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No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron Royal Air Force
No 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron was formed at Turnhouse in October 1925 as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. It was re-designated a fighter unit in October 1938, receiving Spitfires with the outbreak of war in September 1939. No 603 intercepted the first German air raid on Britain on 16th October shooting down the first enemy aircraft of the war. It remained in Scotland until the end of August 1940, moving south for the rest of the Battle of Britain, returning to Scotland at the end of December 1940. In May 1941 it moves south to take part in sweeps over France, returning to Scotland at the end of 1941. No 603 left for the Middle East in April 1942, the aircraft embarked on the US Carrier Wasp and flown off in Malta, reinforcing the fighter defence of Malta for four months before pilots and aircraft being absorbed by No 229 Squadron on 3rd August 1942.
Ground crew of No 603 moved to Cyprus as a servicing unit before returning to Egypt. In February 1943 Beaufighters and crews began convoy patrols and escort missions along the African coast, and in August 1943 conducted sweeps over German-held islands in the Aegean. Attacks on enemy shipping continued until December 1944, when the squadron returned to Britain.
No 603 reassembled at Coltishall on 10 January 1945. Fighter-bomber sweeps over the Netheland began in February 1945 and continued until April, when the squadron returned to Turnhouse. The squadron was disbanded on 15th August 1945.
Airfields
No. 603 Squadron
flew from:
- RAF Turnhouse, Midlothian from 3rd September 1939 (Spitfire I)
- RAF Prestwick, Ayrshire from 16th December 1939
- RAF Dyce, Aberdeenshire from 17th January 1940
- RAF Montrose from August 1940
- RAF Hornchurch, Essex from 28th August 1940 (Spitfire IIa)
- RAF Rochford, Essex from3rd December 1940
- RAF Drem, East Lothian from 13th December 1940
- RAF Turnhouse from 27th February 1941
- RAF Hornchurch from 16th May 1941 (Spitfire Va)
- RAF Rochford from 16th June 1941
- RAF Hornchurch from 9th July 1941 (Spitfire Vb)
- RAF Fairlop, Essex from 12th November 1941
- RAF Dyce from 15th December 1941
- RAF Peterhead, Aberdeenshire from 14th March 1942
- Malta from 13th April 1942
- RAF Coltishall, Norfolk from 10th January 1945 (renumbered from No 229 Squadron. Spitfire LFXVIe)
- RAF Ludham, Norfold from 24th February 1945
- RAF Coltishall from 5th April 1945
- RAF Turnhouse from 28th April 1945
- RAF Drem from 7th May 1945
- disbanded 15th August 1945
1st October 1939 New Fighter Squadron formed
4th October 1939 New fighter squadron formed in Scotland
10th October 1939 Crashed and killed on ferry flight
20th July 1940 Battle of Britain
28th August 1940 ` Battle of Britain
29th August 1940 Battle of Britain
30th August 1940 Battle of Britain
31st August 1940 Battle of Britain
1st Sept 1940 Air battle over Kent
2nd Sept 1940
2nd Sept 1940 Battle of Britain
3rd September 1940 Airfields bombed
3rd September 1940 Spitfire shot down
5th September 1940 Battle of Britain
6th September 1940 Battle of Briatin
7th Sept 1940 Battle of Britain
15th Sep 1940 Battle of Britain Day
18th Sept 1940 London bombed
30th June 1941 Circus 27
3rd April 1942 New C/O
20th April 1942 More Spitfires delivered to Malta
20th April 1942 New Spitfires on Malta destroyed
22nd April 1942 Four pilots killed defending Malta
9th May 1942 More Spitfires delivered to Malta
10th May 1942
11th May 1942 Enemy bombers suffer heavy losses
12th May 1942 Heavy losses for little benefit
14th May 1942 3 Spitfire pilots killed over Malta
16th May 1942 Endless bombing raids on Malta
23rd July 1942 New fighter flight formed
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Want to know more about No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron Royal Air Force? There are:2029 items tagged No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron Royal Air Force available in our Library
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WO. Jack Dawson Green 603 Squadron (d.17th March 1945) Warrant Officer Jack Green was the son of Walter Dawson Green and Elise Maude Green of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia.
He is buried in the Barendrecht General Cemetery, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands.
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Harold "Harry" Yorke 603 Sqd. We are hoping to publish our father, Harry Yorke's wartime diary about his experiences in Stalag Luft 7 Bankau and then Stalag Luft 3a Luckenwalde.
We have made contact with one of his pals' family but if anyone has information about the following POW's who were with Dad in these camps and on the Long March please email us.
- Laurie Benson,
- Johnnie Perkins,
- Bill Swinson (Kiwi)
- "Red" Tarlton
Grateful thanks.
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F/S A. C. Hunter 603 Sqd. F/Sgt A C Hunter of 603 sqd. was shot down in Spitfire X4665 on 14-7-41 near Hazebrouck, France and taken POW. He was interned at Stalag 357 Kopernikus, Poland and given POW No.39273. He had previously served with 260 sqn. He was later promoted to W/O.
I would be most grateful if anyone could give any details however trivial they may seem on this pilot, as I do not even know of his first names, nationality etc.
Thanking you
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