No. 213 Squadron — Ceylon

No. 213 Squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 (Naval) Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, and after disbandment in 1919 was reformed at Northolt in March 1937, re-equipping with the Hawker Hurricane by early 1939. At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron formed part of No. 12 Group, Fighter Command, based at Wittering, before transferring to No. 10 Group in August 1940. The squadron flew operations over Dunkirk during the evacuation and was actively engaged during the Battle of Britain, seeing heavy fighting on Adlertag, 13 August 1940. In 1941 the squadron moved to the Middle East, where it supported the Eighth Army’s campaigns across the Western Desert, operating Hurricanes in the ground-attack and air-superiority roles through Egypt, Libya, and beyond. It later transitioned to Spitfires and then Mustangs, ending the war flying with the Balkan Air Force over Yugoslavia and Albania. The squadron’s badge depicts a hornet, reflecting its motto — Irritatus Lacessit Crabro, “The hornet attacks when roused” — and it carried the honorific title “(Ceylon) Squadron” in recognition of wartime support from the island.