25 May 1945. Post war No. 279 Squadron remained at Thornaby and in September 1945 moved its HQ to RAF Beccles where the squadron was to convert to the Lancaster ASR.III, leaving only a detachment behind at Thornaby. In the event it was the detachment at Thornaby that received and converted to them and 279 flew their first operational sorties in the Lancaster on 8 November 1945. Also in November 1945 No. 280 Squadron returned here and in January 1946 the remaining 279 squadron detachment of Lancasters were disbanded at Thornaby. In May 1946 "Thornaby's own" No 608 (North Riding) Squadron was re-formed as part of Reserve Command, No. 64 Group RAF, in the light bomber role, however, they only received de Havilland Mosquito T3s and Airspeed Oxford T1s. On 21 June 1946 No. 280 Squadron disbanded at Thornaby and, in July 1947 No. 608 became a night fighter squadron when they received Mosquito NF 30s. No. 2608 (North Riding) Light Anti Aircraft Squadron RAuxAF of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment were formed here in December 1947, armed with the 40mm Bofors Gun before being reorganised, re-equipped and re-trained in 1955 as a mobile infantry unit equipped with Land Rovers. In March 1948 a third auxiliary squadron was formed here, No. 3608 (North Riding) Fighter Control Unit, who trained men and women as Radar Operators and Fighter Plotters. In May 1948 No. 608 became a day fighter unit when it received Supermarine Spitfire F22s and North American Harvard T26s, in December 1949 608 re-equipped with the de Havilland Vampire F3, then the FB5 in 1952 and finally the FB9 in 1955, the squadron also operated the Gloster Meteor T7 between 1950 and 1957. On 7 December 1952 No. 533 (Rifle) Squadron RAF Regiment arrived from Hereford (where they were formed on 28 July 1952) and became part of No. 21 Wing RAF Regiment. On 1 January 1954 the squadron began conversion to a Field Squadron and was redesignated as No. 533 (Field) Squadron RAF Regiment. On 18 November 1954 No. 275 Search And Rescue Squadron arrived from RAF Linton-on-Ouse equipped with Bristol Sycamore HR.13s and soon after HR.14s, this was the only helicopter SAR unit in the RAF at the time and was on 24-hour stand-by duty and was able to get airborne within ten minutes of receiving an emergency call. The squadron began to expand rapidly and detached