First World War Formed during World War I at
Fort Grange,
Gosport on 1 March 1916 as Number 45 Squadron, the unit was first equipped with
Sopwith 1½ Strutters which it was to fly in the Scout role. Deployed to France in October of that year, the Squadron suffered heavy losses due to the quality of its aircraft, continuing until it transitioned to the
Sopwith Camel in July 1917. Transferred to the Austro-Italian front at the end of 1917, 45 Squadron there engaged in ground attack and offensive patrols until September 1918 when it returned to France and joined the Independent Force. Airfield - December 1917 During the course of the war, some thirty
flying aces served in the squadron's ranks. They included future
Air Vice-Marshal Matthew Frew,
Cedric Howell,
Geoffrey Hornblower Cock, future
Air Commodore Raymond Brownell,
John C. B. Firth,
Kenneth Barbour Montgomery,
Mansell Richard James,
Norman Macmillan,
Peter Carpenter,
Richard Jeffries Dawes,
Norman Cyril Jones,
Ernest Masters,
Henry Moody,
Thomas F. Williams,
William Wright,
James Dewhirst,
James Belgrave,
Edward Clarke,
Alfred Haines,
Thomas M. Harries,
Alan Rice-Oxley,
Earl Hand,
Arthur Harris,
Charles Gray Catto,
John Pinder, and future
Group Captain Sidney Cottle.
Inter-war period The squadron returned to England in February 1919 and disbanded in December 1919. In April 1921 it reformed at
RAF Helwan, Egypt. Assigned
Vickers Vernon bomber-transports, the unit provided troop transportation and ground support and mail services throughout the Middle East, notably in support of anti-rebel operations in Iraq and Palestine. The unit transitioned to
DH9As in 1927, to
Fairey IIIs in 1929 and to
Fairey Gordons in 1935. At some point the unit adopted the nickname "The Flying Camels". The Squadron Badge is a winged camel, approved by King Edward VIII in October 1936. The badge and nickname derive from the Sopwith used by the unit in World War I and its long service in the Middle East.
Second World War At the start of World War II, 45 Squadron converted to
Bristol Blenheims. From mid-1940 it took part in the North African Campaign and on 11 June was one of three squadrons that participated in the Allies' first attack on the
Regia Aeronautica (Italian air force) base at
El Adem: 18 Italian aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground, for the loss of three British aircraft. The following day, the squadron participated in an attack on shipping at
Tobruk, damaging the Italian cruiser
San Giorgio. During late 1940 the squadron supported Allied ground forces in the
East African Campaign, while based at
Gura, in
Eritrea. During its time at Gura, the squadron suffered losses – on 2 October two Blenheims were shot down by an Italian ace, sergeant-major Luigi "Gino" Baron; among the aircrew killed was 45 Squadron's CO, Sqn. Ldr. John Dallamore. His successor was acting Sqn Ldr Patrick Troughton-Smith. Between June and August 1941, the squadron was based at
RAF Aqir in Palestine, from where it was involved in operations against Vichy French forces in Lebanon. During an attack on Beirut on 10 July, three of the squadron's Blenheims were shot down by Vichy French D-520 fighters. While the crew of one Blenheim attempted to bail out, only the pilot, Sgt. Wilton-Jones, survived; he was captured, badly burned and hospitalised in Tripoli, Lebanon. Despite the heavy losses, the mission was regarded as a success. A ceasefire was declared at one minute past midnight on 12 July and the Allies assumed control of the hospital on 16 July. From mid-1942 the unit was deployed to
Burma and India, for service against the Japanese. Three aircraft from the Squadron participated in the first Allied bombing raid against
Bangkok.
Malayan Emergency , Malaya, in 1956/57 After the Second World War, No. 45 Squadron served in the
Malayan Emergency, based at
RAF Station Tengah on the island of Singapore. There the unit engaged in ground attacks against pro-independence guerrillas belonging to the
Malayan National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the
Malayan Communist Party. Operation Firedog lasted for 12 years until the conclusion of the war. The unit also engaged in operations to quell unrest on the
Sarawak coast in British North Borneo during this time. While operating in Malaya the unit flew
Bristol Beaufighters. From 1955 the squadron was based at RAF Butterworth in Malaya, flying
de Havilland Venoms under the command of Squadron Leader Geoffrey Cooper.
1960s to 1980s , Singapore, in 1963|alt=|right After re-equipping with
English Electric Canberra B.15s in 1962, the squadron became involved in the
Brunei Revolution and the subsequent confrontation with Indonesia until its resolution in 1966. The squadron disbanded on 13 January 1970 after the UK's withdrawal from East of Suez. On 1 April 1992, the unit was disbanded and the TWCU title dropped, its aircraft and personnel becoming
No. 15 (Reserve) Squadron whilst maintaining the same training role.
1992 onwards in France, 2015 (during Course No. 217's Overseas Training Flight) s of No. 45 Squadron at
RAF Cranwell, April 2018 On 1 July 1992, the No. 45(R) Squadron identity was resurrected and adopted by the Multi-Engined Training Squadron (METS) at No. 6 FTS,
RAF Finningley. The new No. 45(R) Squadron moved to
RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, in October 1995, and in 2003, replaced its
BAe Jetstream T.1s with
Beechcraft B200 King Airs serviced by
Serco. In 2018, the squadron converted to
Embraer Phenom T1s. ==Commanding officers==