2 TAF 125 Wing question

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

37210 G/C James RANKIN DSO, DFC* - July 1944 - Aug 1944. (2TAF3/558).

Col.

[Allan125]

Hello Kutscha

G/C "Jamie" Rankin took command on 14 July 1944 when, in a major 2TAF reorganisation, Wings became of 4 squadron strength instead of their previous 3 squadrons (in the case of 125 Wing, at the time, it had been 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron RAF, 453 Squadron RAAF and 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force, all operating the Spitfire IX.

144 Wing RCAF was disbanded, and the three squadrons moved as follows:

441 to 125 Wing RAF
442 to 126 Wing RCAF
443 to 127 Wing RCAF

with the increased responsibility of 4 squadrons, and thus more personnel, they came under the command of a Group Captain, before that both the airfield commander and the Wing Commander (Operations), or Wing Leader, were Wing Commander posts.

G/C "Jamie" Rankin had previously been in command of 15 Sector, previously 15 Wing, but when Sectors were abolished at the same time Squadrons came directly under Group Control Centre control instead of Sector Control.

In the case of 83 Group, the "parent" of 125 Wing, the 83 GCC was Kenway - and for 84 Group the 84 GCC was Longbow.

If you have any further questions on 125 Airfield/125 Wing I will be happy to answer them as I have the entire ORB from foundation in June 1943 to dissolution in July 1945.

My late father served at 125 Wing HQ from May 1944, having come from 83 Group HQ, where he had been from foundation on 1 April 1943, it having evolved from Z (Composite) Group, during Exercise Spartan in March 1943, whereby he remembered waking with frost in his hair in various fields, via Blue Group (which has been missed from the history of 2TAF books).

Hope this helps give a bit of background to your request.

Allan