The No.1 Armoured Car Company RAF was a military unit of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) based in Iraq and which played a role in the defence of

RAF Habbaniya Royal Air Force Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya ( ar, قاعدة الحبانية الجوية), (originally RAF Dhibban), was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about west of Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, on the banks of the E ...

during World War II.

Creation

On 19 December 1921, "No. 1 Armoured Car Company RAF" was formed at Heliopolis in the Kingdom of Egypt and then moved to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, being disbanded there on 1 December 1923 with elements being absorbed into

No. 2 Armoured Car Company RAF The Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF was a military unit of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) which was based at Amman in what was then called the Transjordan. It was the counterpart of No.1 Armoured Car Company RAF, which performed a similar ro ...

. During the 1920s further RAF Armoured Car Companies (Nos 3, 4, 5 & 6) were formed in Iraq but by 1930 they were consolidated into No. 1 Company with its base at RAF Hinaidi and sections at Mosul and

RAF Shaibah The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Composition and organization

During the Anglo-Iraqi War, the No. 1 Armoured Car Company RAF was composed of eighteen Rolls-Royce armoured cars and several Morris tenders. These vehicles were among the last of a consignment of ex- Royal Naval Armoured Car Division armoured cars that had been serving in the Middle East since 1915. In addition to the Rolls-Royce armoured cars, the company had two ancient tanks, named "Walrus" and "Seal." The company was organised into a headquarters and three sections. Each section had six armoured cars and two wireless tenders. The make-up of the company did however vary from time to time. Various sections would be detached to other RAF bases in Iraq and on various duties throughout Iraq (and even beyond). The company was based at RAF Hinaidi Cantonment until it moved to

in 1936 (and Hinaidi became the Iraqi Rashid Airbase). RAF Habbaniya had purpose built, modern facilities for both men and machines in the Armoured Car Lines.

Renaming

On 3 October 1946 the company was incorporated into the

RAF Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...

and named No. 2701 Armoured Squadron. On 25 February 1947, this unit was renamed

No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force. Its mission is protection of RAF bases from ground attack, and patrolling a large area around main operating bases abroad, in order to defend aircraft o ...

.Warwick, ''In Every Place'', pg. 604

Notes

References

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