In World War I No. 85
Squadron was formed at
Upavon on 1 August 1917; the station was home to the
Royal Flying Corps Central Flying School. Shortly afterwards, the squadron moved to
Mousehold Heath near
Norwich under the command of Major R A Archer. During November 1917 the squadron transferred to
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, and in March 1918 Major
William Avery Bishop VC,
DSO,
MC, took command and carried out his orders to prepare and train for front line duties in France. On 1 April 1918 No. 85 Squadron was transferred into the newly formed Royal Air Force. Following this period of training the squadron deployed to France during May 1918. Equipped with the
Sopwith Dolphin and later the
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A, it flew fighter patrols and ground attack sorties over the
Western Front until the
Armistice was signed. On 21 June 1918, there was a change of command and training methods following the arrival of the new CO, Major
Edward "Mick" Mannock DSO, MC. Rather than fight as individuals, the squadron was taught to act as a unit during combat. During a patrol on 26 July 1918, accompanying Lt DC Inglis over the front line, Major Mannock failed to return, depriving 85 Squadron of its leader. On 18 July 1919, Major Mannock was awarded a posthumous
VC. No. 85 Squadron amassed 99 victories during its short involvement in the conflict. Besides Bishop and Mannock, the squadron had other notable aces, such as
Malcolm C. McGregor,
Arthur Randall,
John Warner,
Alec Reid,
Spencer B. Horn,
Walter H. Longton and
Lawrence Callahan. 85 Squadron returned to the UK in February 1919. The squadron disbanded on 3 July 1919. The Squadron became notorious after it rejected the ace
James McCudden, who had risen through the ranks, as commanding officer because of its officers' snobbery.
World War II On 1 June 1938, the squadron was reformed from the renumbered elements of "A" Flight of
No. 87 Squadron RAF and placed under the command of Flight Lieutenant D. E. Turner. The squadron was posted to
RAF Debden in Essex and commenced training on the
Gloster Gladiator (the RAF's last biplane fighter). On 4 September the first
Hawker Hurricanes began arriving in numbers. With war looking likely in Europe, No. 85 Squadron received the signal ordering its immediate mobilisation on 23 August 1939, the aircraft making up both "A" and "B" Flights were kept at a state of constant readiness and by 1 September the squadron had completed its preparation for the impending move to France. On the outbreak of the
Second World War, the squadron moved its 16 Hurricanes to Boos as part of the Air Component of the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 60 Fighter Wing. Their primary role was to give support to the
Fairey Battle and
Bristol Blenheim units deployed around Rheims and to provide vital air defence cover for their airfields. Initial sorties involved patrols over the
English Channel and a move to Merville was instigated in late September. By 1 November 1939, another move saw the squadron posted to Lille Seclin and to maintain its patrols over the Channel, sections were detached to
Le Touquet and
Saint-Inglevert. During one such patrol over the
Boulogne area, the squadron scored its first victory of the war, when Flight Lieutenant
R. H. A. Lee attacked a
Heinkel He 111 which crashed into the Channel, exploding on impact. December 1939 saw a Royal visit from his Majesty the King accompanied by the
Duke of Gloucester and Viscount
Lord Gort. The onset of winter proved to be an additional challenge as bitterly cold weather prevented flying, caused damage to aircraft and took its toll on the health of the airmen, who were living in fairly primitive conditions. When the German invasion (Blitzkrieg) commenced in May 1940, No 85 Squadron found itself locked in a bitter contest with the
Luftwaffe, and with attacks on its aerodromes commonplace there was no respite from operations. In an eleven-day period the squadron accounted for a confirmed total of 90 enemy aircraft; there were many more claims that could not be substantiated. The final sorties saw the squadron giving fighter cover to the Allied armies until its airfields were overrun and the three remaining aircraft returned to the UK. During the intense battles over France, the squadron lost seventeen pilots; two killed, six wounded and nine missing, this figure included their new CO Squadron Leader Peacock but had once again had acquitted itself well in the face of many adversities. , left, and Flying Officer
Kenneth Blair were recognised with gallantry medals for their service with No. 85 Squadron during the Battle of France The squadron re-equipped and resumed full operations early in June 1940. After taking part in the first half of the
Battle of Britain over southern England, the squadron moved to
Yorkshire in September and in October following a change in role commenced
night fighter patrols. For the remainder of the Second World War No. 85 Squadron continued its nocturnal pursuit of intercepting enemy raiders. It had a brief period providing Bomber Support as part of
No. 100 Group RAF and even took part in the famous anti-diver patrols intercepting
V1 flying bombs.
Entering the jet age at the
RAF Museum,
Hendon,
London, formerly of No.85 SquadronFollowing the end of war in Europe, 85 Squadron remained active as a night-fighter unit, and flying operations continued into the jet age with new aircraft types such as the NF 11 and NF 14
Gloster Meteor,
Gloster Javelin and
English Electric Canberra. In its final reformation on 19 December 1975, No. 85 Squadron was a
Bristol Bloodhound Mark II
surface-to-air missile unit. It was operational at several RAF stations in the United Kingdom with headquarters at
RAF West Raynham in Norfolk. The squadron continued to play a significant part in Air Defence operations as part of 11 Group
RAF Strike Command until the 1990s. The collapse of the
Warsaw Pact and the end of the
Cold War period heralded wide sweeping changes in the United Kingdom's Air Defence needs. No. 85 Squadron was disbanded on 31 July 1991 and the Standard bearing the squadron's
battle honours was interred and is in the safekeeping of
Ely Cathedral. At the end the flights of No. 85 were based at the following airfields: • No. 85 Squadron at
RAF West Raynham • A Flight at
RAF West Raynham • B Flight at
RAF North Coates • C Flight at
RAF Bawdsey • D Flight at
RAF Barkston Heath* • E Flight at
RAF Wattisham* • F Flight at
RAF Wyton* • Joined the squadron after
No. 25 Squadron converted to
Tornado F3 on 1 August 1989. 2017 marked the 100th Anniversary of No. 85 Squadron, its Association met in June to celebrate the rich history gained throughout the many years of service to the Nation and the Crown. No. 85 Squadron reformed as No 85 (Reserve) Squadron in 2008, located at
RAF Church Fenton, teaching Elementary Flying Training in the
Grob Tutor. In August 2011, the squadron was disbanded due to the reductions in the RAF and
Fleet Air Arm following the
2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Paddy Hemingway, who had served in the squadron, was the last Battle of Britain survivor when he died on 17 March 2025, at the age of 105. ==Commanding officers==