No. 31 Squadron — Goldstars

No. 31 Squadron was formed on 11 October 1915 at Farnborough as part of the Royal Flying Corps, and claims the distinction of being the first military flying unit to operate in India, arriving at Nowshera in December 1915. The squadron spent the entire Second World War in the transport role, initially maintaining the North-West Frontier commitment before being rushed to Iraq in March 1941 to help defeat a German-backed coup and support the defence of RAF Habbaniya, then participating in operations against Vichy French forces in Syria. Following Japan’s entry into the war the squadron re-equipped with the Douglas Dakota and moved to the Burmese border, where it became the primary air-supply unit for the first and second Chindit expeditions led by Major General Orde Wingate. For much of 1943–45 the squadron flew continuous resupply and casualty-evacuation sorties in support of the Fourteenth Army, operating from bases including Agartala and Comilla as part of No. 229 Group. The squadron’s motto, In cælum indicum primus — “First into Indian skies” — reflects its century-long association with the subcontinent, and it bears the honorific title “The Goldstars”.