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No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron RAuxAF
No. 614 Squadron RAF
Active	1 Jun 1937 – 25 Jan 1944 3 Mar 1944 – 27 Jul 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 Mar 1957 10 Mar 2014 - present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Part of	Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Garrison/HQ	Ty Llewellyn, Morgan Street, Cardiff CF10 4FG
Nickname(s)	County of Glamorgan
Motto(s)	Welsh: Codaf I geisio (Translated: "I rise to search")
post 1950 aircraft insignia
Commanders
Honorary Air Commodore	R.E.C. Cadman
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	On a demi-terrestrial globe, a red dragon passant The red dragon points to the squadrons connection with Wales
Squadron Codes	YX (Apr 1939 – 1940) LJ (1940 – Aug 1942) RAU (May 1946 – 1949) 7A (1949–1950)

No. 614 Squadron was originally formed on 1 June 1937 as an army co-operation squadron unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. It served during the Second World War first in this role and later as a bomber squadron. Upon reformation it served as a fighter squadron until the disbandment of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force on 10 March 1957.

History

Formation and early years

Formed at RAF Pengam Moors near Cardiff (the often cited Llandow was not erected yet) as an army co-operation squadron unit and part of the Auxiliary Air Force on 1 June 1937, No. 614 squadron was initially equipped with Hawker Hinds. By the end of the year it had received some additional Hawker Hectors which it flew until November 1939, when the squadron became operational on Westland Lysanders, the first of which had arrived in July of that year.

In support of Bomber Command

In June 1940 No. 614 squadron moved to Scotland to carry out coastal patrols, covering an area from Inverness to Berwick, 'A' flight, which was detached to Inverness for that purpose, became No. 241 Squadron RAF in the process. From July 1941 it began re-equipping with Bristol Blenheims, a process completed by January 1942. In support of RAF Bomber Command's 'Thousand Bomber Raids' in May and June 1942, the squadron sent its Blenheims to attack enemy airfields in the Low Countries and in August 1942 it laid smoke screens for the landings at Dieppe.

In North Africa

In November 1942 the Squadron moved to North Africa. There the Squadron carried out attacks against enemy airfields and lines of communication until May 1943, when the fighting in that area ended. It then became involved in shipping escort duties in the Mediterranean until being disbanded on 25 January 1944 at Borizzo Airfield, Sicily.

On Halifaxes and Liberators

The second incarnation of No. 614 Squadron had its origins in No. 462 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), formed on 7 September 1942 at Fayid, Egypt, under Article XV of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. This squadron contained mostly British aircrew and ground staff. Consequently, RAAF Overseas Headquarters requested that the squadron be renumbered and transferred to the RAF. On 15 February 1944, while it was en route to Celone, Italy the unit was renumbered as No. 614 Squadron. Equipped with Handley Page Halifaxes it was now involved in bombing missions over Italy and the Balkans and it also carried out supply drops to partisans in those areas. The Squadron re-equipped with Consolidated Liberators in March 1945, the Halifaxes finally being withdrawn in March 1945, but on 27 July 1945 it was disbanded at Amendola Airfield, Italy when it was renumbered as No. 214 Squadron RAF.

Post war

With the reactivation of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, No. 614 Squadron was reformed on 10 May 1946 (though one source claims 26 August 1947) at RAF Llandow as a day fighter squadron. Recruiting of personnel did not start until November 1946 though. Initially the squadron was equipped with Supermarine Spitfires and these gave way to de Havilland Vampires in July 1950 but, along with all the flying units of the RAuxAF, the unit was disbanded on 10 March 1957.

Present

No. 614 Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force was reformed in 2014 and is now a General Support Sqn (GSS) that provides dedicated support to RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. It maintains a base in Cardiff and recruits from across South Wales and the West of England.

Aircraft operated

Squadron bases

Commanding officers

References

Notes

1. ^ Rawlings 1978, p. 502.
2. ^ Halley 1988, p. 431.
3. Rawlings 1982, p. 239.
4. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 118.
5. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 67.
6. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
7. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 21.
8. Rawlings 1982, pp. 239–240.
9. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 101.
10. "614 squadron RAUXAF". raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
11. ^ Rawlings 1978, p. 503.
12. ^ Rawlings 1982, p. 240.
13. ^ Moyes 1976, pp. 281.
14. Hunt 1972, pp. 343–355.

Bibliography

• Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
• Egles, Dudley C. (1996). Just One of the Many, A Navigator’s Memoirs. Hutton Close, South Church, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, UK: The Pentland Press. ISBN 1-85821-401-7.
• Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Hunt, Leslie (1972). Twenty-One Squadrons: The History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925–1957. London: Garnstone Press. ISBN 0-85511-110-0.
• Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
• Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
• Rawlings, John (1978) . Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft (Revised ed.). London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
• Scotland, Tom (1993). Voice from the Stars, A Pathfinder’s story. Lynwood, Australia: Tom & Laurel Scotland. ISBN 1-875317-09-0. (reprinted 2007).

Further Reading

• Wade, Martin (2024). On Dragon's Wings: A History of No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Talybont, Aberystwyth: Y Lolfa. ISBN 978-1800995994.

External links

• 614 sqn on RAF website
• No. 614 "County of Glamorgan" Squadron (RAF): Second World War
• No 611-620 Squadron Histories on RAFWeb
• No. 614 sqn’s Blenheims in East Lothian
• Current page on RAF Reserves website

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inactive	5 15 21 26 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 43 44 46 47 48 49 50 52 53 55 58 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 71 73 74 75 76 77 79 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 98 100 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 116 117 118 119 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 203 204 205 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 353 354 355 356 357 358 360 361 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 547 548 549 550 567 569 570 571 575 576 577 578 582 586 587 595 597 598 618 619 620 621 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 635 639 640 644 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 679 680 681 682 683 684 691 692 695
Australian Flying Corps units attached to the RAF during the First World War	67 (1 Sqn AFC) 68 (2 Sqn AFC) 69 (3 Sqn AFC) 71 (4 Sqn AFC)
Article XV (Commonwealth) air force units attached to the RAF during the Second World War	Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467 Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) 485 486 487 488 489 490
squadrons formed from non-Commonwealth personnel during the Second World War	Argentine 164 Belgian 349 350 Czechoslovak 310 311 312 313 Dutch 320 (Netherlands) 321 (Netherlands) 322 (Dutch) French 326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 Greek 13 335 336 Norwegian 330 331 332 333 334 Polish 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663 United States 71 121 133 Yugoslav 351 352
Royal Auxiliary Air Force	Special Reserve 500 501 502 503 504 Auxiliary Air Force 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 622
Fleet Air Arm of the RAF (1924–1939)	712 715 718 800 801 802 803 810 811 812 813 814 820 821 822 823 824 825
Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS)	current 611 615 621 622 626 631 632 637 644 645 661 former 612 613 614 616 617 618 623 624 625 633 634 635 636 642 643 662 663 664

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