No. 6 Squadron

No. 6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit was formed within No. 17 Group, RAF Coastal Command, on 19 July 1941 at RAF Thornaby on Teesside, having briefly existed from 31 May 1941 at Andover as a redesignation of the No. 2 School of Army Co-operation. Its primary purpose was to train General Reconnaissance aircrew for Coastal Command, initially using Lockheed Hudsons alongside Ansons and Oxfords. From October 1942 the Hudson fleet was replaced by Vickers Wellingtons, and the unit also absorbed a Polish training flight from No. 18 OTU and a Czech flight (No. 1429) that same autumn. In March 1943 the unit relocated to RAF Silloth in Cumberland, and in January 1944 it absorbed the personnel and aircraft of the disbanded No. 3 (Coastal) OTU. A further move took it to RAF Kinloss in July 1945, where control passed to No. 18 Group; the unit continued training on Warwicks and later Lancasters until it was redesignated No. 236 Operational Conversion Unit on 31 July 1947.