No. 501 Squadron — County of Gloucester

No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron was a Royal Auxiliary Air Force fighter unit that entered the Second World War flying Hawker Hurricanes. Deployed to France in May 1940 as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force, the squadron gained hard combat experience before withdrawing as France fell. It then flew throughout the Battle of Britain, operating from RAF Middle Wallop and later RAF Gravesend — a satellite of Biggin Hill in 11 Group — and subsequently from RAF Kenley. The squadron suffered nineteen pilots killed during the battle, more than any other RAF unit. Among its pilots were James “Ginger” Lacey, one of the highest-scoring aces of the battle, and Sergeant Antoni Głowacki, who destroyed five aircraft in a single day on 24 August 1940. Re-equipping with Spitfires from April 1941, the squadron later converted to Hawker Tempests in 1944 and flew extensively against V-1 flying bombs, destroying at least 84. It was disbanded at RAF Hunsdon in April 1945, having flown over 11,000 operational sorties.