251 Wing

This was formed under RAF Middle East at Heliopolis on 21 September 1939 by redesignating No 2 (Bomber) Wing as No 251 (Bomber) Wing and by 1 December controlled Nos 70, 113 and 216 Squadrons but disbanded in March 1940.

A new unit arrived at Abadan in Middle East from the UK on 29 April 1942 as No 251 (Defensive Fighter) Wing for the defence of the Basrah area. By May 1942 it had moved to Abadan in Iran with No 19 Sector Operations Room and No 264 AMES under its control. It was redesignated RAF Abadan on 1 October 1942

It reformed at No 3 BPD, Portici on 13 March 1944 as No 251 (Fighter) Wing under 87th Wing, 12th Tactical Air Command USAAF with Nos 237, 238 and 451 Squadrons. On 12 July it was transferred to No 202 Group and on landing in the South of France, the 64th Fighter Wing, USAAF but on 24 September it ceased to operate, moving to Lavallon on 2 October, where its aircraft were left behind and the Wing travelled by LST from Marseilles to Naples. Arriving at Gragnano on 12 October it disbanded on 7 November 1944.

Rank	Name	Date	Notes
Act Gp Capt	R C Love	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Officer Commanding
Wg Cdr	E J Morris	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wg Cdr - Flying
Flt Lt	P C Gee	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Accountant
Act Sqn Ldr	J T Blackhall	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Senior Administrative Officer
Act Flt Lt	A A Johnson	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Adjutant
Act Flt Lt	T W Mills	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Armament Officer
Flt Lt	W F McGloon	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Wing Engineer Officer
Act Flt Lt	J F Waters	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Equipment Officer
Plt Off	H Mitchell	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Wing Flying Control Officer
Sqn Ldr	D Skinner	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Senior Medical Officer
Act Flt Lt	C W Lidbury	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Intelligence Officer
Fg Off	H Heyworth	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing MT Officer
Flt Lt	G C Zucker	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Codes and Cypher duties
Fg Off	D G Matthew	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Codes and Cypher duties
Fg Off	R P Ellis	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Codes and Cypher duties
Flt Lt	A Rhodes	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Signals duties
Fg Off	C H Cowburn	13 Mar 1944	Posted in for Signals duties
Sqn Ldr	J T Blackhall	8 Apr 1944	Proceeded to Poretta, Corsica
Capt	Wyndham-Smith	11 Apr 1944	Posted in for duty as ALO
Fg Off	J T Shelbourne	11 Apr 1944	Posted in for duty as Catering Officer
Plt Off	P H Lester	13 Apr 1944	Posted in as supernumerary for Intelligence duties
Wg Cdr	E J Morris	18 Apr 1944	Proceeded to Poretta, Corsica
Fg Off	W G Harding	27 Apr 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Operations Officer
Flt Lt	P C Gee	12 May 1944	Wing Accounts Officer, admitted to No 25 Mobile Field Hospital with shrapnel wounds
Sqn Ldr	J P Peace	15 May 1944	Posted in for duty as Wing Padre
Flt Lt	P C Gee	24 May 1944	Wing Accounts Officer, discharged from No 25 Mobile Field Hospital
Plt Off	P H Lester	21 Jun 1944	Intelligence Officer, posted to No 1 MORU
Plt Off	T R Lancaster	30 Jun 1944	Posted in as supernumerary for Intelligence duties
Flt Lt	D G Rennie	30 Jun 1944	Posted in from AHQ Malta for duty as Wing Dental Officer
Plt Off	T R Lancaster	23 Jul 1944	Posted to No 1 MORU for Intelligence duties
Plt Off	H Mitchell	6 Jul 1944	Wing Flying Control Officer, admitted to No 25 Mobile Field Hospital
Plt Off	H Mitchell	7 Jul 1944	Transferred to No 1 RAF General Hospital
Plt Off	H Mitchell	11 Jul 1944	Discharged from No 1 RAF General Hospital
Plt Off	P D Haywood	6 Aug 1944	Posted in for Flying Control duties
Fg Off	C H Richards	7 Sep 1944	Posted in for Flying Control duties
Sqn Ldr	J T Blackhall	14 Sep 1944	Senior Administrative Officer, posted to HQ MATAF
Fg Off	R Felicient	15 Sep 1944	Posted in from No 43 Sqn for Intelligence duties
Wg Cdr	E J Morris	17 Sep 1944	Wg Cdr - Flying, posted to HQ MATAF
Fg Off	C H Richards	27 Sep 1944	Flying Control Officer, posted to No 324 Wing
Fg Off	D G Matthew	28 Sep 1944	Posted to HQ No 218 Group for Codes and Cypher duties
Act Flt Lt	T W Mills	6 Oct 1944	Wing Armament Officer, posted to No 3 BPD
Act Gp Capt	R C Love	xx Nov 1944	Officer Commanding, posted to AHQ DAF
Sqn Ldr	D Skinner	1 Nov 1944	Senior Medical Officer, posted to AHQ Malta
Flt Lt	P C Gee	xx Nov 1944	Wing Accounts Officer, posted to HQ No 232 Wing
Flt Lt	A Rhodes	xx Nov 1944	Wing Signals Officer, posted to No 3 BPD for repatriation to UK
Flt Lt	W F McGloon	xx Nov 1944	Wing Engineer Officer, posted to No 205 Group
Flt Lt	D G Rennie	xx Nov 1944	Wing Dental Officer, posted to No 253 Wing
Act Flt Lt	J F Waters	1 Nov 1944	Wing Equipment Officer, posted to HQ MATAF
Act Flt Lt	A A Johnson	xx Nov 1944	Wing Adjutant, posted to No 113 MU
Act Flt Lt	C W Lidbury	xx Nov 1944	Wing Intelligence Officer, posted to HQ BAF
Sqn Ldr	J P Peace	xx Nov 1944	Wing Padre, posted to HQ No 214 Group
Flt Lt	G C Zucker	xx Nov 1944	Codes and Cypher Officer, posted to No 3 BPD pending posting to RAF Middle East
Fg Off	C H Cowburn	xx Nov 1944	Signals Officer, posted to No 3 BPD for repatriation to UK
Fg Off	W G Harding	xx Nov 1944	Wing Operations Officer, posted to HQ BAF
Fg Off	H Heyworth	1 Nov 1944	Wing MT Officer, posted to Provost & Security Unit, RAF CMF
Fg Off	R P Ellis	xx Nov 1944	Codes and Cypher Officer, posted to No 3 BPD for repatriation to UK
Plt Off	P D Haywood	xx Nov 1944	Flying Control Officer, posted to No 336 Wing

Unit	Date	Notes
Aircraft, No 251 Wing	18 Apr 1944	Moved to Poretta, Corsica
HQ No 251 Wing	22 Apr 1944	Proceeded to Salerno and partially embarked
Advance Party, HQ No 251 Wing	24 Apr 1944	Arrived at Poretta, Corsica
No 451 Sqn RAAF	23 Apr 1943	Operational control assumed by HQ No 251 Wing
No 237 Sqn	24 Apr 1943	Operational control assumed by HQ No 251 Wing
No 238 Sqn	24 Apr 1943	Operational control assumed by HQ No 251 Wing
Rear Party, HQ No 251 Wing	4 May 1944	Arrived at Poretta, Corsica
HQ No 251 Wing	23 May 1944	Moved from Porette to Serragia, Corsica
'A' Party, No 251 Wing	8 Jul 1944	Moved from Serragia to Ste Catherine, Corsica
'B' Party, No 251 Wing	10 Jul 1944	Moved from Serragia to Ste Catherine, Corsica
'A' Parties, No 251 Wing	22 Aug 1944	Moved from Ste Catherine, Corsica to Cabin Staging Post
'A' Parties, No 251 Wing	24 Aug 1944	Moved from Cabin Staging Post, embarked LST-50
'A' Parties, No 251 Wing	25 Aug 1944	Arrived on Alpha and Delta Beaches, disembarked and proceeded to Cuers-Pierrefeu
Aircraft, No 251 Wing	26 Aug 1944	Flew from St Catherine to Cuers-Pierrefeu
'B' Parties, No 251 Wing	29 Aug 1944	Moved from Ste Catherine, Corsica to Cabin Staging Post
'B' Party, No 251 Wing	31 Aug 1944	Arrived in the South of France, disembarked and proceeded to Cuers-Pierrefeu
'A' Party, No 251 Wing	25 Sep 1944	Moved from Cuers to Lavallon
'B' Party, No 251 Wing	26 Sep 1944	Moved from Cuers to Lavallon
No 237 Sqn	29 Sep 1944	Departed Lavallon for Staging Area
No 238 Sqn	29 Sep 1944	Departed Lavallon for Staging Area
HQ No 251 Wing	2 Oct 1944	Departed Lavallon for Staging Area (Marseilles)
HQ No 251 Wing	5 Oct 1944	Departed Staging Area for Embarkation Area and embarked on a LCT
HQ No 251 Wing	7 Oct 1944	Set sail for Italy
HQ No 251 Wing	9 Oct 1944	Arrive in Leghorn and anchor
HQ No 251 Wing	10 Oct 1944	Set sail from Leghorn
HQ No 251 Wing	11 Oct 1944	Arrived in Naples and disembarked to Staging Area
HQ No 251 Wing	12 Oct 1944	Departed Staging Area and proceeded to Gragnano
HQ No 251 Wing	5 Nov 1944	Disbanded

Rank	Name	Date	Notes
Sqn Ldr	S Morris	xx Apr 1942	Posted in for duty as Senior Controller at No 19 SOR
Flt Lt	Pinder-Davis	xx Apr 1942	Posted in for duty as a Controller at No 19 SOR
Flt Lt	Killand-Espinose	xx Apr 1942	Posted in for duty as a Controller at No 19 SOR
Flt Lt	Blake	xx Apr 1942	Posted in for duty as a Controller at No 19 SOR
Fg Off	Stephenson	xx Apr 1942	Posted in for duty as a Controller at No 19 SOR