No. 212 Squadron was formed on August 20, 1918,based at the seaplane station at Great Yarmouth. It carried out antisubmarine patrols for the rest of the war and disbanded in February 1920. On February 10, 1940, No. 212 re-formed at Heston to carry out strategic photographic reconnaissance duties in France, working closely with the Photographic Development Unit.
It was intended to have three detachments each of three Spitfires, but in the absence of sufficient camera-equipped Spitfires, No. 212 was equipped with Blenheims. After flying some operational missions, the detachment in France was forced to evacuate its base and the squadron was absorbed by the Photographic Development Unit on June 18, 1940. It was redesignated the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit in July.
