Nugget90 - just for clarity my list was of UK squadrons that are currently active , in one form or another, which have relevant battle honours plus 202 which had a Catalina in Ceylon when a fleet the IJN including five Aircrat Carriers and four Battleships attacked on Easter Suinday 1942. As my father served on a ship that was based in Trincomalee I have a particular interest in WW2 events in Ceylon (Sri Lanka as it now is). Of this raid Churchill said "The most dangerous moment of the War, and the one which caused me the greatest alarm, was when the Japanese Fleet was heading for Ceylon and the naval base there. The capture of Ceylon, the consequent control of the Indian Ocean, and the possibility at the same time of a German conquest of Egypt would have closed the ring and the future would have been black."
On that subject I must mention the late Air Commodore Leonard Joseph Birchall, CM, OBE, DFC, OOnt, CD "The Saviour of Ceylon", who two days after arriving from Sullom Voe was on patrol in his Catalina of 413 Squadron RCAF and sighted the Japanese fleet; his crew managed to get off a warning signal while under attack from c.12 Zeros, he and other survivors were repeatedly beaten as the Japs tried to establish if a signal had been sent. The signal enabled necessary actions to be taken.
No 11 Sqn and the fairly recently disbanded 30 Sqn were among those involved in the defence.
I am aware many other squadrons served in theatre but they are no longer active. From an RN perspective there are some with farly recent existance such as 800, 801 and 848 NASs.
Addition: I have always thought the Burma Star (and Pacific Clasp) or Pacific Star (and Burma Clasp) - was a bit rough - mind you given how long the Artic Star took to arrive may be not. For those who don't know those eligilble for both only got the first earned plus the clasp for the other. HMG seems less mean these days; I am sure many of us remember serving with men with multiple clasps on the GSM as the only visible recognition of their active service.
Last edited by SLXOwft; 16th Aug 2020 at 16:27.
Reason: Addition re Pacific Star