99 Squadron, Royal Air Force
1939 to 1945
The primary aim of this site is to record from photographs and perhaps more importantly, from the experiences of those who took part, in whatever capacity, the whole of 99 Squadron’s experience from the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 to the disbandment of the Squadron in 1945.
The Operations Record Books (ORBs) provide a useful record and point of historical reference, but won’t make much of an appearance here. They have been transcribed for the whole of the Squadron’s time in India and the Cocos. Work continues on the transcriptions covering the Squadron’s activities in the European theatre, 1939 – 1942. Contact me if you want a selection of jpegs of the original ORBs, or transcriptions.
The recording of the experiences of individual Squadron members is in its infancy. There is a limited amount of material available at the moment, but the hope and aspiration is to build on this. It’s the recollections of the individuals who took part that puts the flesh on the rather dry bones of the ORBs, and brings out the human aspects of ordinary people, performing extraordinary exploits in extraordinary times. If you would like to contribute, then please contact me.
Why do this? To acknowledge the part played by the Squadron, and all its personnel, during the years of conflict; to provide a record to those who are interested; and as an act of respect to all those Squadron members who made it through the War, and to those who did not.
This is not the official site of the reformed 99 Squadron. The site does, however, have the sanction and support of the 99 Squadron Association, and the support and encouragement of the current 99 Squadron in Brize Norton.
Notes, cautions, and a few other words.
Firstly, a big thank you to all who have contributed material to this site. Many of the early photos are courtesy of Norman Didwell; many of those from the India years were contributed by Mary Scott, Hugh Grice, Jim Cameron and others. Thanks also to those who contributed memoirs. I’ve tried to recognise contributors wherever possible but please forgive me if I’ve overlooked anyone.
If you want to copy lo-
A note of caution regarding serial numbers. The source material is the Ops Record Books AIR 27 from the National Archives. Some of the records are difficult to read; the format appears to change almost randomly; and the Squadron would never have won any awards for its consistency in record keeping. As a result, there’s a certain amount of interpretation of serials, call signs, and dates first noted. Anything I’ve been uncertain about, I’ve left out. I think it’s largely accurate, but I’d be pleased to hear from you if you disagree.
The fates of the Squadron’s aircraft 1939 to 1942 is drawn from a compilation “List of Losses over Europe” compiled by Mr J G J De Haan of the Netherlands. This has been an invaluable resource, and I’d like to thank the compiler and all our friends in the Netherlands for their help and support.
On a technical note, this site appears to display correctly using Opera 9.24, and Internet Explorer v7. I don’t have the facilities to check out other browsers but please let me know if there are issues.
All errors of omission and commission are entirely my own.
Martin Bond
December 2007