No. 2503 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment

No. 2503 (County of Lincoln) Squadron RAuxAF Regiment is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Regiment reserve squadron based at RAF Waddington, in Lincolnshire,[1] 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.[2] The squadron is an infantry squadron in the dismounted close-combat force protection role.[3]

No. 2503 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment
Active1979 - present
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeAir Force Infantry
RoleForce protection
Garrison/HQRAF Waddington
Motto(s)"Freedom of the Skies and of the Land"

History

The squadron was formed on 1 July 1979 at RAF Scampton[4][5] to provide force protection to the Vulcans being maintained there at the time; in 1985, the squadron was moved to its current home to provide force sustainment for the regular RAF Regiment.[2] The squadron was deployed to Iraq during the Iraq War as part of Operation Telic, and gunners from the squadron have also been deployed to Germany,[6][7] the Balkans, Kuwait and Afghanistan[8] as part of Operation Herrick.[3]

The squadron standard was presented on 6 December 2005, backdated to July of the previous year.[4]

Miscellany

In 2015, the squadron was tasked with assisting on an archaeological dig, searching for a lost spitfire.[9]

References
  1. "Royal Air Force - RAF Regiment & RAF Reserves - Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment (RAuxAF Regt) - r9a3 - Armed Forces". www.armedforces.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  2. here, RAF Details. "RAF – 2503 Sqn". mod.uk.
  3. here, RAF Details. "RAF - 2503 (County of Lincoln)". mod.uk.
  4. "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation". rafweb.org. M.B. Barrass. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  5. Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  6. "2503 (COUNTY OF LINCOLN) SQUADRON, RAF REGIMENT DEBRIEF AND INTERVIEWS AT HALTERN, WEST GERMANY [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  7. "2503 (COUNTY OF LINCOLN) SQUADRON, RAF REGIMENT AT HALTERN, WEST GERMANY [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  8. "RAF reservists help defend Kandahar Airfield". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  9. "Archaeological dig" (PDF). Ministry of Defence.
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