No. 603 Squadron RAF
| No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAuxAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 14 October 1925 - 26 December 1944 10 January - 15 August 1945 10 May 1946 - 10 March 1957 1 October 1999 - to present day. |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch | Royal Auxiliary Air Force |
| Role | Force Protection/RAF Police and RAF Regiment |
| Part of |
 Royal Air Force, 3 Police Wing |
| Headquarters | Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh |
| Motto(s) |
Scots: Gin ye daur ("If you dare") |
| Battle honours | Home Defence, 1940-42* Battle of Britain, 1940* Channel & North Sea, 1941* Fortress Europe, 1941* Malta, 1942* Mediterranean, 1943* Sicily, 1943* South-East Europe, 1943-44* France & Germany 1945 Honours marked with an asterix* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Sqn Ldr Jerry Riley |
| Notable commanders |
George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, Lord David Douglas-Hamilton, Christopher Foxley-Norris |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | On a rock a triple-towered castle, flying therefrom to the sinister a pennon The castle in the badge is similar to that in the Arms of the City of Edinburgh |
| Squadron Codes |
RL (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939) XT (Sep 1939 - Apr 1942, Jan 1945 - Aug 1945, 1949 - Apr 1951) RAJ (May 1946–1949) |
No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The primary role of 603 Squadron, since reforming on 1 October 1999, was as a Survive to Operate squadron, as well as providing Force Protection.
603 Sqn re-roled to become a reserve RAF Police unit from 1 April 2013. The Squadron retains a squadron's complement of RAF Regiment as part of its overall contribution to Force Protection and it still operates from a magnificent Victorian Town Mansion close to Edinburgh's city centre, as it has since the Town Headquarters was bought for the squadron in 1925.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabath II is the Honorary Air Commodore to the Squadron, with those duties routinely carried out by Air Marshal Sir David Walker.
No. 603 Squadron was formed on 14 October 1925 at RAF Turnhouse as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. Originally equipped with DH.9As and using Avro 504Ks for flying training, the squadron re-equipped with Wapitis in March 1930, these being replaced by Harts in February 1934. On 24 October 1938, No. 603 was redesignated a fighter unit and flew Hinds until the arrival of Gladiators at the end of March 1939.
In August 1939, the squadron began to transition to Spitfires. As war approached the squadron was put on a full-time footing, and within two weeks of the outbreak of the Second World War, Carbury was permanently attached and the squadron began to receive Spitfires, passing on its Gladiators to other squadrons during October.
Scotland was in range of Nazi Germany's long-range bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The Luftwaffe's main operations being mainly against the Royal Naval Home Fleet anchored in Scapa Flow. The squadron was operational with Spitfires in time to intercept the first German air raid on the British Isles on 16 October, when it shot down a Junkers Ju-88 bomber into the Firth of Forth north of Port Seton - the first enemy aircraft to be shot down over Great Britain since 1918, and the first RAF victory in the Second World War. It remained on defensive duties in Scotland until 27 August 1940, when it moved on rotation to Southern England, based with No 11 Group at RAF Hornchurch, where it was operational from 27 August 1940 for the remaining months of the Battle of Britain.
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