ROYAL AUXILIARY AIR FORCE I 100 th ANNIVERSARY
In 1951 , HRH The Princess Elizabeth agreed to become the Honorary Air Commodore of 603 Sqn . Between 1959 and 1999 , the RAuxAF continued to have a presence in THQ , in the shape of No 2 Maritime Headquarters Unit ( 2 MHU ).
In 1999 , 603 Sqn was reformed from the members of 2 MHU as a Force Protection unit , training defence and security specialists to protect the RAF ’ s operations . The Sqn is currently a combined RAF Police and RAF Regt Sqn and since 1999 has provided support to the RAF on operations in numerous theatres , including Iraq , Afghanistan , the wider
Middle East , Cyprus , Estonia , Romania , Iceland , the Falkland Islands , and the UK . 603 Sqn was privileged to receive the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh and to be affiliated to the Worshipful Company of Distillers .
On reformation , Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II agreed to continue her role as Honorary Air Commodore of the Sqn ; a unique honour in the Royal Air Force . The Queen visited THQ in 1975 and 2015 . The Sqn was honoured to parade both in Her Majesty ’ s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and as part of The Queen ’ s funeral procession in 2022 ; the only sqn to be acknowledged by number .
Editor ’ s note : The next three Sqns formed as part of the original AAF / SR timeline are also now part of the Reserve Logistics Support Wing .
Reserve Logistics Support Wing
Due to the requirement to rationalise logistics reserves within the then A4 Force , the Reserve Logistics Support Wing ( RLSW ) was formed in 2019 and assumed command of the three RAuxAF Logistics Support Sqns that were then brigaded under 85 ( Expeditionary Logistics ) Wing . The RLSW HQ consists of a Wing Commander and Squadron Leader who now command , coordinate and cohere the output of 501 ( County of Gloucester ), 504 ( County of Nottingham ) and 605 ( County of Warwick ) Sqns RAuxAF .
Since its inception , the Headquarters has developed , and implemented , many processes and procedures that have more closely integrated the training and operations of the Wing ’ s 3 Sqns . Notable collective successes have included the execution of a Wing Annual Continuation Training camp on the Isle of Wight in 2022 , that saw reservists from all three Sqns participate in Military and Adventurous Training Activities , and in 2023 , the establishment of a pan-sqn supply training facility at RAF Cosford which utilises supply trainers from all three sqns .
As a Wing of the Support Force , the LSW HQ is often the first port of call for assistance in the provision of logistics
specialists to support the 3 Logistics Air Combat Service Support Units : 1 Expeditionary Logistics Sqn , 2 Mechanical Transport Sqn and 3 Mobile Catering Sqn ) of the Force . The death of HM Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 and the subsequent activation of Op LONDON BRIDGE was such an occasion and saw the HQ co-ordinate and deconflict the provision of reserve personnel to support the Force in the execution of their operational tasks and support contingency plans to maintain other operational output and support possible Military Aid to the Civil Authority tasks .
The Headquarters has also played an important role in ensuring that the personnel of the Wing can fully participate and contribute to a range of other military activities and , in the financial year 2022-23 , was able to contribute over 4000 Reserve Service Days to wider RAF activities and mobilised 38 personnel to ongoing RAF operations both at home and abroad . As the capability of our reservists becomes more widely recognised and appreciated , the Reserve Logistics Support Wing looks forward to a bright and busy future .
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