No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force

No. 62 Squadron was formed on July 28th 1916, and served as a training Squadron for 18 months before proceeding to France in January 1918 as a fighter unit. Having been selected as one of the Brigades for the Occupation Army, the Squadron stayed on the continent after the armistice. It was disbanded at Nivelles, Belgium in July 1919.
The Squadron was reformed on the 3rd May 1937 at Abingdon from 'B' Flight of No. 40 Squadron,, equipped with Hawker Hind light bombers. These were replaced with Blenheims in 1938, and the Squadron relocated to Singapore in August 1939.

10th Sept 1939 Dispatched to Singapore

February 1940 Moving north

8th Dec 1941 Japanese Attack

9th Dec 1941 Aircraft attacked on the ground

9th Dec 1941 Solo attack earns VC

10th Dec 1941 Withdrawal to Singapore

12th Dec 1941 Squadron destroyed

18th December 1941 Detachment to the Far East

23rd Jan 1942 Move to Sumatra

26th January 1942 Attack Made

8th February 1942 Retreat from Singapore

12th February 1942 Sumatra abandoned; 27 Squadron disbanded

20th Feb 1942 Evacuation

26th Feb 1942 Evacuation from Java

15th March 1942 Support for Java

21st March 1942 Fighting retreat from Java

15th April 1942 Withdrawal from Java

29th April 1942 Hudson lost

30th April 1942 Squadrons reorganised

13th November 1942 Test flight for new service schedule

January 1943 Bombing resumed

May 1943 Transport role

3rd November 1943 Change-over of Squadrons

7th January 1944 New aircraft

5th February 1944 Arakan Offensive

8th February 1944 Supplies Delivered

10th February 1944 Battle of the Admin Box

12th February 1944 No enemy aircraft to be seen

3rd March 1944 Congratulations from Mountbatten

5th March 1944 Troop transport behind enemy lines

5th March 1944 Landing

6th March 1944 Operation Thursday

12th March 1944 On the Move

18th March 1944 Operation Thursday

29th March 1944 Siege of Imphal

29th March 1944 Supplies to beseiged garrison town

11th April 1944 Sustained attack

25th April 1944 Two Daks missing

3rd July 1944 Seige lifted

August 1945 Rest

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Those known to have served with
No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

McKern Ralph Noel. Grp Capt.

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Want to know more about No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force?

There are:2040 items tagged No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.

Grp Capt. Ralph Noel McKern 547 Squadron

Wing Commander Ralph Noel McKern was OC 547 Squadron at RAF Station Davidstow Moor, Camelford, Cornwall from May 1943 to April 1944. Prior to this he completed refresher flying and staff duties with HQ 18 Group Coastal Command (July 1942 to April 1943) after spending several weeks in a transit camp at Karachi, India.
He needed the time spent here for he had been OC 62 Squadron RAF in Malaya for a short period following time spent as OC 100 Squadron RAF at Seletar. McKern was posted to Australia with other 36 and 100 Squadron pilots and aircrew in November 1941 to ferry Australian-built Beauforts to Singapore. He flew one of these aircraft to Seletar, arriving on 6/12/41, and he ferried another Beaufort back to Australia shortly afterwards as these aircraft could not be used operationally due to numerous defects.
From 547 Squadron he undertook liaison duties on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth, Admiral Little, for the invasion of France. From September 1944 to April 1945 he was:
OC RAF Milltown,
OC 295 Wing in West Africa during May-July 1945,
August 1945 to August 1946 he was Staff Officer with 228 (Administrative) Group, Calcutta;
Staff Officer i/c Administration with 64 Group at York from October 1946 to August 1948,
RAF Staff College at Bracknell from August 1948 to February 1949,
Far East Air Force Singapore, Personnel Administration from April 1949 to August 1951,
OC RAF Changi Singapore from August 1951 to February 1952 (rank of Group Captain),
OC Western Zoyland to May 1954,
25 Group RAF Manby Staff Officer i/c Administration.

He died at Scone in 1959.
The interesting thing about Ralph is that he completed a 12 month apprenticeship with the Bank of Scotland, West End Branch in Edinburgh before starting on his Air Force career. On 26 June 1931 he was appointed to a short service commission for flying duties with the rank of Pilot Officer, July 1931 to June 1932 he was at 2 FTS Digby, Lincs, for pilot training, 1 Squadron at Tangmere for flying duties up to August 1935, Central Flying School, Upavon for flying instructor's course September to December 1935,7 FTS Peterborough for instructional duties January-September 1936, 36 (TB) Squadron at Seletar, Malaya as a pilot, Air HQ Air Staff Singapore, January 1939 to December 1941 OC 100 (TB) Squadron. And the rest they say is history.

Kim Fawkes

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No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force

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Those known to have served with
No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

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No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force

Logbooks

Those known to have served with No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Forceduring the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -

Those known to have served with
No. 62 Squadron Royal Air Force
during the Second World War 1939-1945.