Royal Air Force (RAF)
World War II units in the Pacific

Background
On April 1, 1918 the Royal Air Force (RAF) was established as an amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and during World War I became the largest air force in the world. In the interwar era, the RAF was drastically reduced due to budget cuts. In 1924 the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) was established as the naval aviation branch of the RAF until May 24, 1939 when it became part of the Royal Navy (RN). Aside from defending the United Kingdom, the RAF also defended the British Empire including Singapore and Malaya.

World War II
During December 1939, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) was established to train pilots and aircrews in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A parallel agreement, the Joint Air Training Scheme for South Africa.

Pacific War
On December 8, 1941 at the start of the Pacific War, the RAF defended Malaya and Singapore until the surrender of British forces in the Far East on February 15, 1942.

Postwar
On October 31, 1971 the RAF Far East Air Force was disbanded.

Squadron
No. 273 Squadron

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