No. 500 Squadron RAuxAF
| No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron RAuxAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 16 Mar 1931 – 11 Jul 1944 1 Aug 1944 – 23 Oct 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 Mar 1957 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Various |
| Part of | Royal Auxiliary Air Force |
| Nickname(s) | County of Kent |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Quo fata vocent (Translation: "Whither the fates may call") |
| Battle honours | Channel and North Sea, 1939–41 Dunkirk Biscay ports, 1941 Atlantic, 1941–42 North Africa, 1942–43 Mediterranean, 1942–44 Italy, 1944–45. These honours are all emblazoned on the squadron standard |
| Commanders | |
| Honorary Air Commodores | The Duke of Kent Anthony Eden |
| Notable commanders | Denis Spotswood |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | A horse forcene The white horse of Kent was adopted to commemorate the squadron's association with that country |
| Squadron Codes | SQ (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) MK (Sep 1939 – Apr 1944) RAA (May 1946 – 1950) S7 (1950–1951) |
| Post-1950 squadron roundel | |
No. 500 (County of Kent) Squadron AAF was a Royal Air Force flying squadron. It was initially formed in 1931 as a Special Reserve squadron and in 1936 became part of the Auxiliary Air Force, at this time based at Manston and Detling.
During the Second World War, the squadron served in both Coastal Command and Bomber Command. In the coastal role, the squadron undertook operations over the English Channel in 1940–1941, before moving to North Africa in late 1942. It undertook anti-submarine operations in support of Operation Torch and then continued operations in the Mediterranean, operating various aircraft types during this period. In July 1944, the squadron disbanded before being reformed as a bomber squadron in Algeria in August, later operating in Italy in the final years of the war.
Following the war, the squadron was disbanded in October 1945. In May 1946, it was re-formed as an auxiliary squadron within Fighter Command. Initially it operated in the night fighter role and then later as a day fighter unit equipped with jet aircraft before being disbanded in 1957.