No. 249 Squadron — Gold Coast

Reformed on 16 May 1940 at RAF Church Fenton, No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron flew Hurricanes through the Battle of Britain, initially in No. 12 Group before transferring to North Weald under No. 11 Group in September 1940. It was there that Flight Lieutenant James Brindley Nicolson earned Fighter Command’s sole Victoria Cross of the entire war, shooting down an enemy fighter despite his own aircraft being ablaze on 16 August 1940. In May 1941 the squadron flew to Malta by carrier, spending nearly two years defending the island, re-equipping with Spitfires in early 1942. It subsequently moved to Italy in October 1943, ranging over Albania and Yugoslavia before converting to Mustangs in late 1944 for long-range sweeps over the Balkans. The squadron disbanded on 16 August 1945, one of the RAF’s most widely travelled and decorated fighter units of the war.