766 Squadron

766 was first supposed to have formed in1939 at Lee-on-Solent as a seaplane school but this never happened maybe due to outbreak of WW2.

So it formed at Machrihannish as a night advanced landing training course with Swordfish aircraft.

Moved to Inskip in 1943 to become part of No1 Naval Operational Training Unit. By 1944 it was operating over 30 swordfish aicraft.

Later in 1944 it exchanged some of these for 14 Fireflies,from 1772 Sqdn.

It then took on the Sea Hurricanes of 760 Sqdn. in Nov 1944. Then 766 moved to Rattray early in 1946 then later that year to Lossiemouth where it it also received Seafires to become Part1 of the Operational Flying School.

By late 1951 Sea Fury trainers were also added to its varied list of types operated. Others had included Albacore,Fulmar, Anson, Defiant, and Harvard.

In 1953 the squadron moved to Culdrose where it disbanded in 1954.

In 1955 it re-formed at Yeovilton with the 8 Sea Venoms of 890 squadron to form an "All Weather Fighter Pool". Yeoviltons runways were undergoing reconstruction in 1956 so the squadron transferred its operations to Merryfield a satellite station of Yeovil.

In October 1957 the squadron became the Naval All Weather Fighter School, a task previously performed by 238 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF North Luffenham.

The title changed to AWF Training Squadron in 1958 when it was back at Yeovilton,and when the first Sea Vixen jets arrived they were designated 766B until the remaining Venoms were finally phased out in Oct 1960.

Sea Vixen mark2 aircraft were added to the mark 1s in 1965(these mk1s stayed until 1968). the squadron disbanded at Yeovilton in December 1970 when its task and aircraft transferred to 890 sdqn.

The sqadron crest is "on a field blue in base two bars wavy white, a torch gold winged white inflamed proper( a winged flaming torch of knowledge) the motto is "Festine Lente" (make haste slowly).

The reason I know all this -(a) I was once assitant curator of the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton,and (b)- Whist serving on the squadron I personally painted the squadron crest on the tails of all the Sea Vixen aircraft! Hope this was useful
regards Barry Prosser

766 Squadron

1/1/39

Organized - 766 Squadron

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