Number 2 Squadron, also known as No. II (Army Co-operation) Squadron, is the most senior squadron of the Royal Air Force. It is currently equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 at RAF Lossiemouth,

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

, since reforming there on 12 January 2015. No. 2 Squadron's traditional army co-operation role is reflected in the "AC" of its title, its motto '' Hereward'' (Guardian of the Army), and the symbol of a Wake knot on its crest. Its unofficial nickname is ''Shiny Two''.

History

Foundation until WWI Armistice

No. 2 Squadron was formed at

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

, Hampshire on 13 May 1912, on the founding of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

as one of the first three squadrons of the new force. It was formed from a detachment of No. 2 (Aeroplane) Company of the Royal Engineers Air Battalion. Both No. 2 Squadron and No. 3 Squadron were equipped with fixed wing aeroplanes, while No. 1 Squadron was equipped with airships. The Squadron's first commander was

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

C J Burke. The Squadron was equipped with a mixture of aircraft types, including the prototype

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

. From 26 February 1913, the squadron was based at Montrose Air Station in

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * Angu ...

, Scotland, the first operational Royal Flying Corps base in the UK. This was established on the instructions of the First Lord of the Admiralty,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, to protect the Royal Navy. At Montrose the ghost story of

Desmond Arthur Lieutenant Desmond Arthur (1884–1913) was an Irish aviator in No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. Following his death in Scotland's first fatal aircraft accident; a government inquiry was launched to investigate the circumstances surrou ...

spread around the flying corps. In May 1914, when the Squadron was transferring south from Montrose, five aircraft crashed when they hit a bank of fog just south of the

River Tees The River Tees (), in Northern England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has be ...

. Six of the aircraft had to land, with five of them crash landing, resulting in many injuries and two deaths (a Lieutenant and a First Class Mechanic) in a field near Hutton Bonville in the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire is a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point is at Mickle Fell with 2,585 ft (788 metres). From the Restoration it was used as ...

. No. 2 Squadron was the first to fly the English Channel into France at the start of the First World War with

H.D. Harvey-Kelly Hubert Dunsterville Harvey-Kelly, (9 February 1891 – 29 April 1917) was a British Army officer and military aviator. During the First World War, he was credited with being the first Royal Flying Corps (RFC) pilot to land in France, and of bein ...

being the first pilot to land his aircraft. The squadron spent the war on reconnaissance duties in France flying, amongst other aircraft, the B.E.2. Although its principal role was not air-to-air combat, it still had one flying ace among its ranks in

Arthur William Hammond Lieutenant Arthur William Hammond was an English World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories as an observer/gunner. Early life Hammond was born on 29 August 1890 in Walton on the Hill, Lancashire, England. He was the son of Henry a ...

. It also numbered the first aviation Victoria Cross winners in its ranks, in

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Rhodes-Moorhouse William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse VC (born William Barnard Moorhouse; 26 September 1887 – 27 April 1915) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be ...

and Lieutenant

Alan Arnett McLeod Alan Arnett McLeod, VC (20 April 1899 – 6 November 1918) was a Canadian soldier, aviator, and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. M ...

Between the World Wars

The squadron gained the 'AC' in its title in the inter-war years, flying army co-operation (AC) sorties during the partition of Ireland in the early 1920s. After time in China during 1927, the squadron re-equipped with the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas again on army co-operation work.

Second World War

At the outbreak of the Second World War the unit was flying Westland Lysanders. In France until the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

. It was then based at RAF Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire as the principal squadron in that location. Over time the squadron equipped with fighters – the

Curtiss Tomahawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...

in 1941, the North American Mustang in 1942. In July 1944, assigned to the

2nd Tactical Air Force The RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, ...

, the squadron returned to France in the reconnaissance role. It was re-equipped with

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

Mk.XIVs in November 1944. ''Shiny Two'' relocated to RAF Celle in June 1945 after the war in Europe was won as part of the British Air Forces of Occupation.

Cold War (1945–1988)

The squadron spent much of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

in Germany as part of RAF Germany, flying various fighter types, including the Supermarine Swift FR.5 and Hawker Hunter FR.10. No. II (AC) Squadron began to convert to the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 in December 1970, when they received ''XV485'' at RAF Brüggen. The Hunter No. II (AC) Squadron at RAF Gütersloh continued to operate in tandem with the Phantom No. II Squadron at Brüggen until 1 March 1971 when conversion to the Phantom was completed. ''Shiny Two'' flew their first Phantom reconnaissance sortie on 8 January with ''XV485''. The Phantom-equipped No. II (AC) Squadron relocated to RAF Laarbruch on 3 May 1971. ''Shiny Two'' began to convert to the SEPECAT Jaguar GR1 in 1976, with ''XZ101'' being delivered on 26 February 1976, with the Phantom FGR.2s being replaced by October the same year.

Tornado era (1988–2015)

No. II (AC) Squadron began to convert to the Panavia Tornado GR1 on 16 December 1988, when their first Tornados were delivered to RAF Laarbruch. Elements of the squadron were deployed to the 1991 Gulf War. Along with much of the RAF, No. 2 Squadron withdrew from Germany after returning from the Gulf War – moving to

RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...

in Norfolk flying the Panavia Tornado GR1A. These were upgraded to the latest GR4 standard, with which the Squadron deployed at part of

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

in Iraq during 2003. For this operation the squadron received a battle honour with the right of emblazonment on the Squadron Standard. In September 2012, a memorial dedicated to all those who served on No. 2 Squadron and to those that gave their lives whilst serving on the squadron was unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. The design, planning and fund-raising for the memorial took three years and it features a Roman numeral 'II' carved from black granite. A service was held at the memorial which involved a flypast by a

of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and No. 2 Squadron Tornado GR4. The service was attended by Air Chief Marshal Lord Jock Stirrup and The Venerable (Air Vice-Marshal) Ray Pentland, RAF Chaplain in Chief. The squadron has deployed on several occasions to maintain the Tornado GR4 detachment in Afghanistan. It also saw action over Libya during

Operation Ellamy Operation Ellamy was the codename for the United Kingdom participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The operation was part of an international coalition aimed at enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone in accordance with the United Nation ...

/ Operation Unified Protector for which it received a further battle honour. The Squadron also operated eight aircraft from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as part of Operation Shader, the coalition strikes against the extremist group ISIS. In August 2014, the squadron deployed three Tornados equipped with the RAPTOR reconnaissance pod and the Litening III targeting pod to N'Djamena in

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

for Operation Turus, to take part in the search for Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

Eurofighter Typhoon (2015–present)

Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 'ZK300 - H' (20434526905)

In December 2013, it was announced that following the squadron's scheduled 2014 deployment to Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick, it was to stand down on 31 March 2015 as a Tornado squadron at Marham, and reactivate the following day (1 April 2015) as a Eurofighter Typhoon squadron at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. However, in October 2014, Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

said that the squadron's disbandment and reformation would be put on hold to allow Tornados to continue supporting strikes against ISIS. As a consequence of this new plan, the new No. 2 Squadron formed at Lossiemouth on 12 January 2015, with the old No. 2 Squadron at Marham being re-designated as No. 12 Squadron on 9 January. During October and November 2016, four No. 2 Squadron Typhoons and support personnel deployed to the Far East to take part in exercises with

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and South Korea. The Squadron operated from the Japan Air Self Defense Force base at Misawa on Honshu, to take part in ''Exercise Guardian North 16''. Subsequently, the Squadron was based at Osan Air Base in South Korea and took part in ''Exercise Invincible Shield,'' alongside the Republic of Korea Air Force and United States Air Force. It was the first time either Japan or South Korea had hosted exercises with a foreign nation other than the United States. The squadron was awarded the Freedom of Angus on 26 July 2019, marking 106 years since it was first stationed at Montrose Air Station as part of the Royal Flying Corps. A parade took place in Montrose, which included a flypast of the squadron's Typhoons.

Aircraft operated

* Bristol Boxkite (1912) * Breguet G.3 biplane (1912) *

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

(1912) * Farman S.7 Longhorn (1912) *

(1912) *

Henry Farman Biplane The Farman III, also known as the Henry Farman 1909 biplane, was an early French aircraft designed and built by Henry Farman Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

a (1912) * Farman S.11 Shorthorn (1914) * Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.1 (1914) *

c (1914) *

Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 was a British two-seat reconnaissance and artillery observation biplane designed and built by the Royal Aircraft Factory for the Royal Flying Corps. Development The R.E.5 was designed as a reconnaissance biplan ...

(1914) *

Vickers FB.5 The Vickers F.B.5 (Fighting Biplane 5) (known as the "Gunbus") was a British two-seat pusher military biplane of the First World War. Armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun operated by the observer in the front of the ...

(1915) *

b (1915) * Bristol Scout (1915) *

d (1916) *

e (1917) *

Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 The Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 was a British two-seat general-purpose biplane built by Armstrong Whitworth during the First World War. The type served alongside the better known R.E.8 until the end of the war, at which point 694 F.K.8s remained ...

(1917) * Bristol F.2b Fighter (1920) * Armstrong Whitworth Atlas (1929) * Hawker Audax (1933) *

Hawker Hector The Hawker Hector was a British biplane army co-operation and liaison aircraft of the late 1930s; it served with the Royal Air Force and saw brief combat in the Battle of France in May 1940. Some Hectors were later sold to Ireland. It was named a ...

(1937) * Westland Lysander I (1938) * Westland Lysander II (1940) *

Westland Lysander III The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft's ...

(1940) * Curtiss Tomahawk I (1941) * Curtiss Tomahawk II (1941) * North American Mustang I (1942) * North American Mustang IA (1944) * North American Mustang II (1944) * Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire XIV (1944) * Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire XI (1945) * Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire PR.19 (1946) * Gloster Meteor FR.9 (1950–1951) * Gloster Meteor PR.10 (1951–1956) * Supermarine Swift FR.5 (1956–1960) * Hawker Hunter FR.10 (1960–1971) * McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 (1970–1976) * SEPECAT Jaguar GR1 (1976–1988) * Panavia Tornado GR1A (1988–2001) * Panavia Tornado GR4A (2001–2015) * Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 (2015 – present)

Battle honours

The battle honours awarded to No. 2 Squadron are: *

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

1914–1918 *

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

Neuve Chapelle Neuve-Chapelle ( vls, Nieuwkappel) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It was the site of a First World War battle in 1915. Geography Neuve-Chapelle is situated some northeast of Béthune and ...

* Loos *

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

1916 *

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

1918 * Lys * France and Low Countries 1939–1940 *

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Fortress Europe 1941–1944 * Normandy 1944 * Arnhem * Walchern * Rhine * France and Germany 1944–1945 * Gulf 1991 * Iraq 2003 * Libya 2011 Items in bold are permitted to be displayed on the squadron standard

Commanders

No 2 Squadron RAF memorial, National Memorial Arboretum (2)

List of commanding officers of No. 2 Squadron, including date of appointment. *

C J Burke (13 May 1912) *Major G W P Dawes (10 November 1914) *Major T I Webb-Bowen (8 March 1915) *Major J H W Becke (2 June 1915) *Major C F de S.Murphy (3 November 1915) *Major R A Cooper (9 April 1916) *Major W R Snow (16 August 1917) *Major P G Ross-Hume (28 August 1918) * Squadron Leader B F More (12 November 1919) *Squadron Leader F W Stent (18 June 1920) *Squadron Leader A J Butler (16 August 1920) *Squadron Leader L F Forbes (15 May 1922) *Squadron Leader R E Saul (15 April 1925) *Squadron Leader W Sowrey (9 January 1927) *Squadron Leader H M Probyn (1 April 1928) *Squadron Leader S E Toomer (29 September 1930) *Squadron Leader P F Fullard (12 January 1933) *Squadron Leader J H Green (1 December 1933) *Squadron Leader N L Despoer (20 July 1935) *Squadron Leader W A Opie (21 April 1938) *Squadron Leader A J W Geddes (29 April 1939) ( Wing Commander from 1 March 1940) * Wing CommanderP J A Riddell (24 December 1941) *Wing Commander P W Stansfeld (8 February 1943) *Squadron Leader B O C Egan-Wyer (29 June 1943) *Squadron Leader M J Gray (25 August 1943) *Squadron Leader C A Maitland (7 September 1944) *Squadron Leader R J F Mitchell (25 March 1945) *Squadron Leader D W Barlow (24 April 1946) *Squadron Leader G Collinson (15 December 1946) *Squadron Leader W A Newenham (28 October 1948) *Squadron Leader L H Bartlett (6 February 1950) *Squadron Leader R M Pugh AFC (1 November 1950) *Squadron Leader R H G Weighill (29 May 1953) *

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

M C Newman (31 August 1955) *Squadron Leader R S Mortley (15 November 1955) *Squadron Leader C A Wade (12 May 1958) *Squadron Leader C S MacDonald (16 September 1960) *Squadron Leader D L F Thornton (15 February 1962) *Squadron Leader N J R Walpole (13 December 1964) *Squadron Leader T Barrett (16 June 1967) *Squadron Leader R J M David (11 November 1969) *Wing Commander B A Stead (7 December 1971) *Wing Commander D H Warren (2 December 1972) *Wing Commander D C Ferguson (8 May 1975) *Wing Commander R A F Wilson (1 April 1976) *Wing Commander R Fowler (6 January 1978) *Wing Commander T G Thorn AFC (4 May 1980) *Wing Commander F J Hoare AFC (18 January 1983) *Wing Commander G E Stirrup (31 May 1985) *Wing Commander Phillip O Sturley (13 March 1987) *Wing Commander A Threadgould (1 January 1989) *Wing Commander B C Holding (1 July 1991) *Wing Commander R J Hounslow (21 July 1993) *Wing Commander Chris M Nickols (6 December 1993) *Wing Commander Richard F Garwood (26 April 1996) *Wing Commander Steve J Hillier (27 November 1998) *Wing Commander R M Poole (15 September 2000) *Wing Commander S Cockram (2 May 2003) *Wing Commander A Hine (25 September 2005) *Wing Commander J Turner (19 May 2008) *Wing Commander N A Tucker-Lowe (January 2011) *Wing Commander J D Holmes (January 2013) *Wing Commander Roger G Elliott (9 January 2015) *Wing Commander Jim Lee (January 2017)

Accolades

* Second Lieutenant William Rhodes-Moorhouse, of No. 2 Squadron, was the first British airman to be awarded the Victoria Cross, during a raid on Kortrijk, Belgium on 26 April 1915. *No. 2 Squadron became the first RFC squadron to cross the Channel to France, at the outbreak of World War I.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Butcher, Percy Edwin. ''Skill and Devotion: A Personal Reminiscence of the Famous No. 2 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps''. Hampton Hill, Middlesex, UK: Radio Modeller Book Division, 1971. * Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * * Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 2001. . * Onderwater, Hans. ''Second to None: the History of No. II (Army Co-operation) Squadron RAF, 1912–2002''. second edition, Airlife Publishing, UK. . * * * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . *

External links

No. 2 Squadron
on RAF website
II(AC) Squadron Association

Air of Authority {{Royal Air Force Military units and formations established in 1912 002 Squadron 002 Squadron RAF Marham units 1912 establishments in the United Kingdom