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603 Squadron RAuxAF

Gin Ye Daur (If You Dare)

About

603 Squadron falls under 5 Force Protection Wing and are based in the City of Edinburgh.  It provides trained RAF Regiment and RAF Police personnel to augment RAF Force Protection units world-wide.

Formed as a light bomber squadron in 1925, 603 Squadron became a fighter squadron in 1939.  It fought in the Battle of Britain, Malta and elsewhere in the Second World War.

Personnel are required to be fit and robust and are recruited from Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England.  Most training is conducted at weekends and during evenings, with an annual two-week training camp each year.

The Squadron has deployed personnel to all major RAF deployments in the last twenty years and routinely has personnel deployed world-wide.

History

1925 - Formed as an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron at RAF Turnhouse, flying the Airco DH.9A Light bomber, with the Squadron Headquarters in Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh, where it remains.

1939 - Equipped with the Spitfire and credited with shooting down the first enemy aircraft over the UK in World War Two, shooting a bomber into the Firth of Forth.

1940 - Deployed to RAF Hornchurch to take part in the Battle of Britain, becoming one of the leading scoring squadrons.

1942 - Deployed to defend Malta.

1943 - Converted to a maritime strike squadron, flying Beaufighters, operating from North Africa.

1945 - Disbanded at the end of the war.

1946 - Reformed as a Unit of the Auxiliary Air Force and began recruiting personnel to man a Spitfire Squadron during June at RAF Turnhouse.  Receiving its first Spitfire in October, it flew this type until conversion to De Havilland Vampire in May 1951.  The type was flown until disbandment on 10 March 1957.  The Auxiliary Air Force became the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1947.

1959 – 1999 - RAF Reservists in Edinburgh served in 2 Maritime Headquarters Unit, based in Learmonth Terrace.

1999 - Reformed as a Force Protection and Operations Support Squadron.

2003 - Members of 603 Squadron deployed to Kuwait for Operation TELIC.  Between 2003 and 2013, members of the Squadron served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

2013 - The Squadron began recruiting RAF Police personnel and the Squadron is now a RAF Force Protection Squadron with equal elements of RAF Police and RAF Regiment.

2020 - Members of the Squadron were mobilised to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Battle honours

  • Home Defence 1940-42*
  • Battle of Britain 1940*
  • Channel and North Sea 1941*
  • Fortress Europe 1942*
  • Malta 1942*
  • Mediterranean 1943*
  • Sicily 1943*
  • South East Europe 1944*
  • France and Germany 1944

Roles

RAF Police Officer
RAF Regiment Officer
RAF Regiment Gunner
RAF Police

Contact

603 Squadron, 25 Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh, EH4 1NZ

For recruitment enquiries, please phone: 0345 606 9069

Connect with 603 Squadron RAuxAF