Formation and World War I

The Squadron was formed as a Royal Air Force Squadron on 1 April 1918, from No. 9 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service at Clairmarais aerodrome.^[10] (All former RNAS squadrons were renumbered by the addition of 200 to their RNAS number.) During the remainder of World War I, 209 Squadron flew Sopwith Camels over the Western Front on fighter and ground support missions. The Squadron badge, the falling red eagle, symbolizes the destruction of Baron Manfred von Richthofen (commonly known as The Red Baron) who, in the 1914–1918 War, was credited to the guns of a pilot, Roy Brown from No. 209 Squadron.^[8] On 21 January 1919, the squadron was reduced to a skeleton organisation and disbanded in the UK on 24 June 1919 at RAF Scopwick, Lincolnshire.^[1][9]

The interbellum

No. 209 reformed at the flying boat base at RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth on 15 January 1930.^[11][12] It was first equipped with Blackburn Iris flying boats and then from January 1934 by Blackburn Perth but neither of these types were built in sufficient quantities to equip the squadron fully. In July 1936, however, the squadron was fully equipped with Short Singapore Mk.IIIs and it was transferred to RAF Kalafrana, Malta in September 1937 for three months. In December 1938, No 209 began to convert to yet another flying boat type, the Supermarine Stranraer.^[9][13]

World War II

When the Second World War broke out, No.209 moved to Invergordon to patrol the North Sea between Scotland and Norway. From October 1939 it patrolled the Atlantic from Oban. Two further re-equipments occurred, in December 1939 (Saro Lerwicks) and then in April 1941 (Consolidated Catalinas).^[9] Familiarisation with the U.S. supplied Catalinas was aided by the secondment of U.S. military personnel who also flew on active service patrols, despite the U.S. being a neutral power at the time. Anti-submarine patrols were flown over the Atlantic from RAF Castle Archdale on Lough Erne, in Northern Ireland, using the Donegal Corridor over neutral Eire. During this time, in May 1941, a patrol by No.209 (with an American crewman) located the German battleship Bismarck.^[14]

In August 1941, the squadron moved to Iceland for two months. From March 1942 until July 1945, No.209 was stationed in East Africa. It flew patrols over the Indian Ocean with detached bases in South Africa, Madagascar, Oman and the Seychelles to extend its cover. In July 1945 the squadron moved to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), with recently acquired Short Sunderland MkVs, with a detachment at Rangoon (now Yangon), to harass Japanese shipping along the coast from Burma (now Myanmar) to Malaya.^[9]

Post war

Notable personnel

• Fred Everest Banbury – 1917–1918 with No. 9 Naval Squadron^[16]
• Arthur Roy Brown
• Stearne Tighe Edwards^[17]
• Air chief marshal Robert Foster – 1918^[18]
• John Hales^[19]
• Oliver Colin LeBoutillier
• Wilfrid May^[20]
• Air vice-marshal Francis Mellersh^[21]
• John Paynter – 1917 with No. 9^[22]
• Oliver Redgate – 1917–1918^[23]
• Merrill Samuel Taylor – 1917–1918 with No. 9 and No. 209^[24]