Caption: Spitfires RAF 74 Sqn JHF JHC JHH JHG taking off at Horbchurch Essex 8th Aug 1939 NIOD

 Caption: Spitfire MkVb RAF 74Sqn ZPN WJ Sandman PoW W3210 escort to Hazebrouck 27th Jun 1941

RAF No 74 Squadron

No. 74 Squadron

Motto: I Fear No Man

No. 74 Squadron RAF also known as a 'Tiger Squadron' from its tiger head motif, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s.

History

First World War

The squadron was first formed at London Colney on 1 July 1917. No. 74 Squadron was a training unit flying Avro 504Ks.
Its first operational fighters were S.E.5As in March 1918. The squadron served in France from April until February 1919, when it returned to Britain where it was disbanded on 3 July 1919.

During its wartime service, it was credited with 140 enemy planes destroyed and 85 driven down out of control, for 225 victories. Seventeen aces had served in the squadron, including Victoria Cross winner Major Edward Mannock, Ira 'Taffy' Jones, Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith, future Air Commodore Keith Caldwell, Andrew Kiddie, Frederick Gordon, Sydney Carlin, Frederick Hunt, Clive Glynn, George Hicks, Wilfred Young, Henry Dolan, Harris Clements, George W. G. Gauld, and Frederick Luff.

Interwar years
During the Abyssian crisis of 1935 the squadron was reformed in September to operate out of Malta with Hawker Demon two-seater fighters. In July the following year, the Squadron, with its Demons, was shipped back to England. It re-equipped with Gloster Gauntlets in April 1937 at Hornchurch, and formed part of the newly created Fighter Command. The Gauntlets were exchanged for the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I in Feb 1939.

World War II

On 6 September 1939, after an early morning air raid alert, a flight of No 56 Squadron Hurricanes took off from North Weald. These were followed by two reserve Hurricanes. The two reserves were identified as enemy aircraft and Spitfires from Hornchurch, among them 74 Squadron, were ordered to attack them. Both were shot down. One pilot, P/O Montague Hulton-Harrop was killed; the other pilot, Frank Rose, survived. The pilot who fired the fatal shot was 74 Squadron's John Freeborn. The exact story of what happened in this incident, which came to be known as the 'Battle of Barking Creek' may never be known. Even the origin of the name is obscure, as it did not take place above Barking Creek, but near Ipswich, in Suffolk. This was the first RAF operational death of the war. At the subsequent courts martial, the court accepted that the entire incident was an unfortunate error.

The Squadron, as part of No 12 Group, first saw combat during the evacuation from Dunkirk. These battles extracted a heavy toll on both pilots and aircraft. Thereafter they served successfully through the Battle of Britain. Mark Is were replaced with Mark IIa Spitfires in September 1940 at RAF Coltishall. The squadron moved back south to RAF Biggin Hill in October for the end of the Battle of Britain. The Squadron went to the north of England in July 1941 to regroup, from there moving around to stations in Wales and Northern Ireland until it was sent, without aircraft, to the Middle East in April 1942. Shortly after moving to the Middle East in April 1942. In June they arrived in Egypt. The squadron was moved to Palestine to operate as a maintenance unit for USAAF B-24 Liberators. The squadron received Hurricane IIBs in December 1942 and served in Iran until May 1943, moving back to Egypt for shipping patrols and conversion to the Spitfire Mk.Vb and Mk. Vc in September 1943. In late October 1943 the squadron got Mk.IX Spitfires, which were swapped for Mk. XVIs in March. No 74 returned home just in time to take part in the D-Day landings in June 1944, using its aircraft as fighter-bombers supporting the Allied liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Post war

Scarcely three days later the Squadron was sent back to England to equip with jets - the Gloster Meteor. Based at RAF Horsham St Faith, the squadron kept Meteors until 1957, when they got a more modern fighter, the Hawker Hunter.

In June 1959 the squadron moved to RAF Coltishall for re-equipment with the English Electric Lightning F.1 in mid 1960. In 1964 they moved to RAF Leuchars to get F.Mk.3 then F.Mk.6 Lightnings in 1966. The Squadron moved to RAF Tengah in Singapore, where it operated alongside 20 Squadron which flew Hunters, and 81 Squadron which flew Canberra PR-9s. The Squadron flew its EE Lightning F6s to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus to hand them over to 56 Squadron and disbandment on 31 August 1971.

The squadron was reformed at RAF Wattisham in October 1984, with ex-US Navy/Marine F-4Js (designated as the F-4J(UK) in RAF service) that were purchased by the RAF as a stop gap measure to replace those of 23 Sqn that had been sent to the Falklands after the war. 74 Sqn gave up their F-4J Phantoms and received surplus Phantom FGR.2s in January 1991, disbanding in October 1992 when RAF Wattisham began its transition to the Army Air Corps. On 5 October 1992, 74 (R) Squadron stood up with the British Aerospace Hawk as part of No 4 Flying Training School at RAF Valley in the weapon instruction role. At the 1993 Tiger Meet, 74 Sqn won the covetted 'Silver Tiger' trophy while competing against Mirages and F-16's, as Flt Lt Will Jonas said 'Not bad for a training unit eh?!'

With the rationalisation of 4 FTS to just two squadrons, 74(R) Sqn was disbanded on 22 September 2000. In 2008, No.74 would have celebrated its 90th anniversary, however No. 74 (F) Squadron still lives on through the 74 (F) Tiger Squadron Association, which brings together former tigers from all generations for a yearly reunion dinner. Pending raising the necessary funds, plans are in place to create a museum dedicated to the Squadron's history at their former base of Horsham St Faith, now Norwich Airport.
Famous pilots

Famous pilots associated with the squadron:
Keith Caldwell
A.G. 'Sailor' Malan-32 victories
Edward Mannock-61 victories of which 35 were made with 74 Sqn.
H.M.Stephen

74 Squadron Aircraft

July 1917 to Mar 1918 - Avro 504K
Mar 1918 to Feb 1919 - SE5a
Sept 1935 to Apr 1937 - Hawker Demon
Mar 1937 - Gloster Gladiator I
Mar 1937 to Feb 1939 - Gloster Gauntlet II
1939 - Hawker Hurricane I
1938 to 1940 - Miles Magister 14A
Feb 1939 - Supermarine Spitfire 1 & Ia
June 1940 to Dec 1941 - Supermarine Spitfire IIa & IIb
May 1941 to March 1942 - Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Vb
Dec 1942 to Sept 1943 - Hawker Hurricane I, IIb, IIc
Sept 1943 to Apr 1944 - Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Vb
Sept 1943 to Apr 1944 - Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Vc
Oct 1943 to Apr 1944 - Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire IX
Apr 1944 to Mar 1945 - Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire LFIXe
Mar 1945 to May 1945 - Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire LF16e
May 1945 to Mar 1948 - Gloster Meteor F.3
Dec 1947 to Oct 1950 - Gloster Meteor F.4
1950 to 1957 - Gloster Meteor T.7
Oct 1950 - Feb 1957 - Gloster Meteor F.8
Mar 1957 to Jan 1958 - Hawker Hunter F.4
Nov 1957 to 1960 - Hawker Hunter F.6
1959 to 1960 - Hawker Hunter T.7
June 1960 to April 1964 - English Electric Lightning F.1 & F.1a
Apr 1964 to Sept 1967 - English Electric Lightning F.3
1961 to 1967 - English Electric Lightning T.4
Jun 1967 to Aug 1971 - English Electric Lightning T.5
Jun 1967 to Aug 1971 - English Electric Lightning F.6
Aug 1984 to Jan 1991 - McDonnell Douglas Phantom F-4J(UK)
Jan 1991 to Oct 1992 - McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2
Oct 1992 to Sept 2000 - British Aerospace Hawk T.1/T.1A

History

First World War

As at 1 October 1917, the squadron had the following aircraft:

Aircraft Operated by RFC No. 74 Squadron

Flight	Aircraft
'A' Flight	2 Sopwith Camels, 1 Sopwith Pup, 2 Nieuports
'B' Flight	2 Avros, 1 Nieuport
'C' Flight	1 Avro

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a (replica), similar to those operated by No. 74 (F) Squadron in 1918 and 1919

No. 74 Squadron was first formed at Northolt on 1 July 1917; 108 years ago, as No. 74 (Training Depot) Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), before relocating to the aerodrome at London Colney nine days later. Beginning life as a training unit, the squadron initially flew the Avro 504Ks, among other types, before working-up to a fighter squadron. In February 1918, Mick Mannock became the senior flight commander of the squadron as it reached front-line status, becoming No. 74 (Fighter) Squadron.

On 20 March 1918, the squadron received its first operational fighters, the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a. On 30 March, the squadron was sent over to the RFC headquarters in Saint-Omer, France. No. 74 (F) Squadron saw its first action on 12 April when it engaged in a dogfight near Merville against the German Luftstreitkräfte, with Mannock scoring 'the Tigers' first kill: an Albatros Scout. Within 70 days of being on the continent, No. 74 (F) Squadron had notched 100 enemy kills to just one loss. The squadron served in France from April until February 1919, when it returned home to RAF Lopcombe Corner, Hampshire, where it was disbanded on 3 July 1919.

During its 7-month-long wartime service, it was credited with 140 enemy planes destroyed and 85 driven down out of control, for 225 victories. Seventeen aces had served in the squadron, including Victoria Cross winner Major Edward 'Mick' Mannock, Ira 'Taffy' Jones, Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith, future Air Commodore Keith Caldwell, Andrew Kiddie, Frederick Stanley Gordon, Sydney Carlin, Frederick Hunt, Clive Glynn, George Hicks, Wilfred Ernest Young, Henry Dolan, Harris Clements, George Gauld, and Frederick Luff.

Interwar years

In response to the ongoing Abyssinia Crisis of 1935, the squadron was reformed in unusual circumstances on 3 September. The squadron was reborn out of the combination of detachments of Nos. 3, 23, 32, 56, 65, and 601 Squadrons, who were on board the troopship ship Neutralia, which was en-route to Malta. After arrival, No. 74 (F) Squadron operated Hawker Demon two-seater fighters. While it had been officially re-established, the squadron was prohibited from identifying its aircraft by squadron number until 14 November 1935 due to security reasons; until then, it was referred to as 'Demon Flights'.

In the following July, the squadron and its Demons, were shipped back to England, with the squadron arriving at RAF Hornchurch in September 1936. On 20 December 1936, Adolph Gysbert 'Sailor' Malan was posted to 'the Tigers'. In February 1937, after years of unofficial use, No. 74 (F) Squadron had its squadron badge design; a tiger's face, officially approved by King George VI. 'The Tigers' re-equipped with Gloster Gauntlets in April 1937, forming part of the newly created Fighter Command. The Gauntlets were kept up until February 1939, when the squadron began converting to the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I.

Second World War

Battle of France and Britain

Squadron Leader John Mungo-Park DFC & Bar, OC No. 74 (Fighter) Squadron between March and June 1941. Between Sept. 1939 and his death on 27 June 1941, Mungo-Park scored 11 victories with the unit.

At the outbreak of war, No. 74 (F) Squadron was operating from RAF Rochford, a satellite aerodrome of RAF Hornchurch. On 6 September 1939, after an early morning air raid alert, a flight of No. 56 (F) Squadron Hawker Hurricanes took off from North Weald. These were followed by two reserve Hurricanes. The two reserves were identified as enemy aircraft, and Spitfires from RAF Hornchurch, among them No. 74 (F) Squadron, were ordered to attack them. Both were shot down. One pilot, P/O Montague Hulton-Harrop was killed; the other pilot, Frank Rose, survived. The pilot who fired the fatal shots was No. 74 (F) Squadron's John Freeborn. The exact story of what happened in this incident, which came to be known as the Battle of Barking Creek, may never be known. Even the origin of the name is obscure, as it did not take place above Barking Creek but near Ipswich, in Suffolk. At the subsequent court martial, it was accepted that the entire incident was an unfortunate error.

"A magnificent day's fighting, 74... This is the way to keep the measure of the Boche. Mannock started it and you keep it up."

— telegram from Chief of the Air Staff Sir Cyril Newall, after 'the Tigers' claimed 24 victories and 14 damaged on 11 August 1940.

The squadron, as part of No. 12 Group, first saw combat in May 1940 during the evacuation from Dunkirk, in battles which exacted a heavy toll on both pilots and aircraft. Thereafter No. 74 (F) Squadron served successfully through the Battle of Britain, being heavily involved throughout June and July. On 11 August, the squadron flew four sorties, and by the end of the day, had claimed 24 victories and 14 damaged. On 14 August, No. 74 (F) Squadron was posted to RAF Wittering for rest, and shortly after moved onto RAF Kirton in Lindsey and then onto RAF Coltishall, Norfolk. It was here at Coltishall in September 1940 that the squadron replaced their Spitfire Mk.Is with the Mk.IIa. The squadron moved back south to RAF Biggin Hill in October for the end of the Battle. Between November and December 1940, No. 74 (F) Squadron destroyed 38 enemy aircraft.

With the Battle of Britain won, the squadron were posted to RAF Manston, Kent, in February 1941. The squadron then went to the north of England to RAF Acklington in July 1941 to regroup, from there moving around to stations in Wales (RAF Llanbedr) and Northern Ireland (RAF Long Kesh). During this time, the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, Sir Hubert Winthrop Young, made a presentation of Spitfires to No. 74 (F) Squadron. This subsequently led to 'the Tigers' being named the 'Trinidad Squadron', a name that lasted until the 1950s.

Supermarine Spitfire LF.XVIe in markings of Squadron Leader A. J. 'Tony' Reeves DFC, Officer Commanding No. 74 (F) Squadron from December 1944 to May 1945.

Middle East and the liberation of Europe

The squadron finally made a move from RAF Long Kesh in April 1942, when it was sent the Middle East, arriving in Egypt in June. The ship carrying their aircraft they had been due to fly had been sunk leaving 'the Tigers' without anything to fly. No. 74 (F) Squadron was then moved to Palestine in July, where a decision was made for the squadron to operate as a maintenance unit for USAAF B-24 Liberators. The squadron finally recovered its air capability in December 1942, when they received Hurricane Mk.IIBs, forming part of No. 219 (Fighter) Group. During this time, they operated from RAF Habbaniya in Iraq, and were also based in Iran. The squadron, now commanded by Squadron Leader James Hayter, moved back to Egypt in May 1943, arriving at Landing Ground 106 near El Dabaa, in order to carry out shipping patrols. On 23 July, 'the Tigers' took part in a large offensive over Axis-occupied Crete, in which they attacked radio direction finder (RDF) stations and barracks, among other targets, severely damaging them. The squadron converted back to Spitfires in September 1943, this time to Mk.Vbs and Mk.Vcs, as they were transferred over to Cyprus to participate in the failed Dodecanese campaign. 'The Tigers' withdrew back to Egypt, and in late October 1943, the squadron got Mk.IX Spitfires, which were swapped for Mk.XVIes in March 1944.

No. 74 (F) Squadron returned home in April 1944 to RAF North Weald, before moving onto RAF Lympne. They had arrived back just in time to participate in the buildup for Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944). It was equipped with the Spitfire Mk.IX HF operating while from RAF Lympne in Air Defence of Great Britain, though under the operational control of RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF). During this time, they attacked Axis railway yards and escorted Allied bombing raids on V-1 flying bomb launch sites in occupied France as part of D-Day preparations. On 3 July, the squadron left RAF Lympe for RAF Tangmere, as part of No. 134 Wing, before leaving for Sommervieu, Normandy in August 1944 and joining No. 145 Wing. From here, they supported the Allied advance through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, in a fighter-bomber role. No. 74 (F) Squadron operated from aerodromes in Lille, Courtrai, Duerne, and Schijndel during this time. In March 1945, the squadron received Spitfire Mk.XVIs, which they operated alongside their Mk.IXs. On 16 April, 'the Tigers' were based at Drope in Germany, from here they were used to carry out reconnaissance missions over Wilhelmshaven. It was while based here that No. 74 (F) Squadron received news of Germany's surrender. The squadron finally left Germany on 11 May 1945, returning to Britain.

1950s

The squadron, now flying de Havilland Vampire FB.9, Venom FB.1s, was moved to Habbaniya in Iraq in May 1953. In 1955 it was in Cyprus, and deployed to Aden from 1956–57 for the Suez Crisis. The squadron arrived in Akrotiri in March 1957 to form part of the Middle East Air Force Strike Wing, equipped with Canberra B2s. The squadron was disbanded on 10 January 1969.

Aircraft Operated by RAF No. 74 Squadron

From	To	Aircraft	Variant
1917	1918	Avro 504	K
1918	1919	Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5	S.E.5a
1935	1937	Hawker Demon
1937	1939	Gloster Gauntlet
1939	1941	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.I
1940	1941	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IIa
1941	1942	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.Vb
1942	1943	Hawker Hurricane	Mk.IIb
1943	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.Vb / Mk.Vc
1943	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	Mk.IX
1945	1946	Supermarine Spitfire	LF.Mk.IX / Mk.XVI
1947	1948	de Havilland Vampire	F.1
1948	1950	de Havilland Vampire	F.3
1949	1952	de Havilland Vampire	FB.5
1952	1956	Gloster Meteor	F.8
1956	1959	Gloster Meteor	NF.12 / NF.14
1959	1961	Gloster Javelin	FAW.4 / FAW.5
1961	1964	Bristol Belvedere	HC.1
1964	2002	Westland Wessex	HC.2
1997	2002	Westland Puma	HC.1
1984	1991	McDonnell Douglas Phantom	F-4J(UK)
1991	1992	McDonnell Douglas Phantom	FGR.2
2002	2019	Short Tucano	T.1
2019	present	Beechcraft Texan	T.1