First World War (1916–1918) No. 32 Squadron was formed as part of the
Royal Flying Corps (RFC) on at
Netheravon in Wiltshire, On 1 July 1916, its commanding officer,
Major (later
Group Captain)
Lionel Rees, was engaged in a combat with eight German
Albatros two-seater aircraft, and although wounded in the leg, managed to scatter the German aircraft, driving down two of the enemy, for which action he was awarded the
Victoria Cross. aircraft belonging to No. 32 Squadron (the wartime censor has scratched out
registration numbers on the negative, but left the much more revealing squadron markings)|alt=The squadron continued to fly patrols over the
Western Front, including over the
Somme and
Arras battlefields, for a year before beginning to re-equip with the
Airco DH.5, specialising in ground attack missions. These in turn began to be replaced by the
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a in December 1917, which were flown for the rest of the war on fighter and ground attack missions. On 1 April 1918, the squadron became part of the newly formed
Royal Air Force (RAF). During the war, sixteen
aces had served in its ranks, including future
Air Marshal Arthur Coningham;
Walter Tyrrell;
Arthur Claydon;
John Donaldson;
Wilfred Green;
Frank Hale;
Hubert Jones;
William Curphey;
Maxmillian Mare-Montembault; and
George Lawson.
Inter-war years (1919–1938) In March 1919, the squadron returned to the United Kingdom as a
cadre, and disbanded on 29 December 1919. It reformed on 1 April 1923 at
RAF Kenley in Surrey as a single flight of
Sopwith Snipe fighters. A second flight was formed on 10 December 1923, and a third brought the squadron up to full strength on 1 June 1924. The
Gloster Grebe was received at the end of 1924, and was replaced by the
Gloster Gamecock two years later. Equipped in succession with the
Armstrong Whitworth Siskin,
Bristol Bulldog, and
Gloster Gauntlet, the squadron received the
Hawker Hurricane I in October 1938. The squadron's Hurricanes saw little action throughout 1941, but did attempt, unsuccessfully, to escort the
Fairey Swordfish biplanes of
825 Naval Air Squadron during their doomed attempt to stop the German warships , , and during the
Channel Dash on 12 February 1942. The squadron carried out a number of night intruder operations before being deployed overseas. bombers at
RAF Weston Zoyland in Somerset, flying from Cyprus. No. 32 Squadron acquired four
Hawker Siddeley HS.125 CC1 business jets in 1971, these were Viper powered -400B series. and six
BAe 125 CC3 (Garrett-powered -700B version) delivered in 1982 and 1983. and one
BAe 146 of the No. 32 Squadron. The squadron's aircraft flew with a distinctive red livery until it was replaced in 2004. The RAF leased two
BAe 146 in 1983 (designated BAe 146 CC1) as a test of their suitability to replace the Andover, which were operated by
No. 241 Operational Conversion Unit. Two BAe 146-100 (designated BAe 146 CC2) were purchased in 1984 for the
Queen's Flight as a result, with delivery in 1986. A third BAe 146 CC2 was purchased in 1989 and delivered in 1990, although it was subsequently sold in 2002. The BAe 146 provided a 60% increase in range compared with the Andover, and a larger interior capacity for more passengers. On 1 April 1995, the Queen's Flight, equipped with these BAe 146 CC2, and
Westland Wessex HCC.4 helicopters (the latter operated from 1969 until 1998), was merged into No. 32 Squadron, to become
No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, and moved to RAF Northolt from
RAF Benson in Oxfordshire. The merger brought to an end the RAF's provision of dedicated VIP transport aircraft. The squadrons aircraft are available to VIP passengers only if not required for military operations, with the
Ministry of Defence (MOD) stating in 1999: "the principal purpose of 32 Squadron [is] to provide communications and logistical support to military operations; the Squadron's capacity should be based on military needs only; and any royal or other non-military use of ... spare capacity is secondary to its military purpose".
21st Century (2000– present) Following a review by the MOD in 2004, the squadron's aircraft lost their distinctive livery inherited from The Queen's Flight, featuring red flying surfaces. This was due to the concern over the aircraft's vulnerability to terrorist attack, to make the aircraft look more 'civilian'. (cargo configuration) at
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in 2014 Two additional BAe 146 were purchased in March 2012 from
TNT Airways, and were refitted by
Hawker Beechcraft on behalf of
BAE Systems for tactical freight and personnel transport use. The aircraft, designated as the BAe 146 C3, arrived in Afghanistan in April 2013. On 16 March 2015, the squadron's final BAe 125 returned from operations in Afghanistan, and the type's retirement from the RAF was brought forward due to defence budget cuts. Of the final four operational aircraft, three were put up for sale by the
Ministry of Defence, The aircraft were retired from service seven years ahead of their original withdrawal date. On 30 November 2015, a single
AgustaWestland AW109SP GrandNew which was withdrawn the following year. On 11 October 2017, the
Ministry of Defence announced that
Her Majesty The Queen had approved the award of
Battle Honours 'Iraq 2003–2011' and 'Libya 2011', both without the right to emblazon, to the squadron. The squadron's two BAe 146 C3 were modified in 2020 for use in the
medical support role, to carry patients and medical personnel into and out of smaller airfields than the RAF's
Airbus Voyager multi-role tanker transport aircraft. in 2008. This aircraft has since been moved to the
South Wales Aviation Museum for preservation and display.|alt=The
Integrated Review saw the fleet of four BAe 146 retired in March 2022. Shortly before, in February 2022,
Defence Equipment and Support announced that the four aircraft would be replaced by two
Dassault Falcon 900LX. One of the BAe 146-100s (
ZE701) was retired to the
Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, the other (
ZE700) was gifted to the
South Wales Aviation Museum at
St Athan in March 2022. The two BAe 146-200 were removed from service and sold to civilian airline
Pionair Australia. In August 2023, it was announced that the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport contract, which provided the squadron's AgustaWestland AW109SP GrandNew, would not be renewed and would end on 30 September 2023. The Ministry of Defence later confirmed that the contract had been extended. The new Labour government subsequently cancelled the extension of the contract in August 2024, with effect from December 2024. == Heritage ==