The Battle Honours have been awarded to commemorate notable battles, actions, or engagements in which squadron aircrew or RAF Regiment personnel played a memorable part.

Battle Honours were approved for 27 operational flying squadrons and eight Royal Air Force Regiment squadrons for their service during Operation TELIC in Iraq. Five operational flying squadrons and three Royal Air Force Regiment squadrons have been awarded the highest honour of ‘Battle Honour with Emblazonment’.

For Operation DEFERENCE and Operation ELLAMY in Libya, Battle Honours were approved for 13 operational flying squadrons with three being awarded the highest honour of Battle Honour with Emblazonment.

There are two levels of Battle Honour within the Royal Air Force, the first is entitlement, signifying that a squadron took part in the campaign. The second, higher level, gives the right to emblazon the Battle Honour on the Squadron Standard itself. This highest level has been awarded to squadrons who were involved in direct confrontation with the enemy, and who have demonstrated gallantry and spirit under fire.

The RAF’s Deputy Commander for Operations, Air Marshal Stuart Atha said:

Whilst individuals are often recognised for bravery and courage, the award of a Battle Honour to a unit is rare, so I am delighted to hear that the fighting spirit of Royal Air Force squadrons has been recognised at the highest level by their award today. Those Air Mobility, Rotary, Fast Jet, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance squadrons, and RAF Regiment units, whose people have contributed so much to these operations in the air and on the ground, should be hugely proud of this important addition to their legacies.

The honours will be awarded for participation in Operation TELIC, which took place between 1 May 2003 and 22 May 2011, Operation DEFERENCE, which took place from 22 February 2011 to 27 February 2011, and Operation ELLAMY, which took place from 19 March 2011 to 31 October 2011.

To mark the awards, the MOD is releasing a number of examples of outstanding service during these campaigns:

FIRST UK LAUNCHED STRIKES SINCE WW2

Royal Air Force Squadrons II (Two) and IX (Nine) are two of three units to be awarded the honour of emblazoning the battle honour “Libya 2011” on their standards.

On 19 March 2011, under strict secrecy and in the dark of night, four Tornado fast jets from IX (Bomber) Squadron, Royal Air Force Marham, roared into the Norfolk night sky to deliver long-range airstrikes against Libyan Regime targets.

Storm Shadow, the Tornado’s highly capable stand-off cruise missile, which is currently seeing service in Iraq and Syria, was used as the weapon of choice against heavily defended and hardened targets in a gruelling 3000-mile round trip. For the missions, RAF Marham operated as a cohesive team. II (Army Cooperation) Squadron personnel worked tirelessly to plan this complex mission and prepare the aircraft, while aircrew from IX (Bomber) Squadron flew and delivered successful mission.

This historic event was the first direct delivery of airborne weapons launched from Royal Air Force aircraft based in the United Kingdom since World War Two and demonstrated the Royal Air Force’s ability to conduct highly effective surprise airstrikes at great distance. The missions were ably supported by RAF Voyager in-flight refuelling aircraft, which were used four times during the eight-hour sortie.

Following these strikes, IX (Bomber) Squadron deployed to Italian Air Force Base Gioia Del Colle and mounted an intensive bombing, close air support and armed reconnaissance campaign against the Libyan Regime’s mobile military forces. The unit was relieved by II (Army Cooperation) Squadron one month later.

At this point, the campaign had grown significantly, requiring II Squadron to undertake complex strike missions by day and night using, Paveway precision guided bombs and Brimstone missiles.

PUMAS PROVIDE IMPORTANT SUPPORT TO OPERATIONS IN IRAQ

Number 33 Squadron, based at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, was one of seven RAF units to earn the right to emblazon the battle honour ‘Iraq 2003-2011’ on its standard.

33 Squadron operated Puma helicopters during the Iraq campaign. Working in close cooperation with UK and allied land forces, their role was to move equipment and soldiers around the battlefield, as well as provide convoy escort, reconnaissance and resupply of Forward Operating Bases (FOB). They also transported the wounded quickly away from the front line for emergency medical care.

Aircraft often flew at 50 feet above the ground, to try and avoid ground fire due to the level of the insurgent threat. Working in the highly unstable area around central Iraq, the Pumas operated a furious pace, often at the limits of their performance. Nevertheless the helicopters proved to be highly reliable; a testament to the superb efforts of the squadron’s engineers based at FOB Kalsu.

In November 2004, a formation of one 33 Squadron Puma and one Lynx helicopter operated in support of the Black Watch (now Scottish Regiment) Battle Group. Working from Camp Dogwood which was in an area locally dubbed ‘the Triangle of Death’, the two aircraft came under heavy mortar fire within minutes of landing. Later, due to the volume of enemy ground fire, both the Puma and the Lynx were hit by enemy rounds with the Lynx pilot suffering injury.

Flight Sergeant Andy Leys, a crewman on the Puma said:

On arrival back at base after operations, the sense of satisfaction and achievement was immense. This period was the busiest and most intense operational tasking I have completed in my 19 year flying career. All of our tasking was completed safely and professionally with crews returning to base wiser and more experienced aviators – something that can never be too highly valued.

Recognised squadrons:

With the Right to Emblazon ‘IRAQ 2003- 2011’ on Squadron Standards

• No 7 Squadron RAF
• No XXIV Squadron RAF
• No 33 Squadron RAF
• No 47 Squadron RAF
• No 230 Squadron RAF
• No 1 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No 26 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No 34 Squadron RAF Regiment.

Without the Right to Emblazon ‘IRAQ 2003- 2011’ on Squadron Standards

• No II (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAF
• No IX (Bomber) Squadron RAF
• No 10 Squadron RAF
• No 12 (Bomber) Squadron RAF
• No XIII Squadron RAF
• No 14 Squadron RAF
• No 18 Squadron RAF
• No 27 Squadron RAF
• No XXVIII (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAF
• No 30 Squadron RAF
• No 31 Squadron RAF
• No 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF
• No 39 (Photographic Reconnaissance) Squadron RAF
• No 51 Squadron RAF
• No LXX Squadron RAF
• No 99 Squadron RAF
• No 101 Squadron RAF
• No 120 Squadron RAF
• No 201 Squadron RAF
• No 206 Squadron RAF
• No 216 Squadron RAF
• No 617 Squadron RAF
• No II Squadron RAF Regiment
• No 3 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No 15 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No 51 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No 63 Squadron RAF Regiment.

With the Right to Emblazon ‘LIBYA 2011’ on Squadron Standards

• No II (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAF
• No IX (Bomber) Squadron RAF
• No 47 Squadron RAF.

Without the Right to Emblazon ‘LIBYA 2011’ on Squadron Standards

• No 3 (Fighter) Squadron RAF
• No V (Army Cooperation) Squadron RAF
• No VIII Squadron RAF
• No XI Squadron RAF
• No 30 Squadron RAF
• No 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF
• No 51 Squadron RAF
• No 99 Squadron RAF
• No 101 Squadron RAF
• No 216 Squadron RAF

The £3 million project took around 2 years to complete and is designed to provide the optimum ‘safe place’ training environment for armed forces personnel in order to equip them with the skills required for operational duties at home and overseas.

The project has seen the existing Garelochhead ranges transformed in to 2 new developments: a grouping and zeroing (G&Z) range and an electronic target tange (ETR) and a single range building complex with classrooms, a targetry store and workshops, which serve the 2 ranges.

Brigadier Neil Dalton OBE, head of training for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) said:

The opening of these ranges represents a significant investment by defence, delivered by DIO, to provide the modern facilities required to develop and maintain individual shooting skills.

These ranges will serve a host of nearby units, as well as those using the neighbouring training area, and are a great further boost to the quality of infrastructure in the Clyde area.

The programme delivery was managed by Scotland’s DIO service delivery training team and industry partner Landmarc Support Services with local contractor, Mackenzie Construction Ltd responsible for the build phase of the project.

Lt Col Mike Onslow, Commander of DIO service delivery training team in Scotland and Northern Ireland said:

DIO is committed to improving the facilities and services that it provides to the armed forces and this project is a great example of how we are doing this. The benefits offered by these new facilities are legion. They are also the result of five years of hard work, detailed collaboration and numerous opportunities to practice our problem solving abilities. 

The people involved in delivering these ranges and the supporting infrastructure have been superb and suffered the capricious nature of the west coast weather; they have my admiration and thanks.  We have a complex that is efficient; environmentally future proofed and will provide the required training to all elements of defence based in the close proximity and elsewhere for years to come.

Kevin Kneeshaw, regional operations manager for Landmarc Support Services in Scotland added:

By working collaboratively with DIO and our contractor, Mackenzie, we have been able to overcome a number of unique challenges to deliver first class training facilities that are not only sustainable, but will deliver cost savings for our armed forces.

I’m delighted to be here and it’s a great honour to have Prince Harry joining us fresh from a triumphant Invictus Games and from raising awareness of mental health issues in the Armed Forces earlier today.

We are, Your Royal Highness, incredibly fortunate to have someone with such immense energy and enthusiasm working on our Armed Forces’ behalf.

It’s also a privilege to meet in this iconic museum, currently celebrating its centenary. If you get the chance, wander the halls.

There you’ll find our national story documented in deeds of outstanding courage from Gallipoli and the Battle of Britain, to our exploits in the Atlantic during the Cold War.

Among the modern day exhibits you’ll find extraordinarily mementos of sheer courage such as Johnson Beharry’s Victoria Cross, the first Victoria Cross awarded in the 21st century, to a soldier who twice survived hits by rocket propelled grenades who despite his own injuries and showing complete disregard for his own safety then saved his comrades from the fire.

Today, as Your Royal Highness knows, our forces are serving on operations in more than 25 countries.

They’re helping fragile democracies from Afghanistan to Iraq, supporting peacekeeping in Somalia and South Sudan, and leading in NATO with troops in Estonia and Poland. Our planes protecting the Black Sea Skies, and our ships of the Royal Navy leading NATO’s maritime task groups.

No praise can be high enough for them. Nor for those who go out of their way to support them.

So today whether you hail from the public or private sector whether you’re in a business employing fewer than 10 people or more than 500 people, I’d like to thank you all.

First, for supporting our Reserves. For giving those civic minded citizens more than flexibility to train or to go on deployment but for giving them also encouragement and recognition. It is your support has enabled us to increase our Reserve numbers by 1,280 up almost 4 per cent since last year with our total trained and untrained strength now standing at 36,580.

Second, I want to thank you for what you’re doing for our veterans. Laing O Rourke and Build Force are attracting service leavers into the building trade. North West Ambulance Service, one of four blue light organisations to scoop gold, is helping veterans retrain as ambulance drivers.

Transport for London and Airbus are offering placements to wounded, injured and sick soldiers. And Combat pest control a small business that doesn’t just free homes from household menaces but provides assistance to children from Afghanistan to Africa is a workforce entirely composed of veterans.

Thirdly, thank you for the help you’re giving to our wider Armed Forces families.

Sodexo is actively welcoming military spouses into its workforce, allowing spouses to transfer to different sites when their partners are deployed or posted elsewhere. X-forces are helping veterans and their partners into work.
And Manpower are giving free employability sessions to spouses living on Salisbury Plain.

Yet those efforts, for our reserves, our veterans, our families don’t account for why the people in this hall now hold gold.

The reason you’re listed among our elite 80 employers is because you’re also superb advocates leading by example showing that employing Reservists and veterans simply makes business sense.

We have here amongst us Corporal Ian Taylor. A systems integration and test engineer for General Dynamics. His Royal Highness will know him well.

He’s just back from the Invictus Games in Toronto, where he not only competed in swimming, powerlifting and rowing, he not only set a personal best, but won silver in the breast stroke.

Who wouldn’t want to employ someone with such grit and guts, determination and drive in their company too?

Your collective efforts have encouraged more and more companies to commit to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Today we have more than 1900 companies that have signed up – and we are on track to hit 2000 soon.

Back in 1920 at the official opening of Imperial War Museum its founder Sir Alfred Mond declared the museum would not be a “monument of military glory, but a record of toil and sacrifice” wherein all would find “an example or illustration of the sacrifice he or she made”.

So today, alongside sacrifice we record the service of great employers. As years to come, as the threats against us intensify, we will increasingly look to our wider Armed Forces family to help us manage all those demands and pressures.

But with your example, inspiring the businesses of the future to follow in your footsteps, I am very confident that our Armed Forces family will continue to thrive.