* Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry
A goosevolant, chosen as a play on the word 'Anson', the aircraft which the squadron was flying when the badge was being designed, as 'Anser' is the Latin word for Goose, and it was felt that a heavy wild fowl was appropriate for a bomber squadron. Approved by King George VI in December 1937.
Squadron codes
UT (Aug 1939 – Sep 1939) MH (Sep 1939 – May 1945) LK (? – Jan 1944) ('C' Flt which became 578 Sqn) C6 (Jan 1944 – May 1945) ('C' Flt) TB (May 1945 – Dec 1949) MH (Dec 1949 – Oct 1950)
It had previously flown the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R.1 from 1974 until 2011.[2] Following the Nimrod's retirement, crews from No. 51 Squadron trained alongside the United States Air Force on the RC-135W Rivet Joint, which was being acquired by the RAF under the Airseeker project.[3][4][5]
51 Squadron Royal Flying Corps flew B.E.2 and B.E.12 aircraft; the squadron formed at Thetford, Norfolk, before moving its headquarters to the airfield that later became RAF Marham. The squadron's primary role during the First World War was defence of the UK against GermanZeppelin raids. It also used the Avro 504K to give night flying training to new pilots. The squadron disbanded in 1919.[6]
Interwar years
The squadron was reborn when 'B' Flight of 58 Squadron was renumbered as 51 Squadron at Driffield in March 1937, flying Virginias and Ansons. At this time the squadron badge was being chosen and a goose was chosen as a play on words: the squadron was flying the Anson and the Latin for goose is Anser. It was also appropriate for a bomber unit to have a heavy wild fowl to represent it.[7]
In February 1942, led by the legendary Percy Pickard, 51 Squadron carried 119 paratroops and an RAF flight sergeant skilled in electronics to Bruneval, France, in converted Whitleys. The men then carried out a very successful raid on a German radar installation, removing parts of a new type known as a Würzburg, which they took back to Britain.[9]
The squadron became part of Transport Command with Stirlings and later Yorks following the end of the European war, transporting men and material to India and the Far East. The squadron disbanded in 1950, after taking part in the Berlin Airlift.
The squadron again reformed in the 'Special Duties' role when No. 192 Squadron RAF was renumbered at RAF Watton on 21 August 1958, moving to nearby Wyton in April 1963.[11] It was only following the end of the Cold War that the signals intelligence role of the squadron was publicly recognised. Signals intelligence encompasses both Electronic Intelligence (Elint) and Communications Intelligence (Comint). The squadron flew this role using de Havilland Comets.[12] The Comets were replaced by a modified version of the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod in 1974.[13]
First British RC-135W (ZZ664) arrives at Waddington in November 2013
One of the three Nimrods on strength was retired at the end of November 2009[14] with the other two remaining in service until June 2011.[2] The Nimrods were replaced by three Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft. In January 2011 personnel from 51 Squadron began training at Offutt Air Force Base in the US for conversion to the RC-135. Crews were to be deployed on joint missions with the USAF 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron until the new aircraft became available.[15] The first RC135W (ZZ664) was delivered to the Royal Air Force on 12 November 2013,[16] and entered operational service in 2014, taking part in Operation Shader against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.[17]
^Aldrich, Robert (2011). GCHQ: Britain's Most Secret Intelligence Agency. Harper Collins. p. 121. ISBN978-0007312665.
^"UK squadron prepares for Nimrod R1 retirement". Flight Global. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^Peruzzi, Luca (20 May 2010). "RAF prepares for final Afghan deployment with Nimrod R1". Flight International. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^Hoyle, Craig (14 January 2011). "RAF personnel start Rivet Joint training". Flight International. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^Perry, Dominic (12 November 2013). "PICTURES: First RAF Rivet Joint aircraft arrives in UK". Flight International. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
^Hoyle, Craig (21 July 2015). "RAF to take early delivery of UK's second Rivet Joint". Flight International. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
Bibliography
Ford, Keith S. Snaith days: Life with 51 Squadron, 1942–45. Warrington, Cheshire, UK: Compaid Graphics, 1993. ISBN0-9517965-1-8.
Ford, Keith S. Swift and Sure: Eighty Years of 51 Squadron RAF (York's Own Squadron). Preston, Lancashire, UK: Compaid Graphics, 1997. ISBN0-9517965-8-5.
Forster, Dave; Gibson, Chris (2015). Listening In. Hikoki Publications. ISBN978-190210938-1.
Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britai (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN0-85130-164-9.
Lake, Jon. "Wyton's Cold War spyplanes: No 51 Squadron's Canberras". International Air Power Review. Volume 1, 2001. Norwalk, Connecticut, USA: AIRtime Publishing. pp. 130–137. ISBN1-880588-33-1. ISSN 1473-9917.
Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (Revised edition 1976). ISBN0-354-01027-1
Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN0-7106-0187-5.
Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (Revised edition 1976, reprinted 1978). ISBN0-354-01028-X.
Ward, Chris. Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles, Number 16: 51 Squadron – Swift and Sure. Berkshire, UK: Ward Publishing, 1998.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 51 Squadron RAF.
squadron, number, squadron, squadron, royal, force, since, 2014, operated, boeing, 135w, airseeker, more, commonly, referred, rivet, joint, from, waddington, lincolnshire, squadron, badgeactive15, 1916, april, 1918, april, 1918, june, 1919, march, 1937, octobe. Number 51 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force Since 2014 it has operated the Boeing RC 135W Airseeker R 1 more commonly referred to as the Rivet Joint from RAF Waddington Lincolnshire No 51 Squadron RAFSquadron badgeActive15 May 1916 1 April 1918 RFC 1 April 1918 13 June 1919 RAF 5 March 1937 30 October 195021 August 1958 presentCountryUnited KingdomBranchRoyal Air ForceTypeFlying squadronRoleSignals intelligenceSizeThree aircraftPart ofNo 1 GroupHome stationRAF WaddingtonNickname s York s own squadron Motto s Swift and Sure 1 AircraftBoeing RC 135W AirseekerBattle honoursHome Defence 1916 1918 Channel and North Sea 1940 1943 Norway 1940 France and Low Countries 1940 Ruhr 1940 1945 Fortress Europe 1940 1944 German Ports 1940 1945 Invasion Ports 1940 Biscay Ports 1940 1944 Berlin 1940 1944 Baltic 1940 1944 Biscay 1942 Italy 1943 France and Germany 1944 1945 Normandy 1944 Walcheren Rhine South Atlantic 1982 Gulf 1991 Kosovo Iraq 2003 2011 Libya 2011 Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron StandardInsigniaSquadron badge heraldryA goose volant chosen as a play on the word Anson the aircraft which the squadron was flying when the badge was being designed as Anser is the Latin word for Goose and it was felt that a heavy wild fowl was appropriate for a bomber squadron Approved by King George VI in December 1937 Squadron codesUT Aug 1939 Sep 1939 MH Sep 1939 May 1945 LK Jan 1944 C Flt which became 578 Sqn C6 Jan 1944 May 1945 C Flt TB May 1945 Dec 1949 MH Dec 1949 Oct 1950 It had previously flown the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R 1 from 1974 until 2011 2 Following the Nimrod s retirement crews from No 51 Squadron trained alongside the United States Air Force on the RC 135W Rivet Joint which was being acquired by the RAF under the Airseeker project 3 4 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 World War I 1 2 Interwar years 1 3 World War II 1 4 Postwar 2 Aircraft operated 3 See also 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 Bibliography 5 External linksHistory EditWorld War I Edit 51 Squadron Royal Flying Corps flew B E 2 and B E 12 aircraft the squadron formed at Thetford Norfolk before moving its headquarters to the airfield that later became RAF Marham The squadron s primary role during the First World War was defence of the UK against German Zeppelin raids It also used the Avro 504K to give night flying training to new pilots The squadron disbanded in 1919 6 Interwar years Edit The squadron was reborn when B Flight of 58 Squadron was renumbered as 51 Squadron at Driffield in March 1937 flying Virginias and Ansons At this time the squadron badge was being chosen and a goose was chosen as a play on words the squadron was flying the Anson and the Latin for goose is Anser It was also appropriate for a bomber unit to have a heavy wild fowl to represent it 7 World War II Edit Loading bombs into a 51 Squadron Halifax at RAF Snaith 51 Squadron Halifax crew hand in their parachutes after a raid on the Ruhr 51 Squadron dropped leaflets over Germany on the very first night of the Second World War using the Whitley aircraft 8 In February 1942 led by the legendary Percy Pickard 51 Squadron carried 119 paratroops and an RAF flight sergeant skilled in electronics to Bruneval France in converted Whitleys The men then carried out a very successful raid on a German radar installation removing parts of a new type known as a Wurzburg which they took back to Britain 9 A brief period as part of Coastal Command patrolling against the U Boats in the Bay of Biscay preceded the re equipment with the Halifax in 1942 51 spent the rest of the war in Europe flying as part of No 4 Group RAF RAF Bomber Command s strategic bombing offensive against the Nazis operating from RAF Snaith in East Yorkshire 10 Postwar Edit The squadron became part of Transport Command with Stirlings and later Yorks following the end of the European war transporting men and material to India and the Far East The squadron disbanded in 1950 after taking part in the Berlin Airlift The squadron again reformed in the Special Duties role when No 192 Squadron RAF was renumbered at RAF Watton on 21 August 1958 moving to nearby Wyton in April 1963 11 It was only following the end of the Cold War that the signals intelligence role of the squadron was publicly recognised Signals intelligence encompasses both Electronic Intelligence Elint and Communications Intelligence Comint The squadron flew this role using de Havilland Comets 12 The Comets were replaced by a modified version of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod in 1974 13 First British RC 135W ZZ664 arrives at Waddington in November 2013 One of the three Nimrods on strength was retired at the end of November 2009 14 with the other two remaining in service until June 2011 2 The Nimrods were replaced by three Boeing RC 135W Rivet Joint aircraft In January 2011 personnel from 51 Squadron began training at Offutt Air Force Base in the US for conversion to the RC 135 Crews were to be deployed on joint missions with the USAF 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron until the new aircraft became available 15 The first RC135W ZZ664 was delivered to the Royal Air Force on 12 November 2013 16 and entered operational service in 2014 taking part in Operation Shader against ISIL in Iraq and Syria 17 Aircraft operated EditAircraft operated have included B E 2 B E 12 FE2b Martinsyde G 100 Avro 504K Sopwith Camel Vickers Virginia Mk10 Avro Anson Mk1 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk 2 5 Handley Page Halifax Mk B2 and B3 Short Stirling Mk5 Avro York de Havilland Comet Mk2R English Electric Canberra B2 Handley Page Hastings C1 Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R1 Boeing RC 135W Rivet JointSee also EditOther Nimrod squadrons No 42 Reserve Squadron Nimrod OCU No 120 Squadron No 201 Squadron No 206 Squadron List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons No 51 Squadron RAF RegimentReferences EditNotes Edit Pine L G 1983 A dictionary of mottoes 1 ed London Routledge amp Kegan Paul p 227 ISBN 0 7100 9339 X a b Nimrod R1 makes final flight Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Defence Management Journal 28 June 2011 Retrieved 28 June 2011 Ministry of Defence The Major Projects Report 2012 Appendix 3 PDF National Audit Office 8 January 2013 p 32 Archived from the original PDF on 19 December 2013 New RAF Intelligence Aircraft Arrives in UK Seven Months Early www defense aerospace com Perry Dominic 12 November 2013 PICTURES First RAF Rivet Joint aircraft arrives in UK Flight Global Retrieved 18 December 2013 51 Squadron s War Britain at War Retrieved 29 June 2019 Moyes 1976 p 78 No 51 Squadron RAF Royal Air Force Museum Retrieved 26 November 2020 Price Alfred Instruments of Darkness The History of Electronic Warfare 1939 1945 Naval Institute Press Revised Expanded ed Aug 1 2017 No 51 Squadron RAF Second World War History of War Retrieved 29 June 2019 Lake 2001 p 130 131 Aldrich Robert 2011 GCHQ Britain s Most Secret Intelligence Agency Harper Collins p 121 ISBN 978 0007312665 UK squadron prepares for Nimrod R1 retirement Flight Global 18 February 2011 Retrieved 29 June 2019 Peruzzi Luca 20 May 2010 RAF prepares for final Afghan deployment with Nimrod R1 Flight International Retrieved 29 June 2019 Hoyle Craig 14 January 2011 RAF personnel start Rivet Joint training Flight International Retrieved 29 June 2019 Perry Dominic 12 November 2013 PICTURES First RAF Rivet Joint aircraft arrives in UK Flight International Retrieved 29 June 2019 Hoyle Craig 21 July 2015 RAF to take early delivery of UK s second Rivet Joint Flight International Retrieved 29 June 2019 Bibliography Edit Ford Keith S Snaith days Life with 51 Squadron 1942 45 Warrington Cheshire UK Compaid Graphics 1993 ISBN 0 9517965 1 8 Ford Keith S Swift and Sure Eighty Years of 51 Squadron RAF York s Own Squadron Preston Lancashire UK Compaid Graphics 1997 ISBN 0 9517965 8 5 Forster Dave Gibson Chris 2015 Listening In Hikoki Publications ISBN 978 190210938 1 Halley James J The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth 1918 1988 Tonbridge Kent UK Air Britai Historians Ltd 1988 ISBN 0 85130 164 9 Lake Jon Wyton s Cold War spyplanes No 51 Squadron s Canberras International Air Power Review Volume 1 2001 Norwalk Connecticut USA AIRtime Publishing pp 130 137 ISBN 1 880588 33 1 ISSN 1473 9917 Moyes Philip J R Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers Ltd 1964 Revised edition 1976 ISBN 0 354 01027 1 Rawlings John D R Coastal Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft London Jane s Publishing Company Ltd 1982 ISBN 0 7106 0187 5 Rawlings John D R Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Their Aircraft London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers Ltd 1969 Revised edition 1976 reprinted 1978 ISBN 0 354 01028 X Ward Chris Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadron Profiles Number 16 51 Squadron Swift and Sure Berkshire UK Ward Publishing 1998 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to No 51 Squadron RAF 51 Squadron Squadron histories of 51 55 sqn on RAFweb Squadron website permanent dead link 51 Squadron Article in Metro Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title No 51 Squadron RAF amp oldid 1129421957, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
