13. May 1912

No. 2 Sqn formed at Farnborough, Hampshire

20. January 1920

No. 2 Sqn disbanded at RAF

1. February 1920

No. 2 Sqn reformed at Ireland

9. January 2015

No. 2 Sqn disbanded at RAF Marham

12. January 2015

No. 2 Sqn reformed at RAF Lossiemouth

 1912 - 1920

Farnborough, Hampshire

13. May 1912

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Montrose Air Station in Angus, Scotland

26. Feb. 1913

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20. Jan 1920

 1920 - 2015

RAF Hawkinge

30. Nov. 1935

6. Oct. 1939

Abbeville/ Drucat, France

6. Oct. 1939

19. May 1940

RAF Lympne

19. May 1940

20. May 1940

RAF Bekesbourne

20. May 1940

8. Jun. 1940

RAF Hatfield

8. Jun. 1940

24. Oct. 1940

RAF Sawbridgeworth

24. Oct. 1940

3. Feb. 1943

RAF Bottisham

3. Feb. 1943

20. Mar. 1943

RAF Fowlmere

20. Mar. 1943

27. Apr. 1943

RAF Sawbridgeworth

27. Apr. 1943

16. Jul. 1943

RAF Gravesend

16. Jul. 1943

10. Aug. 1943

RAF Odiham

10. Aug. 1943

22. Jan. 1944

RAF Sawbridgeworth

22. Jan. 1944

11. Mar. 1944

RAF Dundonald

11. Mar. 1944

24. Mar. 1944

RAF Sawbridgeworth

24. Mar. 1944

4. Apr. 1944

RAF Gatwick

4. Apr. 1944

30. Jul. 1944

B.10 Plumetot, France

30. Jul. 1944

14. Aug. 1944

B.4 Beny-sur-Mer, France

14. Aug. 1944

3. Sep. 1944

B.27 Boisney, France

3. Sep. 1944

6. Sep. 1944

B.31 Fresnoy Folney, France

6. Sep. 1944

11. Sep. 1944

B.43 Fort Rouge, France

11. Sep. 1944

27. Sep. 1944

B.61 St. Denis Westrem, Belgium

27. Sep. 1944

11. Oct. 1944

B.70 Deurne, Belgium

11. Oct. 1944

23. Oct. 1944

B.77 Gilze-Rijen, Netherlands

23. Oct. 1944

9. Mar. 1945

B.89 Mill , Netherlands

9. Mar. 1945

18. Apr. 1945

B.106 Twente, Netherlands

18. Apr. 1945

30. May 1945

B.116 Celle, Germany

30. May 1945

18. Jun. 1945

B.150 Hustedt, Germany

18. Jun. 1945

19. Sep. 1945

B.116 Celle, Germany

19. Sep. 1945

15. Apr. 1947

RAF Wunsdorf, Germany

15. Apr. 1947

28. Jun. 1948

RAF Wahn-Köln, Germany

28. Jun. 1948

15. Sep. 1949

RAF Wunsdorf, Germany

15. Sep. 1949

29. Jun. 1950

RAF Bückeburg, Germany

29. Jun. 1950

15. May 1952

RAF Gütersloh, Germany

15. May 1952

1. Jul. 1953

RAF Wahn-Köln, Germany

1. Jul. 1953

28. Oct. 1955

RAF Geilenkirchen, Germany

28. Oct. 1955

10. Oct. 1957

RAF Jever, Germany

10. Oct. 1957

9. Sep. 1961

RAF Gütersloh, Germany

9. Sep. 1961

1. Dec. 1970

RAF Brüggen, Germany

1. Dec. 1970

31. May 1971

RAF Laarbruch, Germany

31. May 1971

3. Dec. 1991

RAF Marham

3. Dec. 1991

9. Jan. 2015

 2015 - today

RAF Lossiemouth

12. Jan.2015

today

 1912 - 1920

Maj C J Burke

3. May 1912

Aug. 1914

Maj Charles A H Longcroft

Aug. 1914

10. Nov. 1914

Maj C W P Dawes

10. Nov. 1914

8. Mar. 1915

Maj Tom I Webb-Bowen

8. Mar. 1915

2. Jun. 1915

Maj John H W Becke

2. Jun. 1915

3. Nov. 1915

Maj Cyril F de S Murphy

3. Nov. 1915

Jul 1916

Maj William F MacNeece

Jul 1916

1916

Maj J R Gould

1916

9. Apr 1916

Maj R A Cooper

9. Apr 1916

16. Aug 1917

Maj W R Snow

16. Aug 1917

28. Aug 1918

Maj P G Ross Hume

28. Aug 1918

12. Nov 1919

Sqn Ldr B F More

12. Nov 1919

20. Jan 1920

 1920 - 2015

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1. Feb. 1920

18. May 1920

Sqn Ldr F W Stent

18. May 1920

16. Aug. 1920

Sqn Ldr A J Butler MC

16. Aug. 1920

15. May 1922

Sqn Ldr L F Forbes

15. May 1922

2. Mar. 1925

Sqn Ldr Richard E Saul

2. Mar. 1925

9. Jan. 1927

Sqn Ldr William Sowrey DFC

9. Jan. 1927

1. Apr. 1928

Sqn Ldr Harold M Probyn

1. Apr. 1928

29. Sep. 1930

Sqn Ldr Sydney E Toomer DFC

29. Sep. 1930

12. Jan. 1933

Sqn Ldr Philip F Fullard DSO, MC, AFC

12. Jan. 1933

1. Dec. 1933

Sqn Ldr J H Green

1. Dec. 1933

20. Jul. 1935

Sqn Ldr Noel L Desoer

20. Jul. 1935

21. Apr. 1938

Sqn Ldr William A Opie

21. Apr. 1938

29. Apr. 1939

Sqn Ldr Andrew J W Geddes

29. Apr. 1939

17. Oct. 1941

Sqn Ldr D I C Eyres

17. Oct. 1941

24. Dec. 1941

Wg Cdr P J A Riddell

24. Dec. 1941

8. Feb. 1943

Wg Cdr P W Stansfeld

8. Feb. 1943

29. Jun. 1943

Sqn Ldr B O C Egan-Wyer

29. Jun. 1943

25. Aug. 1943

Sqn Ldr M J Gray DFC

25. Aug. 1943

7. Sep. 1944

Sqn Ldr C A Maitland DFC

7. Sep. 1944

25. Mar. 1945

Sqn Ldr R J F Mitchell DFC

25. Mar. 1945

24. Apr. 1946

Sqn Ldr D W Barlow DFC

24. Apr. 1946

15. Dec. 1946

Sqn Ldr G Collinson

15. Dec. 1946

28. Oct. 1948

Sqn Ldr W A Newenham DFC

28. Oct. 1948

6. Feb. 1950

Sqn Ldr L H Bartlett DSO

6. Feb. 1950

1. Nov. 1950

Sqn Ldr R M Pugh AFC

1. Nov. 1950

29. May 1953

Sqn Ldr Robert H G Weighill DFC

29. May 1953

31. Aug. 1955

Flt Lt M C Newman

31. Aug. 1955

15. Nov. 1955

Sqn Ldr R S Mortley AFC

15. Nov. 1955

12. May 1958

Sqn Ldr C A Wade

12. May 1958

16. Sep. 1960

Sqn Ldr C S MacDonald

16. Sep. 1960

15. Feb. 1962

Sqn Ldr David L F Thornton

15. Feb. 1962

13. Dec. 1964

Sqn Ldr N J R Walpole

13. Dec. 1964

16. Jun. 1967

Sqn Ldr T Barrett

16. Jun. 1967

11. Nov. 1969

Sqn Ldr R J M David

11. Nov. 1969

7. Dec. 1971

Wg Cdr B A Stead

7. Dec. 1971

2. Dec. 1972

Wg Cdr D H Warren

2. Dec. 1972

8. May 1975

Wg Cdr D C Ferguson

8. May 1975

1. Apr. 1976

Wg Cdr Ronald A F Wilson

1. Apr. 1976

6. Jan. 1978

Wg Cdr R Fowler AFC

6. Jan. 1978

4. May 1980

Wg Cdr Timothy G Thorn AFC

4. May 1980

18. Jan. 1983

Wg Cdr F J Hoare AFC

18. Jan. 1983

31. May 1985

Wg Cdr Graham E Stirrup

31. May 1985

13. Mar. 1987

Wg Cdr Philip O Sturley

13. Mar. 1987

1. Jan. 1989

Wg Cdr A Threadgould

1. Jan. 1989

1. Jul. 1991

Wg Cdr B C Holding

1. Jul. 1991

21. Jul. 1993

Wg Cdr R J Hounslow

21. Jul. 1993

6. Dec. 1993

Wg Cdr Christopher M Nickols

6. Dec. 1993

26. Apr. 1996

Wg Cdr Richard F Garwood DFC

26. Apr. 1996

27. Nov. 1998

Wg Cdr Steve J Hillier DFC

27. Nov. 1998

15. Sep. 2000

Wg Cdr R M Poole

15. Sep. 2000

2. May 2003

Wg Cdr S Cockram

2. May 2003

25. Sep. 2005

Wg Cdr Andrew C Hine

25. Sep. 2005

19. May 2008

Wg Cdr J Turner DFC

19. May 2008

Jan. 2011

Wg Cdr N A Tucker-Lowe DSO

Jan. 2011

Jan. 2013

Wg Cdr J D Holmes MA

Jan. 2013

9. Jan. 2015

 2015 - today

Wg Cdr R Elliot

12. Jan.2015

2017

Wg Cdr J Lee

2017

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Wg Cdr E Rickards

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No. 2 Squadron was formed at Farnborough, Hampshire on 13 May 1912, on the founding of the Royal Flying Corps as one of the first three squadrons of the new force. It was formed from a detachment of No. 2 (Aeroplane) Company of the Royal Engineers Air Battalion. The Squadron was equipped with a mixture of aircraft types. It was originally based at Farnborough but soon moved north to Montrose in Scotland. When war broke out in 1914, the squadron moved south again and joined the rest of the BEF in France.

No.2 soon settled into the routine of a Corps reconnaissance squadron initially with BE2's and later FK8's. Returning to the UK in February 1919, it disbanded on 20. January 1920. It reformed a few days later on 1. February 1920 in Ireland equipped with Bristol Fighters. Returning to England in 1922, it was back in Ulster by May 1922 and maintained a detachment there until 1923 even after the squadron HQ had moved to Farnborough late in 1922.

It stayed at Farnborough until March 1924, when it moved to RAF Manston. In April 1927 it was sent to Shanghai as part of RAF China, but returned to the UK, again at Manston in September 1927. Specialising in Army Co-operation, it successively converted to the Atlas and then the Lysander, which it took to France again in 1939 as part of the Air Component of the BEF.

At the outbreak of the Second World War the unit was flying Westland Lysanders. In France until the Dunkirk evacuation. It was then based at RAF Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire as the principal squadron in that location. Over time the squadron equipped with fighters – the Curtiss Tomahawk in 1941, the North American Mustang in 1942. In July 1944, assigned to the 2nd Tactical Air Force, the squadron returned to France in the reconnaissance role. It was re-equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVs in November 1944. Shiny Two relocated to RAF Celle in June 1945 after the war in Europe was won as part of the British Air Forces of Occupation.

Remaining in Germany after the war as part of BAFO, its Spitfires were replaced by Meteors in 1950. Swifts replaced the Meteors in 1956 and these in their turn were replaced by Hunters in 1961. It moved around Germany and at various times was based at Sylt, Celle, Wunsdorf, Lubeck, Wahn, Buckeburg, Gutersloh, Geilenkirchen, Jever before returning to Gutersloh. In December 1970 a new No II Squadron began working up on the Phantom at Bruggen whilst the old No II Squadron continued to operate at Gutersloh. The Phantom unit officially took over the numberplate on 1 April 1971 and moved to Laarbruch. Converting to Jaguars in 1976, the squadron remained in Germany until 1991 when it returned to the UK for the first time since 1944 and is now based at Marham equipped with the GR1A/GR4A, dedicated reconnaissance version of the Tornado. II Squadron disbanded in January 2015 but immediately reformed the next day as a Typhoon squadron at RAF Lossiemouth, it's Tornadoes being reformed into a new No 12 Squadron.