Air gunner Stanley David and flight engineer Frank Turner belonged to an RAF squadron that was so secret that officially it did not exist.

But now, thanks to an auxiliary squadron at RAF Brize Norton, their vital role during the Second World War is being recognised at last.

There was a special reception at the airbase on Saturday for members of 624 Squadron, which flew missions from Blida, in Algeria, from 1943 to 1944. And RAF old boys and current servicemen and women based at Brize Norton exchanged stories about life in the services.

Rather than the bombs they were designed to carry, the squadron's Handley Page Halifax and Short Stirling planes transported a precious cargo - Special Operations Executive agents who would parachute behind enemy lines, and supplies for resistance fighters.

The squadron disbanded at the end of the war, but the 624 number was adopted by the Royal Auxiliary Air Force - the RAF's equivalent of the Territorial Army. And 4624 Squadron, made up of 250 auxiliaries based at Brize Norton, hosts an annual reuniuon for the surviving airmen of 624 Squadron.

Flight Lieutenant Gary Vickers, of 4624 Squadron, said: "It's marvellous to be able to invite people like Stanley and Frank for this special occasion and it's an event that everyone enjoys.

"We can tell them about the logistics work we do in different countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq, and there's nothing better for auxiliaries than to hear stories of the past from these veterans.

"We have been on constant mobilisation for the past 10 years as a squadron and some of our people have been injured - it doesn't matter if you're an auxiliary or not, you can still be on the receiving end of a rocket."

Flt Lt Vickers said 4624 Squadron had arranged a fly-past by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, featuring Spitfire and Hurricane fighters and a Lancaster bomber.

Mr David, 83, from Littlehampton, said: "On one occasion I was supposed to drop this agent, a French-Canadian, but we couldn't find the target, so we stopped off in Algiers.

"After a few glasses of wine he ran off and I never saw him again. There aren't so many of us left now, but these reunions at Brize are fantastic occasions."

Mr Turner, 86, from Biggin Hill, Kent, said: "I remember one day this Halifax swung off the runway, crashed and blew up. I lost my boots and my glasses."

A ceremony to present medals to personnel from Brize Norton who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq was also held.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES: The work of 624 Squadron was so secret that even the airmen's families did not know where they were or what they were doing.

The only crew member on each flight who knew their destination was the navigator.

Duties included dropping agents and supplies behind enemy lines, following instructions from the SOE in direct response to the requirements of resistance movements in German-occupied Europe.

Missions often involved flying as low as 200-300ft above the ground through mountainous terrain and weaving their way through mountain valleys at night.

On many operations, propaganda leaflets were also dropped, some in French and some in German.