ROYAL AUXILIARY AIR FORCE I 100 th ANNIVERSARY
Holmes ’ Hurricane impacted on Buckingham Palace Road . Surviving the heroic encounter , Holmes later flew as the King ’ s Messenger . Re-equipping with the Spitfire , 504 Sqn served with distinction through the war , standing down from active duty in 1945 . 504 reformed in 1946 flying Mosquitos , Spitfires and Meteors until disbandment in 1957 .
On 1 January 1998 , the Offensive Support Role Support Sqn formed at RAF Cottesmore and consisted of RAF Regiment , Flight Operations , and support Trades to support the RAF ’ s Offensive Support Force ( Harriers and Jaguars ). The Sqn re-badged as 504 ( County of Nottingham ) Squadron on 1 October 2000 . A further re-role to Force Protection in 2002 saw 504 providing active and passive defence for RAF assets and between 2003-11 , the Sqn was mobilised for Operation TELIC with Reservists serving with all the Regular RAF Regt Sqns in Iraq . Regt Gunners were also mobilised for Afghanistan in support of Operation HERRICK ( 2005-14 ).
On 1 Apr 2014 , 504 Sqn re-rolled as a Logistic Support Sqn at RAF Wittering and expanded to include Ground Engineering in 2018 . Volunteer Reservist Chefs , Drivers , Suppliers , Electricians and Mechanics have undertaken mobilisations in support of numerous operations including KIPION ( Middle
East ), BILOXI ( Romania ) and SHADER ( Cyprus ) and provide resilience to multiple Operating Bases in UK and overseas . Individual mobilisations in 2023 included the Falkland Islands , RAF Coningsby and RAF St Athan , Air Combat Service Support Units . 504 Sqn enabled COVID Lateral Flow Testing activity and Quarantine facility during Operation RESCRIPT and Reservists were mobilised in support of the Commonwealth Games and the King ’ s Coronation Parade . Recent collective output to Defence has included ; complex convoys to enable NATO exercises ; heavy goods vehicles conversion and life extension programme ; management of critical Typhoon spares and RAF ’ s Aerobatic Team relocation for which Supply Flight received Commandant General of the RAuxAF ’ s Team Commendation in 2023 .
Part of the Reserves Logistics Support Wing , 504 Sqn delivers through-life training for all RAuxAF Chefs and a diverse range of Supply , Driver , and Engineer training .
501 ( County of Gloucester ) Squadron RAuxAF
Formed on 14 June 1929 as the 501 ( City of Bristol ) Sqn , it became 501 ( County of Gloucester ) Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1936 . Following action in France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force , the Sqn recovered to England and took part in the Battle of Britain in 1940 , claiming 149 enemy aircraft destroyed ( the second highest Sqn total and boasted aces such as ‘ Ginger Lacey ’ and Paul Farnes .
In 1944 , operating Hawker Tempests 501 once again were a key element in the RAFs defence against the German V1 onslaught . Disbanded in 1945 , the Sqn reformed in 1946 as a Royal Auxiliary Air Force fighter squadron operating Spitfires , Vampires and Meteors , being presented with its first Sqn Standard , before disbanding again in 1957 . In 2001 , the Sqn reformed in a Force protection role at RAF Brize Norton and had several personnel deploy on Operation
TELIC . In September 2013 , the Sqn reformed as a Logistics Support Sqn and provided Drivers , Suppliers and Chefs to support global Defence commitments . Since 2013 , the Sqn have supported numerous operations and exercises in the UK and overseas , as well as providing routine support to a host of organisations . Drivers and Suppliers have been mobilised in support of Operation SHADER ( Cyprus ), Operation BILOXI ( Romania ) and Operation AZOTIZE ( Estonia ), deployed to the Falkland Islands , and provided back-fill at UK Main During 2020 , the Squadron provided over 20 Part-Time Voluntary Reserves to Operation RESCRIPT , the MODs response to
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