No. 208 Squadron

No. 208 Squadron traces its lineage to No. 8 (Naval) Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service, formed on 25 October 1916 at St Pol from flights of Nos 1, 4 and 5 Wings RNAS; it was renumbered 208 Squadron RAF on 1 April 1918 upon the formation of the Royal Air Force. After disbanding in 1919, the unit reformed in February 1920 at Ismailia, Egypt, where it spent the inter-war decades in army cooperation duties, converting to the Westland Lysander in 1939. At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron was already deployed in the Middle East, and flew tactical reconnaissance missions in support of ground forces throughout the Western Desert and North African campaigns, operating Lysanders, Hurricanes, and Curtiss Tomahawks before re-equipping with Spitfires in late 1943. The squadron participated in the Greek campaign of 1941, the Syrian campaign, and operations during the siege of Tobruk and the battles around El Alamein. In March 1944 it moved to Italy, where it flew fighter and ground attack sorties until the end of the war in Europe, earning battle honours spanning Egypt, Libya, Greece, Iraq, Syria, and Italy. Its badge, featuring the Sphinx at Giza, reflects the squadron’s long association with Egypt, and its motto “Vigilant” — borne out by decades of reconnaissance — led to the informal nickname “The Flying Shuftis”, derived from the Arabic word for “to look”.