No. 2622 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment

Last updated

No. 2622 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment
2622sqn badge.jpg
Squadron badge
ActiveJuly 1979 (1979-07) – present
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Type Air Force Infantry
RoleForce protection
Part of No. 5 Force Protection Wing
Home station RAF Lossiemouth
Motto(s)Seasaidh sinn ar tir
(Scottish Gaelic: We stand our ground)
Insignia
Squadron badgeA bull
Squadron badge heraldryApproved in 1985. Derived from the 'Burghead Bull' archaeological find at the Pictish Fort of Burghead, four miles west of RAF Lossiemouth.

No. 2622 (Highland) Squadron RAuxAF Regiment, is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Regiment reserve squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth. It is the northernmost RAuxAF Unit in the United Kingdom and was formed in 1979 to assist with the ground defence of that airfield. Initially, personnel were recruited solely from the local area but recruiting now extends as far south as Edinburgh and Glasgow and to the North, East and West Coasts of Scotland. The Squadron is established for 116 Auxiliary personnel plus a small contingent of regular RAF personnel.

The badge of 2622 (Highland) Squadron, approved in 1985, depicts the Burghead Bull, derived from stone carvings found within the Pictish Fort of Burghead, seven miles west of Lossiemouth. The badge carries the Gaelic Motto "Seasaidh Sinn Ar Tir" which is translated as "We stand our ground". Auxiliary officers of the Squadron are entitled to wear the Grey Douglas tartan kilt as part of their mess uniform, a privilege granted to all Scottish RAuxAF officers by King Edward VIII.

Initial recruiting was fairly rapid and the Squadron soon established a solid training regime. In addition to the Squadron's RAF personnel providing trade expertise and support, a small cadre of auxiliary NCOs worked full-time to ensure that the recruiting and training efforts were delivered successfully. Many of the recruits from the 1980s rose through the ranks and served on through the following decades, providing experience and continuity. Throughout the 1980s the Squadron trained specifically for its role in the defence of RAF Lossiemouth. Although not equipped with the manoeuvrability, protection and firepower of the regular RAF Regiment squadrons, there was certainly an abundance of local knowledge, experience and dedication that could have been brought to bear. A number of personnel also participated in a trial to determine the viability of employing Auxiliaries on the Rapier surface-to-air missile system.

In the 1990s the Squadron provided its first volunteers for operational duties with the RAF Regiment in Bosnia, Cyprus and Kuwait. The number of volunteers grew steadily until 2000, when a total of 13 personnel completed operational tours in Kuwait during the year. In 1996 the Squadron moved from its Portakabin headquarters and a hangar shared with the Station Car Club into the hangar and offices vacated by 48 Squadron RAF Regiment on their departure from Lossiemouth. Within 4 years the establishment of 51 Squadron RAF Regiment at RAF Lossiemouth resulted in another move for the Squadron Headquarters and the establishment of joint Armoury, MT and Supply facilities.

Training during the 1990s became aligned with the need for providing sustainment of the regular RAF Regt field squadrons. The focus on collective training and exercise deployments at flight and squadron level was replaced with much greater emphasis on the maintenance of individual skills and currency. Overseas exercises were conducted in Germany and in the United States – the latter in 1999 as part of an exchange programme with the 421st Ground Combat Readiness Squadron of the USAF, at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

January 2003 saw the first large-scale compulsory mobilisation for Operation TELIC. The Squadron provided trained manpower to augment the regular RAF Regiment Field Squadrons Since the end of the war-fighting phase of Operation TELIC further members of the Squadron have served with regular RAF Regiment Squadrons at Basrah Air Station, Bosnia, Afghanistan and the Falkland Islands.

2622 Squadron was presented with its Standard on 30 September 2006.

The 2622sqn RAuxAF Regiment standard is presented to an officer on 30 September 2006 Standard presentation 2622sqn.jpg
The 2622sqn RAuxAF Regiment standard is presented to an officer on 30 September 2006

In 2007 saw the first deployment from the Squadron to Afghanistan where eighteen members deployed on operations alongside its sister 51 Squadron RAF Regiment.

2622 Squadron is the only squadron in the entire Royal Air Force with its own Pipe band.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Lossiemouth</span> Royal Air Force main operating base in Moray, Scotland

Royal Air Force Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Kinloss</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Moray, Scotland

Royal Air Force Kinloss, or more simply RAF Kinloss, is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Kinloss, on the Moray Firth in the north east of Scotland, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Regiment</span> Force security element of Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force Regiment is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by Royal Warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such tasks are non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO), recovery of downed aircrew, and in-depth defence of airfields by way of aggressively patrolling and actively seeking out infiltrators in a large area surrounding airfields. In addition the RAF Regiment provides Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) to the British Army in the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) role, and provides flight size commitment to the Special Forces Support Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 603 Squadron RAF</span> Force Protection squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force

No. 603 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. On reforming on 1 October 1999, the primary role of 603 Squadron was as a Survive to Operate squadron, as well as providing force protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Auxiliary Air Force</span> Military unit

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces. It provides a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service, and consists of paid volunteers who give up some of their weekends, evenings and holidays to train at one of a number of squadrons around the United Kingdom. Its current mission is to provide trained personnel in support of the regular RAF.

The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), the active reserve for the RAF, by providing an additional non-active reserve. However during the Second World War the high demand for aircrew absorbed all available RAuxAF personnel and led the RAFVR to quickly become the main pathway of aircrew entry into the RAF. It was initially composed of civilians recruited from neighbourhood reserve flying schools, run by civilian contractors with largely RAF-trained flying instructors as well as other instructors in related air war functions, such as observers and wireless operators.

No. 4626 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron is a unit of the British Royal Auxiliary Air Force, which manages, maintains and trains its personnel for operational readiness in support of RAF requirements for Aeromedical Evacuation and Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, Primary Healthcare (PHC) and individual augmentees to other military healthcare capabilities, in times of conflict or crisis.

No 3Police Squadron formed as a consequence of the assumptions made in the Strategic Defence Review, presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Defence in July 1998. The SDR recognised that deployed air operations are likely to take place at the end of a long supply chain or line of communication. Control of this line of communication is a task which falls to the service military police organisations: The Royal Air Force Police and the Royal Military Police. To undertake this expanded task, the establishment of the RAF Police was increased by a number of both regular personnel and reservists. After a study, it was decided that the most effective way for the reservists to be formed was as members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. These personnel would then be integrated with the existing Tactical Police and Security Squadron to form Tactical Police Wing. Recruiting for 3 Police Squadron began in earnest in October 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 602 Squadron RAF</span> Squadron of the Royal Air Force

602 Squadron is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron. Originally formed in 1925 as a light bomber squadron, its role changed in 1938 to army co-operation and in 1939 to that of a fighter squadron.

No. 612 Squadron RAF was originally formed in 1937 as an Army Co-operation unit, and flew during the Second World War in the General Reconnaissance role. After the war the squadron was reformed and flew in the Day Fighter role until disbanded in 1957. At present the squadron has a non-flying role as a RAF Medical Reserves unit.

No. 2623 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Regiment reserve squadron based at RAF Honington. It was formed on 1 July 1979 to provide ground defence of the station. Tasked with preventing Soviet Special Forces from disrupting flying operations, personnel were recruited from across East Anglia and formed an integral part of the station's war-fighting capability for the next 15 years. Throughout this period, the squadron participated in many exercises and held annual camps in the United Kingdom, Germany and Gibraltar, winning the Strickland Trophy competition in 1991.

The RAF Force Protection Force Headquarters was created in 2004 as the successor to the Tactical Survive to Operate Headquarters. It controls the Force Protection Wings which are tasked with protection of RAF stations in the UK and overseas. Each Wing is based around a mix of RAF Regiment and RAF Police squadrons and other support staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Sutton on Hull</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Sutton on Hull or more simply RAF Sutton on Hull is a former Royal Air Force station situated in the suburb of Sutton-on-Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire that operated from 1938 to 1961. During the Second World War, its primary role was to operate as No. 17 Balloon Centre of 33 Group which was headquartered in Sheffield. The balloons deployed from here were used as part of the defensive tactics against Luftwaffe bombing raids on Hull, Hull Docks, Grimsby and the wider Humber area.

No. 2620 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Regiment reserve squadron based at RAF Marham, in Norfolk, fairly close to the RAF Regiment's main base at RAF Honington, in northern Suffolk, and not far from 2623 Squadron, another RAF Regiment auxiliary squadron, based in Honington.

No. 2503 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Regiment reserve squadron based at RAF Waddington, in Lincolnshire, fairly close to the city of Lincoln and RAF Cranwell. Gunners are recruited both from ex-regulars in the RAF Regiment and civilians in a 50 miles radius surrounding RAF Waddington. The squadron is an infantry squadron in the dismounted close-combat force protection role.

At the end of the Cold War in 1989, the Royal Air Force (RAF) structure was as follows:

This is the structure of the Royal Air Force, as of October 2020.

No. 505 (Wessex) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) is a general support unit of the Royal Air Force's reserve component, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

No. 7006 Intelligence Squadron RAuxAF is a specialist intelligence unit of the Royal Air Force's reserve component, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. Since 1997, the squadron has been the only dedicated reserve intelligence squadron in the RAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armed forces in Scotland</span>

This is a list of active military units, bases and barracks in Scotland. The armed forces in Scotland include the military bases and organisation in Scotland or associated with Scotland. This includes servicemen and women from Scotland and Scottish regiments and brigades of the British Armed Forces. The Military in Scotland includes the three services. The Army which has bases across Scotland, the RAF and the Navy.