8. October 1917

No. 96 Sqn formed at South Carlton

4. July 1918

No. 96 Sqn disbanded in France

28 September 1918

No. 96 Sqn reformed at RAF Wyton

November 1918

No. 96 Sqn disbanded RAF Wyton

18. December 1940

No. 96 Sqn reformed from No 422 Flight at RAF Cranage

12. December 1944

No. 96 Sqn disbanded RAF Odiham

21. December 1944

No. 96 Sqn reformed at RAF Leconfield

1. June 1946

No. 96 Sqn disbanded RAF Kai Tek, Hongkong

1. October 1952

No. 96 Sqn reformed at RAF Ahlhorn

21. January 1959

No. 96 Sqn disbanded RAF Geilenkirchen renumbered No 3 Sqn.

1917 - 1918

?

8. Oct. 1917

4. Jul. 1918

1918 - 1918

?

28. Sep. 1918

Nov. 1918

1940 - 1944

RAF Cranage

18. Dec. 1940

21. Oct. 1941

RAF Wrexham

21. Oct. 1941

20. Oct. 1942

RAF Honiley

20. Oct. 1942

4. Mar. 1943

RAF Tangmere

4. Mar. 1943

12. Mar. 1943

RAF Honiley

12. Mar. 1943

4. Aug. 1943

RAF Church Fenton

4. Aug. 1943

3. Sep. 1943:

RAF Drem

3. Sep. 1943:

8. Nov. 1943:

RAF West Malling

8. Nov. 1943:

20. Jun. 1943:

RAF Ford

20. Jun. 1943:

24. Sep. 1944

RAF Odiham

24. Sep. 1944

12. Dec. 1944

1944 - 1946

RAF Leconfield

21. Dec.1944

25. Mar. 1945

Cairo West, Egypt

30. Mar. 1945

1. May 1945

Bilaspur, Britsh India

1. May 1945

4. Sep. 1945

Hmawbi, Burma

4. Sep. 1945

Apr. 1946

Kai Tak, Hong Kong

Apr. 1946

1. Jun. 1946

1952 - 1959

RAF Ahlhorn, Germany

17. Nov. 1952

12. Feb 1958

RAF Geilenkirchen, Germany

12. Feb 1958

21. Jan. 1959

1917 - 1918

?

8. Oct. 1917

4. Jul. 1918

1918 - 1918

Maj E P Plenty

28. Sep. 1918

Nov. 1918

1940 - 1944

Sqn Ldr R G Kellett DSO, DFC

18. Dec. 1940

 8. Mar. 1941

Sqn Ldr Robert J B Burns

 8. Mar. 1941

30. Dec. 1941

Sqn Ldr R C Haine

30. Dec. 1941

May 1942

Wg Cdr Robert J B Burns

May 1942

Jun. 1943

Wg Cdr Edward D Crew DSO, DFC;

Jun. 1943

12 Dec 1944

1944 - 1946

?

21. Dec.1944

Mar. 1945

?

Mar. 1945

May 1945

Wg Cdr T W Gillen

May 1945

15. Jun. 1946

1952 - 1959

?

1. Oct. 1952

17. Nov. 1952

?

17. Nov. 1952

Dec. 1952

Sqn Ldr Vic H Linthune

Dec. 1952

Jun. 1953

Flt Lt J Croshaw

Jun. 1953

Sep. 1953

Sqn Ldr G H Melville-Jackson

Sep. 1953

Jun. 1954

Flt Lt J Croshaw

Jun. 1954

1. Oct. 1954

Wg Cdr H B Verity

1. Oct. 1954

21. Jan. 1959

Formed at South Carlton on 28. September 1917 as a training unit, it was intended that it should be equipped with Camels and proceed to France in May 1918.  Various deployment dates were then proposed and it equipment changed first to Dolphins then Snipes, but on 4. July 1918 it was disbanded.  Further plans for its formation and deployment were proposed before it actually began forming at Wyton on  28. September. It was now to be a ground attack unit equipped with Salamanders, but the Armistice intervened and its formation was suspended.

The squadron eventually formed on 18. December 1940 from No 422 Flight at Cranage as a night fighter unit equipped with Hurricanes.  Tasked with the night defence of Merseyside and the Midlands, the Hurricanes were supplemented by Defiants in February 1941 and both types continued in use until March 1942, when the Hurricanes left.  Two months later the Defiants were replaced by Beaufighters and in October the squadron moved to Honiley, having been at Wrexham for the previous year.  From April 1943 the squadron also began intruder operations and two months later it was told to prepare for overseas deployment, at the same time beginning the conversion to Mosquitoes.

With its conversion to Mosquitoes complete it was advised that its overseas deployment was cancelled and it continued its operations from Church Fenton until September when it moved north to Drem.   It returned south to West Malling in November 1943 and during Operation 'Overlord' it provided night fighter cover over the beach-head.  When the V-1 flying bombs began attacking Southern England, the squadron became heavily involved in the night interception of these devices.  However, when the launch sites were over-run and the attacks abated, the squadron was considered surplus and disbanded on 12. December 1944.

The squadron reformed at Leconfield on 30. December 1944 as a Halifax unit in Transport Command.  In March 1945 the squadron was sent to India via Egypt, without its aircraft and on arrival at Cairo West received Dakotas, which were then flown to India.  It trained for the delivery of paratroops and gliders but was mainly involved in general transport duties in and around Burma and the rest of South-East Asia Command.  With the end of the war the squadron remained in India until 15. April 1946 when it move to Hong Kong, where it was disbanded by being renumbered No 110 Squadron on 15. June 1946.

The squadron's final incarnation began on 17. November 1952 at Ahlhorn as a Meteor NF Mk 11 equipped night fighter unit in No 125 Wing, re-locating to Geilenkirchen in 1958, where it was disbanded on 21. January 1959 on being renumbered No 3 Squadron.