RAF 243 Squadron was a RAF squadron in World War II which was based at Kallang Airport

Kallang Airport

The Kallang Airport , also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang, opened in 1937 as Singapore's first purpose-built civil airport, together with an anchorage for seaplanes. Land was reclaimed in the Kallang Basin to turn the swampy area into a circular-shaped airfield and...

 in Singapore, and fought during the Battle of Singapore

Battle of Singapore

The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...

 in 1941-42 with the inadequate Brewster Buffalo

Brewster Buffalo

The Brewster F2A Buffalo was an American fighter aircraft which saw limited service early in World War II. Though the Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the US Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft, it turned out to be a big disappointment...

 fighter.

The squadron was largely manned by RNZAF pilots from New Zealand, including Bert Wipiti

Bert Wipiti

Bert Sam Wipiti DFM was a New Zealand fighter ace of World War II, initially with RAF squadrons.-Biography:A Māori and born in New Plymouth, he joined the RNZAF in January 1941....

who shared in the shooting down of the first Japanese aircraft over Singapore, and was the top scoring Buffalo pilot.