602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force
Contact Details
Lowland House,
60 Avenupark Street,
Glasgow,
G20 8LW
0141 9456758
www.raf.mod.uk/rafreserves/squadrons/glasgowno602cityofglasgowsquadron.cfm
Directions
Coming from the City Centre turn first on the left after Queen Maragaret Drive into Avenuepark Street we are located about 200 metres down the road at the right hand side
Roles
The Squadron's role is to provide operational support to the RAF's intelligence, surviellence, target aquisition and reconnisance (ISTAR) units at RAF Kinloss and RAF Waddington, as well as other deployed locations as needed (individual deployments to date have included Kinloss, Cyprus and Iraq). It does this by specialising in the operational support roles which encompass Flight Operations Officers, Intelligence Officers, Flight Operations Managers and Flight Operations Assistants.
Training Night
Wed evenings from 7.30 pm. Weekends from 8.30 am at various locations.
History
602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron, founded on 12 September 1925, was the first squadron to be established by the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF).
In the pre-war years, it flew a mix of aircraft (including the first flown over Mount Everest in 1933) before becoming the first RAuxAF squadron to convert to the Spitfire in 1939. It was with this aircraft, and alongside 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron fighters, that the Squadron shot down the first enemy aircraft over mainland Britain during WWII while repelling air attacks on Royal Navy warships in the Firth of Forth.
602 Sqn went on to have a highly distingushed record during the war. It was the longest serving squadron in the front line during the Battle of Britain (scoring the second highest toll of enemy aircraft of any squadron); it carried out the first Spitfire night operations and the first Spitfire dive bombing attacks and, in addition to pinpoint raids on V1 and V2 sites, 602 Spitfires strafed Feldmarschall Rommel's staff car, ending his involvement in the Normandy campaign. The Squadron continued to fly the Spitfire until 1951, giving it the longest unbroken association in the entire RAF with this famous plane.
Flying Vampire aircraft until 1957, the Squadron, along with the entire RAuxAF, was disbanded in this year. At this time, a Reservist Maritime Headquarters Unit (MHU) was established in Edinburgh to support maritime operations. Following the resurrection of the RAuxAF in 1979, the Edinburgh MHU was renamed 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron in 1999; the core maritime support elements from this Squadron went on to re-establish 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron in 2006.