Formation and early history (1936–1939) No. 609 Squadron was formed on 10 February 1936 at
RAF Yeadon, now
Leeds Bradford International Airport, as the ninth of the 21 flying squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. In June of that year it received
Hawker Hart light bomber aircraft, which gave way in December 1937 to
Hawker Hinds. The first Commanding Officer of 609 Squadron was
Squadron Leader Harald Peake, who later rose to the rank of
Air Commodore. On 8 December 1938, 609 Squadron was transferred to
RAF Fighter Command, but was not equipped with fighters until the introduction of the
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I in August 1939. At this point the squadron was still manned by part-time civilians.
Fairey Battle light bombers were used as training aircraft to convert pilots from the fixed undercarriage biplane Hinds to much more modern monoplane Spitfire with its retractable undercarriage.
Second World War film showing tracer ammunition from a Spitfire of 609 Squadron, hitting a
Heinkel He 111 A Spitfire that flew with 609 Squadron during this period, number
X4590, is now preserved at the
Royal Air Force Museum London, Hendon. Another 609 Squadron Spitfire, number
R6915, is preserved in the
Imperial War Museum, London. This aircraft scored victories while piloted both by John Dundas and another 609 Squadron ace,
Noel Agazarian. During February 1941 the squadron moved to
RAF Biggin Hill. Almost all of the squadron's original pilots were now lost and replacements came from Belgium,
Poland, Canada, Australia, France, United States, and New Zealand in addition to those from Britain. During the summer of 1941, 609 Squadron carried out fighter sweeps over France. In November 1941, the squadron was withdrawn from the front line, after 18 months continuous fighting and rested at
RAF Digby in Lincolnshire. While at Biggin Hill, the squadron acquired a
goat, soon named William, which became their official mascot. He was awarded an honorary
DSO and
DFC, and the rank of Air Commodore. He and his brother Dennis were the first German-born pilots in the RAF, Dennis joining No. 183 Squadron in 1944, as part of the same Wing (No. 123) that his elder brother was flying in with No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron. Prior to the allied
invasion of Europe in 1944, 609 Squadron was involved with destroying German
radar stations on the French coast. In support of the invasion, the squadron's Typhoons were deployed against tanks and other targets using "60lb"
RP-3 rockets. The Typhoon proved itself adept at the role of 'tankbuster' and went on to attack the German armoured breakthrough at the
Falaise Gap in August 1944. In November 1944 the squadron moved to the Netherlands, followed in April 1945 by a move over the enemy border to Plantlunne, Germany. On some days the squadron flew up to 150 sorties. By the end of the war 603 pilots had claimed some 232 kills for 73 aircrew killed in action.
Post-war period (1945–1957) After the war, 609 Squadron was stood down, and the name transferred back to the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force. In 1946, the squadron reformed at
RAF Church Fenton, then moved back to Yeadon. 609 was once again a squadron manned by part-time civilians using front line fighters, this time the
Mosquito NF.30 night-fighter and later, when the squadron changed role to that of a daylight fighter squadron, the
Spitfire LF.16. In 1951, 609 Squadron re-equipped with jet fighter aircraft, the
Gloster Meteor, and moved back to Church Fenton in order to take advantage of the longer runway. At this time, 19 regular squadrons and 10 reserve squadrons of Meteors formed Britains main fighter defence. During the
Korean War, 609 and other auxiliary squadrons were called up to full-time service for 3 months. From 1947 to March 1957 (when all flying squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force were disbanded), Air Vice-Marshal
Geoffrey Ambler, who commanded the squadron just before the Second World War, was the squadron's
Honorary Air Commodore. An active 609 Squadron Association was formed after the War and for 21 years was organised by Charles 'Mac' McConnell who had served as an officer during the War. The Association played the lead role in establishing the squadron museum near York.
The modern era (2000–present day) The latest incarnation of the squadron was formed at
RAF Leeming on 1 July 1998 and was originally named the Air Defence Support Squadron, the 609 number plate was granted on 1 October 1999. The squadron is no longer a flying Squadron, but instead has the role of Force Protection, it is employed to prevent or minimise the effects of enemy attack on RAF bases. The squadron deployed to
Ali Al Salem as part of
Operation Telic from February to August 2003. Furthermore, 15 personnel from the squadron were deployed to Al Udeid Air Base,
Qatar. Over 50 of the squadrons' reservists were awarded the
Iraq Medal. Since then, several squadron members have deployed with regular
RAF Regiment squadrons on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently the squadron have another role in C-UAS (Counter Uncrewed Air Systems). The squadron now have a number of trained personnel to deploy and utilise these skills in the modern theatre. ==609 Squadron in art==