No. 84 Squadron RAF

No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently part of the RAF's Search and Rescue Force

History
No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed on 7 January 1917 and moved to France in September 1917. It flew the SE.5 over the Western front, at one time based in Bertangles, France until it returned to the UK in August 1919. The squadron was disbanded on 30 January 1920. Its aces included Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor, Hugh Saunders and Walter A. Southey.

The squadron was reformed on 13 August 1920 at Baghdad in Iraq, moving to Shaibah in September, where it remained for the next 20 years. Its initial equipment was DH.9As (until January 1929) and these were replaced by Wapitis (beginning October 1928), Vincents (December 1934) and Blenheims Mk.Is ( February 1939), before moving to Egypt in September 1940. It later operated in Greece, Iraq, and the Western Desert before moving briefly to the Far East. No. 84 Squadron flew the Vultee Vengeance dive bomber from Assam in North-East India but, contrary to some reports, not the Commonwealth Boomerang fighter from New Guinea during World War II (this was done by No. 84 Squadron RAAF). The squadron re-equipped with the Mosquito in February 1945 and in September 1945 with the Bristol Beaufighter. In 1949 No. 84 Squadron flew Bristol Brigands during Operation Firedog.



The squadron was disbanded on 20 February 1953, but 204 Squadron was renumbered to No. 84 Squadron on the same day. The squadron was the transport squadron for the RAF in the Middle East till 1971. Its Vickers Valetta flight was detached to become No. 233 Squadron RAF on 1 September 1960 at RAF Khormaksar to provide general transport for the British Army in the Aden Protectorate. The squadron was disbanded at Muharraq on 31 October 1971.

The squadron was reformed on 17 January 1972 from 1563 Flt and a detachment from 230Sqn with Westland Whirlwind HAR.10s at RAF Akrotiri to aid UN operations and operate search and rescue. It later (March 1982) replaced the Whirlwind with the Westland Wessex HC.2 and later still (June 1984) with the Westland Wessex HU.5C. It was the last squadron to use the Westland Wessex.

Since January 2003 the squadron has been assigned to British Forces Cyprus at RAF Akrotiri in the search and rescue role using the Bell Griffin HAR2. The helicopters are leased from and maintained by a civilian company. 84 Squadron aircraft are also used for UN duties in maintaining the buffer zone separating Cypriot and Turkish forces. In recognition of this role the aircraft are always unarmed and carry a light blue band around their tail, matching the blue berets of UN peacekeepers.

84 Squadron is the only serving squadron never to have been based in the United Kingdom.

Symbols
The squadron's badge, approved by George VI in December 1936 is the scorpion, and its motto is Scorpiones pungunt, Latin for "Scorpions sting". As a result, a single pet scorpion named Frank is kept as a mascot at RAF Akrotiri.

The squadron is allocated the ICAO designator AKG and the callsign GRIFTER.

Aircraft operated

 * 1917 Royal Aircraft Factory BE12 & BE12a
 * 1917 Royal Aircraft Factory BE12 & BE2c
 * 1917 Nieuport 12
 * 1917 Curtiss JN4
 * 1917 Avro 504K
 * 1917 Sopwith 1½ Strutter
 * 1917-1919 SE5
 * 1920-1929 Airco DH.9A
 * 1928-1935 Westland Wapiti
 * 1934-1939 Vickers Vincent
 * 1939-1941 Bristol Blenheim I
 * 1941-1942 Bristol Blenheim IV
 * 1942-1945 Vultee Vengeance I, IA, II and III
 * 1945-1946 de Havilland Mosquito VI
 * 1946-1948 Bristol Beaufighter X
 * 1949-1953 Bristol Brigand B1
 * 1953-1960 Vickers Valleta C1
 * 1956-1957 Bristol Sycamore HR14
 * 1956-1957 Percival Pembroke C1
 * 1958-1967 Blackburn Beverley C1
 * 1967-1970 Hawker Siddeley Andover C1
 * 1972-1982 Westland Whirlwind HAR10
 * 1982-2003 Westland Wessex HC2, HC5C, then HAR2
 * 2003- Bell Griffin HAR2

Notable squadron members

 * William Sholto Douglas, World War I ace
 * Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor, VC, World War I ace
 * George Augustus Vaughn, Jr., World War I ace
 * Walter Southey, World War I ace
 * Carl Frederick Falkenberg, World War I ace
 * Robert Grosvenor, World War I ace
 * Sidney Highwood, World War I ace
 * Hugh Saunders, World War I ace
 * John Victor Sorsoleil, World War I ace
 * Edwin A. Clear, World War I ace
 * Norman Mawle, World War I ace
 * Roy Manzer, World War I ace
 * John S. Ralston, World War I ace
 * Frederick Elliott Brown, World War I ace
 * William Henry Brown, World War I ace
 * Kenneth Leask, World War I ace
 * Percy Hobson, World War I ace
 * Cecil Thompson, World War I ace
 * Air Marshal George Owen Johnson, World War I ace
 * John McCudden, World War I ace
 * James Martin Child, World War I ace