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No. 65 Squadron was a squadron

Squadron (aviation)

A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...

 of the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

.

World War I

The squadron was first formed at Wyton

Wyton

Wyton may refer to the following places in England:* Wyton, Cambridgeshire* Wyton, East Riding of YorkshireWyton may also refer to:* RAF Wyton – an RAF airbase near Wyton, Cambridgeshire...

 on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps

Royal Flying Corps

The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...

 with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

. By the end of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, it had claimed over 200 victories. Thirteen aces had served with it, including
John Inglis Gilmour

John Inglis Gilmour

Major John Ingles Gilmour DSO MC & Two Bars was a World War I flying ace. He was the highest scoring Scotsman in the Royal Flying Corps, with 39 victories.-Early life:...

,
Joseph White

Joseph Leonard Maries White

Joseph Leonard Maries White DFC, was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 22 victories.-Distinguished Flying Cross:"Lt...

,
Maurice Newnham

Maurice Newnham

Captain Maurice Ashdown Newnham was a World War flying ace credited with 18 aerial victories.He originally joined the Royal Flying Corps as a 17-year-old courier. He was assigned to No. 4 Squadron in France. A year and a half later, he underwent pilot's training.He was then forwarded to a Sopwith...

,
Thomas Williams

Thomas Williams (RAF officer)

Air Marshal Sir Thomas Melling Williams KCB, OBE, MC, DFC & Bar, RAF was an ace pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, scoring nine aerial victories...

,
William Harry Bland

William Harry Bland

Lieutenant William Harry Bland was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Reference:...

,
Alfred Leitch,
Jack Armand Cunningham

Jack Armand Cunningham

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Armand Cunningham DSO DFC was an English World War I flying ace credited with 10 aerial victories. His victory record was remarkable for being scored over a four year stretch, using four different types of aircraft....

,
Godfrey Brembridge

Godfrey Brembridge

Lieutenant Godfrey Brembridge was a World War I flying ace who was credited with five victories .He joined the Royal Flying Corps in July 1917. He flew a Sopwith Camel for 65 Squadron, driving down three enemy airplanes between 18 December 1917 and 9 March 1918, and destroying two others...

, and
George M. Cox

George M. Cox

Captain George Montague Cox was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Cox served originally in the Royal Berkshire Regiment, beginning in 1914. In 1916, he switched to the Royal Flying Corps. After training as a fighter pilot, he was posted in 1917 to 65 Squadron to fly...

.
Arthur G. Jones-Williams

Arthur G. Jones-Williams

Captain Arthur Gordon Jones-Williams was a World War I flying ace originating from Wales. He was credited with eleven aerial victories. In 1929, he made two attempts at setting a nonstop flight record.-World War I service:...

, who would go on to long-range flight record attempts in 1929, also served in the squadron.

World War II

The squadron reformed in 1934 at RAF Hornchurch

RAF Hornchurch

RAF Hornchurch was an airfield in the south of Hornchurch in what is now the London Borough of Havering. Known as Sutton's Farm during the First World War, it occupied of the farm of the same name and was situated east north-east of Charing Cross...

 with the Hawker Demon, converting to the Gloster Gauntlet

Gloster Gauntlet

-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Crawford, Alex. Bristol Bulldog, Gloster Gauntlet. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2005. ISBN 83-89450-04-6....

 in 1936 and the Gloster Gladiator

Gloster Gladiator

The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...

 in 1937. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the squadron operated Supermarine Spitfires, having converted from Gladiators in 1939. In December 1943, the squadron converted to North American Mustangs. For a period of time their Wing Commander

Wing Commander (rank)

Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...

 was Reg Grant

Reg Grant

Reginald Joseph Cowan Grant DFC and Bar, DFM was an officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force who was killed in flying operations during the Second World War.-Career:...

.

Post war

In 1946, the unit converted to the Spitfire LF.XVIe and then the de Havilland Hornet

De Havilland Hornet

The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...

, the Gloster Meteor F.4 and F.8

Gloster Meteor

The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...

, then the Hawker Hunter

Hawker Hunter

The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...

 F.6. The squadron disbanded in 1961, and then reformed in 1964 as a surface to air missile unit, operating the Bristol Bloodhound. During this period, it was based at RAF Seletar, Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, and it disbanded again in 1970. It was last disbanded at RAF Coningsby

RAF Coningsby

RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...

 in June 1992, by re-numbering as No. 56 (Reserve) Squadron

No. 56 Squadron RAF

Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...

, after serving as the Operational Conversion Unit

Operational Conversion Unit

An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...

 for the Tornado F.2 and F.3

Panavia Tornado ADV

The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant is a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979, and it entered service in 1986. It was retired on 22 March 2011 by the Royal Air Forceand is now only in service with the...

 fighter, with the alternative identity of No. 229 OCU.