It was the Royal Air Force's member of the NATO Tiger Association from 1961 until the squadron's disbandment, it has since been replaced by No.

74 (Fighter) Squadron, the unit quickly developed a fierce reputation during the First World War due to its pilots having an aggressive 'Tiger'-like spirit.

[9] From October 1984 onwards, 'The Tigers' operated from RAF Wattisham, Suffolk, flying the unique McDonnell Douglas F-4J(UK) Phantom.

74 (Reserve) Squadron, operating the BAe Hawk T.1/T.1A from RAF Valley training future fighter pilots.

74 (Training Depot) Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), before relocating to the aerodrome at London Colney nine days later.

[5] In February 1918, Mick Mannock became the senior flight commander of the squadron as it reached front-line status, becoming No.

74 (F) Squadron saw its first action on 12 April when it engaged in a dogfight near Merville against the German Luftstreitkräfte, with Mannock scoring 'the Tigers' first kill: an Albatros Scout.

[6] The squadron served in France from April until February 1919, when it returned home to RAF Lopcombe Corner, Hampshire, where it was disbanded on 3 July 1919.

Seventeen aces had served in the squadron, including Victoria Cross winner Major Edward 'Mick' Mannock, Ira 'Taffy' Jones, Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith, future Air Commodore Keith Caldwell, Andrew Kiddie, Frederick Stanley Gordon, Sydney Carlin, Frederick Hunt, Clive Glynn, George Hicks, Wilfred Ernest Young, Henry Dolan, Harris Clements, George Gauld, and Frederick Luff.

[7][better source needed] In response to the ongoing Abyssinia Crisis of 1935, the squadron was reformed in unusual circumstances on 3 September.

[3] 'The Tigers' re-equipped with Gloster Gauntlets in April 1937, forming part of the newly created Fighter Command.

12 Group, first saw combat in May 1940 during the evacuation from Dunkirk, in battles which exacted a heavy toll on both pilots and aircraft.

[23] During this time, the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, Sir Hubert Winthrop Young, made a presentation of Spitfires to No.

[6] The squadron finally made a move from RAF Long Kesh in April 1942, when it was sent the Middle East, arriving in Egypt in June.

The squadron finally recovered its air capability in December 1942, when they received Hurricane Mk.IIBs, forming part of No.

[23] On 23 July, 'the Tigers' took part in a large offensive over Axis-occupied Crete, in which they attacked radio direction finder (RDF) stations and barracks, among other targets, severely damaging them.

[6] The squadron converted back to Spitfires in September 1943, this time to Mk.Vbs and Mk.Vcs, as they were transferred over to Cyprus to participate in the failed Dodecanese campaign.

'The Tigers' withdrew back to Egypt, and in late October 1943, the squadron got Mk.IX Spitfires, which were swapped for Mk.XVIes in March 1944.

They had arrived back just in time to participate in the buildup for Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944).

74 (F) Squadron converted to their first jet aircraft; the Gloster Meteor F.3, being based at RAF Colerne, Wiltshire.

[30] Here they received the ability to use the Skyflash air-to-air missile, their radar was upgraded, and were brought up to a spec similar to the more definitive F-4S; they were also sprayed in a distinct duck egg blue colour.

[30] The F-4J(UK)s were then ferried across the Atlantic in three different batches supported by Vickers VC10s, with the last group arriving on 5 January 1985.

[31][32][33] July 1985 saw a deployment out to RAF Akrotiri to undergo an Armament Practice Camp (APC); which also saw them carry out dissimilar air combat training (DACT) with Grumman F-14A Tomcats of VF-41 and VF-84 (from USS Nimitz).

[38] On 1 July 1987, 'the Tigers' celebrated their 70th anniversary by attempting to break the London-to-Edinburgh speed record, succeeding in doing so with a time of 27 minutes and 3 seconds.

228 OCU at RAF Leuchars led to 'the Tigers' operating the Phantom Training Flight between 1 February 1991 and 31 December 1991.

[44][45] Both Phantom squadrons carried out their final APC at RAF Akrotiri in early June, marking a draw down in operations.

74 (F) Squadron's last acts was to flyover RAF Wattisham in a 'diamond nine' formation, before finally disbanding on 1 October 1992.

74 (R) Squadron won the coveted 'Silver Tiger' trophy while competing against the likes of Spanish Mirage F1s and Belgian F-16s; as Flt.

Pending raising the necessary funds, plans are in place to create a museum dedicated to the squadron's history at their former RAF base of Horsham St.

Since then, plans have been made to create a special section at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum dedicated to the 'Tiger Squadron'.