About This Unit
No. 243 Squadron (RAF)
Originally raised in WW1, but subsequently disbanded, on 12 March 1941, No.243 reformed at Kallang in Malaya, as a fighter squadron for the defence of Singapore.
Malaya Singapore
Like other RAF and RAAF Fighter Squadrons in this theatre equipped Brewster Buffaloes, when Japanese fighters came within range, the squadron suffered heavy losses and by the end of January 1942 was operating its surviving aircraft as part of a mixed force, the other Buffalo squadrons being in a similar state. Its identity was gradually lost to the evacuation of redundant personnel and by the time all fighters were withdrawn from the Singapore airfields, it no longer existed as a unit, having been disbanded on 20 January 1942.
North Africa and the Mediterranean
On 1 June 1942, No. 243 reformed at Outston, taking over No. 242 Squadron's Supermarine Spitfires. It was declared operational on the 12th. After defensive duties, it turned its aircraft over to No. 232 Squadron (RAF) at the end of September and in November sailed for North Africa, where it became operational again with Spitfires in Algeria in January 1943. For the rest of the Tunisian campaign, it flew sweeps and provided escorts for day bombers attacking enemy bases and transport and in June moved to Malta for similar missions over Sicily.
Shortly after the Allied landings in Sicily, No.243 flew into the beachhead, repeating this in September after the Salerno landings. In December 1943, it moved to the Levant and after fully converting to Spitfire Mk IXs left for Corsica in April 1944. Escort missions and ground attack sweeps were flown over northern Italy and southern France and cover provided for the Allied landings on the French Riviera in August before the squadron was again disbanded on 31 October 1944.
South West Pacific Area
No. 243 reformed on 15 December 1944 at Morecambe, two days before embarking for Canada where it began training with Dakotas. In January 1945, these began moving across the Pacific to Australia, where it became part of No. 300 Wing and conducted communications flights began between British bases in the South West Pacific area, mainly to British Pacific Fleet bases. By the end of the war the squadron was flying scheduled services and extended these to Hong Kong on its surrender. By then, a large proportion of the squadron personnel were Australian, so they were demobilised locally when No. 243 disbanded on 15 April 1946.
The assignment of personnel to this squadron was derived from the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs Nominal Rolls which were compiled at the end of the war.