specialist Support Squadron of the RAuxAF. The 3 principal roles of the Squadron are to provide advice to the Chief of the Air Staff and the RAF to help address important issues; to provide access to new networks that the RAF has not traditionally been connected with; and to develop advocates for the RAF. Among the specialists appointed Honorary Group Captains to the squadron are:

Edward Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea –2026 Tariq Iftikhar Ahmed 2026–2028 Jonathan Stuart Christian Andrews –2026 Morgan Sebastian Bassett-James 2026–2028 Colonel Paul Eli Beaver –2026 Hon. Kevin William Billings OBE –2026 Kenneth Roderick Bristow –2026 Squadron Leader Peter Charles Brown –2026 Wing Commander John Ian Chappell, MBE 2026–2028 William Francis Charnley –2026 Christopher James Dell –2026 Professor Kieran Jude Fernandes 2026–2028 Mrs Elbrun Kweilen Hatleskog 2026–2028 David Mark Hildyard 2026–2028 Richard Anthony Lewis –2026 Paul MacPherson 2026–2028 James Peter Martin 2026–2028 John Charles Edward Michaelson –2026 Eamonn Mark Molloy –2026 Paul Newmann –2026 Scott Noble 2026–2028 Andrew Charles Palmer –2026 Air Commodore Delva Frances Patman –2026 Sir Peter Rigby –2026 Donald Austin Robert –2026 William Bruce Roper –2027 Anita Teresa Bernie –2027 Sally Bridgeland –2027 Flight Lieutenant Joanna Mary Salter –2027 Helen Kathryn Selby –2027 Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria –2027 Helen Louise Gripton –2027 Guy Phillips Austin –2027 Peter Lionel Raleigh Hewitt –2027 Professor Adam Jason Beaumont –2027 Duncan Roy Barber –2027 Paul Bruce Dickinson –2027 Dame Dawn Elizabeth Childs 2025–2028 Donagh Patrick McCullagh 2025–2028 Sir Martin Nicholas Sweeting 2025–2028

Aircraft operated

+Aircraft operated by no. 601 Squadron, data fromFromToAircraftVersion May 1926 June 1926 Avro 504 K, N June 1926 October 1930 Airco DH.9A November 1929 June 1933 Westland Wapiti Mks.IIa, VI February 1933 August 1937 Hawker Hart August 1937 November 1938 Hawker Demon November 1938 March 1939 Gloster Gauntlet Mk.II January 1939 March 1940 Bristol Blenheim Mk.If March 1940 March 1941 Hawker Hurricane Mk.I March 1941 January 1942 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIb August 1941 March 1942 Bell Airacobra Mk.I March 1942 April 1942 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb May 1942 January 1944 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc June 1943 August 1943 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX July 1943 June 1944 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII June 1944 May 1945 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXb December 1946 December 1949 Supermarine Spitfire LF.16e November 1949 September 1952 de Havilland Vampire F.3 August 1952 March 1957 Gloster Meteor F.8

Squadron bases +Bases and airfields used by no. 601 Squadron, data fromFromToBase 14 October 1925 18 January 1927 RAF Northolt, Middlesex 18 January 1927 2 September 1939 RAF Hendon, Middlesex 2 September 1939 30 December 1939 RAF Biggin Hill, Kent 30 December 1939 1 June 1940 RAF Tangmere, Sussex (Dets. at Merville and Saint-Valery-en-Caux, France) 1 June 1940 17 June 1940 RAF Middle Wallop, Hampshire 17 June 1940 19 August 1940 RAF Tangmere, Sussex 19 August 1940 2 September 1940 RAF Debden, Essex 2 September 1940 7 September 1940 RAF Tangmere, Sussex 7 September 1940 17 December 1940 RAF Exeter, Devon 17 December 1940 1 May 1941 RAF Northolt, Middlesex 1 May 1941 30 June 1941 RAF Manston, Kent 30 June 1941 16 August 1941 RAF Matlaske, Norfolk 16 August 1941 2 January 1942 RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire 2 January 1942 25 March 1942 RAF Acaster Malbis, York 25 March 1942 10 April 1942 RAF Digby, Lincolnshire 10 April 1942 20 April 1942 en route to Egypt 20 April 1942 23 June 1942 RAF Luqa, Malta (aircrew) 23 June 1942 25 June 1942 RAF Maryut, Egypt (ground- and aircrew reunited) 25 June 1942 29 June 1942 LG.13/Sidi Haneish South, Egypt 29 June 1942 24 July 1942 LG.154, Egypt 24 July 1942 29 July 1942 LG.173, Egypt 29 July 1942 5 August 1942 LG.85, Egypt 5 August 1942 11 August 1942 LG.219 Kilo 8/Matariyah/Payne Field, Egypt 11 August 1942 22 August 1942 RAF Helwan, Egypt 22 August 1942 26 September 1942 LG.154, Egypt 26 September 1942 7 November 1942 LG.92, Egypt 7 November 1942 9 November 1942 LG.21/Qotafiyah III, Egypt 9 November 1942 12 November 1942 LG.13/Sidi Haneish South, Egypt 12 November 1942 14 November 1942 LG.155, Egypt 14 November 1942 25 November 1942 LG.143/RAF Gambut West, Libya 25 November 1942 4 December 1942 Msus Airfield, Libya 4 December 1942 8 December 1942 El Hassiet, Libya 8 December 1942 21 December 1942 El Nogra, Libya 21 December 1942 31 December 1942 El Merduma, Libya 31 December 1942 9 January 1943 Alem El Chel, Libya 9 January 1943 20 January 1943 Hamraiet Airfield, Libya 20 January 1943 17 February 1943 Darragh North, Libya 17 February 1943 26 February 1943 RAF Castel Benito, Libya 26 February 1943 1 March 1943 Hazbub Main, Tunisia 1 March 1943 9 March 1943 Ben Gardane South, Tunisia 9 March 1943 11 March 1943 Hazbub North, Tunisia 11 March 1943 4 April 1943 Bu Grara, Tunisia (Det. at El Hamma, Tunisia) 4 April 1943 12 April 1943 Gabes Main, Tunisia 12 April 1943 16 April 1943 La Fauconnerie, Tunisia 16 April 1943 7 May 1943 Goubrine North, Tunisia 7 May 1943 21 May 1943 Hergla North, Tunisia 21 May 1943 15 June 1943 Ben Gardane North, Tunisia 15 June 1943 13 July 1943 RAF Luqa, Malta 13 July 1943 17 July 1943 Pachino, Sicily, Italy 17 July 1943 25 July 1943 Cassibile, Sicily, Italy 25 July 1943 5 October 1943 Lentini West 5 October 1943 18 October 1943 Tortorella 18 October 1943 26 November 1943 Triolo 26 November 1943 18 January 1944 Canne 18 January 1944 23 April 1944 Marcianise, Italy (Det. at Madna) 23 April 1944 12 June 1944 Venafro, Italy 12 June 1944 17 June 1944 Littorio, Italy 17 June 1944 3 July 1944 Fabrica, Italy 3 July 1944 24 August 1944 Perugia, Italy 24 August 1944 4 September 1944 Loreto, Italy 4 September 1944 4 December 1944 Fano, Italy 4 December 1944 3 May 1945 Bellaria, Italy 3 May 1945 14 August 1945 Treviso, Italy 10 May 1946 28 March 1949 RAF Hendon, Middlesex 28 March 1949 10 March 1957 RAF North Weald, Essex

Notable pilots

Sqn Ldr Roger Bushell – took part in the Great Escape Sqn Ldr Gordon "Mouse" Cleaver DFC – Battle of Britain pilot whose accident aided the development of artificial optical lenses. Flt Lt Carl Davis DFC – American who flew with 601 Sqn during the Battle of Britain Plt Off "Billy" Fiske – American who flew with 601 Sqn during the Battle of Britain Gp Cpt Sir Archibald Philip Hope, 17th Baronet OBE DFC Plt Off B P Legge DFC Plt Off H C Mayers DSO DFC and Bar – Australian who flew with 601 Sqn during the Battle of Britain Gp Cpt J A O'Neill Flight Lieutenant Edward Whitehead Reid Flight Lieutenant Thomas Grier – Battle of Britain flying ace Flight Lieutenant William Clyde – Battle of Britain flying ace Fg Off W H Rhodes-Moorhouse DFC Sqn Ldr "Jack" Riddle & Sqn Ldr Hugh Riddle – brothers and last surviving aircrew who flew with 601 Sqn during the Battle of Britain (both died 2009) Sqn Ldr Stanisław Skalski DSO, DFC and Two Bars,- Polish ace, the second Pole to command an RAF Squadron, and later Polish Air Force general Norman Taylor DFC, DFM - Battle of Britain fighter pilot, and flying ace Air Cdre Whitney Straight CBE MC DFC Plt Off D R W Stubbs OBE DSO DFC Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham (1920 - 1981). Painter, teacher and author of 'One man's window' his autobiographical account of the Siege of Malta otherwise titled as 'Malta Spitfire Pilot - Ten weeks of terror April - June 1942.

For more pilots who flew with the Squadron during the Battle of Britain, see List of RAF aircrew in the Battle of Britain.

Commanding officers +Officers commanding No. 601 Squadron RAF, data fromFromToName October 1925 Sqn Ldr Lord Edward Arthur Grosvenor 1931 Sqn Ldr Sir Philip Sassoon, MP 1931 1934 Sqn Ldr Nigel Norman July 1934 March 1936 Sqn Ldr R Shaw, DFC March 1936 December 1939 Sqn Ldr B S Thynne December 1939 June 1940 Sqn Ldr Loel Guinness June 1940 July 1940 Sqn Ldr The Hon. Max Aitken, DFC July 1940 August 1940 Sqn Ldr W F C Hobson August 1940 August 1940 Sqn Ldr E F Ward August 1940 December 1940 Sqn Ldr Sir Archibald Hope, OBE, DFC December 1940 April 1941 Sqn Ldr J A O'Neill, DFC April 1941 December 1941 Sqn Ldr E J Gracie, DFC December 1941 March 1942 Sqn Ldr E J Jones March 1942 April 1942 Sqn Ldr J D Bisdee, DFC April 1942 July 1942 Sqn Ldr R G A Barclay, DFC July 1942 August 1942 Sqn Ldr J D Bisdee, DFC August 1942 March 1943 Sqn Ldr A V Clowes, DFC, DFM March 1943 March 1943 Sqn Ldr G H F Plinston, DFC March 1943 June 1943 Sqn Ldr J S Taylor, DFC June 1943 September 1943 Sqn Ldr Stanisław Skalski, VM, KW, DSO, DFC and two Bars September 1943 March 1944 Maj M S Osler, DFC March 1944 July 1944 Sqn Ldr J H Nicholls, DFC July 1944 January 1945 Sqn Ldr Robert Wilkinson Turkington, DFC January 1945 May 1945 Sqn Ldr C T Stimpson June 1946 June 1948 Sqn Ldr The Hon. Max Aitken, DSO, DFC June 1948 1950 Sqn Ldr Hugh Dundas, DSO & Bar, DFC 1950 1952 Sqn Ldr P H M Richey, DFC & Bar 1952 January 1957 Sqn Ldr C C MacCarthy-Jones January 1957 March 1957 Sqn Ldr Peter Edelston, DFC, AFC April 2017 January 2018 Wg Cdr John Chappell, MBE, AE, VR January 2018 To Date AVM Malcolm Brecht CB, CBE Note: Sir Philip Sassoon was Member of Parliament during his Squadron Leadership of 601 Squadron.

See also Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Squadron history on Battle of Britain website Squadron history on RAF website