244 Sqn

520 (Special Duty) Flight
and 522 (Special Duty)
Flight were formed on 6th
June 1918 in Anglesey as
'A' & 'B' Flights within
255 Sqn. They were
transferred to create 244
Sqn on 25th July 1918 at
Bangor. 530 (Special
Duty) Flight was formed
on 15th August 1918 at
Bangor and was known as
'C' Flight within 244 Sqn.
They flew DH6 aircraft
and were detached to
Tallaght near Dublin.
They carried anti-
submarine patrols. The
Squadron was disbanded
at Bangor on 22nd
January 1919.

'S' Sqn was formed on
17th March 1918 at
Heliopolis by
redesignating an element
of 5 Fighting School (itself
originating from other
Egypt based training
squadrons and schools of
navigation & gunnery). It
was disbanded in June
1919 at Almaza, Egypt
and absorbed into its
similarly formed sister 'Z'
Squadron. 'S' Squadron
was reformed at RAF
Habbaniya in Iraq on 21st
August 1939 by re-
designating the
Communication Flight,
Iraq & Persia.

'S' Squadron then moved to RAF Shaibah on 1st November 1940 and was re-
designated 244 Sqn. They were disbanded on 1st May 1945. The memory of
their wartime service at Habbaniya, Shaibah, Sharjah, Masirah and detachments
to even more primitive airfields in the Gulf and around the Arabian Sea and
Indian Ocean was kept alive by the 244 Sqn & Kindred Spirits Association
until disbanded June 2007. It is a tale of spartan hardship, loneliness and a
constant battle against inhospitable conditions to keep clapped out obsolete
aircraft operational. The RAF Habbaniya Association pledges to keep these
memories alive as long as possible on their behalf.