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] 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 in the dismounted close-combat force protection role.[3]
| No. 2503 Squadron RAuxAF Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1979 - present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Air Force Infantry |
| Role | Force protection |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Waddington |
| Motto(s) | "Freedom of the Skies and of the Land" |
History
editThe 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]
In 2015, the squadron was tasked with assisting on an archaeological dig, searching for a lost spitfire.[9]
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ a b here, RAF Details. "RAF – 2503 Sqn". mod.uk.
- ^ a b here, RAF Details. "RAF - 2503 (County of Lincoln)". mod.uk.
- ^ a b "Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation". rafweb.org. M.B. Barrass. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ "2503 (COUNTY OF LINCOLN) SQUADRON, RAF REGIMENT DEBRIEF AND INTERVIEWS AT HALTERN, WEST GERMANY [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ "2503 (COUNTY OF LINCOLN) SQUADRON, RAF REGIMENT AT HALTERN, WEST GERMANY [Allocated Title]". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ "RAF reservists help defend Kandahar Airfield". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ "Archaeological dig" (PDF). Ministry of Defence.
