[3] It originally formed as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1915, at Saint-Omer, France, to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance, and was disbanded in 1919, shortly after the end of the First World War.

The squadron reformed as part of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1924, and again took on a reconnaissance role which it continued throughout the Second World War.

It immediately began fighting in the First World War under Hugh Dowding,[4] and for some time was based at the aerodrome at the Beaupré-sur-la-Lys Abbey in La Gorgue.

Initially, it operated the Bristol Fighter, but this was replaced by the Atlas in January 1931, and by the Audax in December 1933.

[8] In May 1938, the Westland Lysander arrived,[9] and the Squadron continued in its tactical role in wartime France from April 1940.

[10] In May 1940, it returned to England and conducted roving sea patrols searching for both downed aircrew and enemy forces.

[11] From April 1942, 16 Squadron was re-equipped with the Allison-engined North American Mustang I for fighter sweeps and reconnaissance duties over France from its base at RAF Weston Zoyland in Somerset.

[8] As East-West relations cooled, the Squadron reformed at RAF Laarbruch in West Germany on 1 March 1958.

16 Squadron maintained a permanent readiness state, tasked with meeting the Soviet threat, in the expected conventional phase and with the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

The squadron's twelve Buccaneers were equipped with a variety of conventional weapons and eighteen British WE.177 nuclear bombs.

[13] Although Buccaneers could carry two WE.177 weapons, after taking into account attrition in the conventional phase of a high-intensity European war, and after withholding some aircraft in reserve, RAF planners expected that squadron strength remaining would still be sufficient to deliver the nuclear weapons stockpile.

Despite the change of aircraft, the squadron's role remained unchanged in countering a Soviet threat in Europe with conventional weapons and eighteen WE.177 nuclear bombs.

115(R) Squadron relocated to RAF Wittering, Cambridgeshire, which saw flying return to the base for the first time since 2010.