Number 2 Squadron, also known as No. II (Army Co-operation) Squadron, is the most senior squadron of the

Royal Air Force 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) an ...

. It is currently equipped with the

Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 The Eurofighter Typhoon is in service with seven nations: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Austria. It has been ordered by Kuwait and Qatar, with orders for all eight customers still pending as of September 2017. Th ...

RAF Lossiemouth Royal Air Force Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland. Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest fast-jet stations in the R ...

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 (council area), ...

, 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 Hereward the Wake (Traditional pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/, modern pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd/) (1035 – 1072) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resista ...

'' (Guardian of the Army), and the symbol of a

Wake knot The Wake knot or Ormond knot is an English heraldic knot used historically as an heraldic badge by the Wake family, lords of the manor of Bourne in Lincolnshire and also by the Butler family, Earls of Ormond. Form It takes the form of a Ca ...

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 Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, 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

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

s. 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 indicato ...

C J Burke. The Squadron was equipped with a mixture of aircraft types, including the prototype Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2. From 26 February 1913, the squadron was based at Montrose Air Station in Angus, Scotland, the first operational Royal Flying Corps base in the UK. This was established on the instructions of the

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

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 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, to protect the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. At Montrose the ghost story of Desmond Arthur 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 bee ...

. Six of the aircraft had to land, with five of them crash landing, resulting in many injuries and two deaths (a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

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 ...

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

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

with H.D. Harvey-Kelly 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 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 ...

. Although its principal role was not air-to-air combat, it still had one

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

among its ranks in Arthur William Hammond. It also numbered the first aviation

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

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 unt ...

Rhodes-Moorhouse 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 The partition of Ireland ( ga, críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. ...

in the early 1920s. After time in China during 1927, the squadron re-equipped with the

Armstrong Whitworth Atlas The Armstrong Whitworth Atlas was a British single-engine biplane designed and built by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. It served as an army co-operation aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the 1920s and 1930s. It was the first purpose-desi ...

again on army co-operation work.

Second World War

At the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the unit was flying

Westland Lysander 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. 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 Allies of World War II, Allied soldiers during the World War II, Second World War from the bea ...

. It was then based at

RAF Sawbridgeworth Royal Air Force Sawbridgeworth or RAF Sawbridgeworth is a former Royal Air Force station located north of Harlow, Essex and east of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The airfield was used during the First World War as a night landing ground ...

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 and ...

in 1941, the

North American Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

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 forc ...

, 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 Gri ...

Mk.XIVs in November 1944. ''Shiny Two'' relocated to

RAF Celle Celle Air Base German: ''Heeresflugplatz Celle'' is a military airbase of the German Army. The airfield is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since. Today the a ...

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 t ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

as part of

RAF Germany The former Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) was a command of the Royal Air Force and part of British Forces Germany. It consisted of units located in Germany, initially as part of the occupation following the Second World War, and later as part o ...

, 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 Royal Air Force Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a major station of the Royal Air Force until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf on the Dutch-German b ...

. The Hunter No. II (AC) Squadron at

RAF Gütersloh Royal Air Force Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany military airfield, the nearest Royal Air Force airfield to the East/West German border, in the vicinity of the town of Gütersloh. It was constr ...

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 Royal Air Force , more commonly known as RAF ICAO EDUL (from 1 January 1995 ETUL) was a Royal Air Force station, a military airfield, located in Germany on its border with the Netherlands. The Station's motto was (). The site now operates ...

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 The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. 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 Ba ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

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 ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

during 2003. For this operation the squadron received a

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

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 The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and civilian ...

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 C ...

. 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 Natio ...

Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the Libyan Civil War and adopted on 26 February and 17 March 2011, respectively. These resolutions imposed ...

for which it received a further battle honour. The Squadron also operated eight aircraft from

RAF Akrotiri RAF Akrotiri ( el, Βασιλική Πολεμική Αεροπορία Ακρωτηρίου) is a large Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which compri ...

in Cyprus as part of

Operation Shader Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The operation involves the British Army providing ground s ...

, the coalition strikes against the extremist group

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

. In August 2014, the squadron deployed three Tornados equipped with the

RAPTOR Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...

reconnaissance pod and the Litening III targeting pod to

N'Djamena N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''. The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the c ...

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 Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...

, 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 The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...

squadron at

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 The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...

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 n ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The Squadron operated from the Japan Air Self Defense Force base at Misawa on

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

, to take part in ''Exercise Guardian North 16''. Subsequently, the Squadron was based at

Osan Air Base Hanja:) , partof = , location = , nearest_town = Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province , country = South Korea , image = Osan Air Base 51 FW F-16 A-10 Flyby.jpg , alt = US Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon and A ...

and took part in ''Exercise Invincible Shield,'' alongside the

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

and

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

. 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 The Boxkite (officially the Bristol Biplane) was the first aircraft produced by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later known as the Bristol Aeroplane Company). A pusher biplane based on the successful Farman III, it was one of the fi ...

(1912) * Breguet G.3 biplane (1912) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 (1912) * Farman S.7 Longhorn (1912) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 (1912) * Henry Farman Biplane (1912) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2a (1912) * Farman S.11 Shorthorn (1914) * Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.1 (1914) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c (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) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2b (1915) *

Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout was a single-seat rotary-engined biplane originally designed as a racing aircraft. Like similar fast, light aircraft of the period it was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a " scout", or fast reconnaissance type. It was one o ...

(1915) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2d (1916) * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e (1917) * Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 (1917) * Bristol F.2b Fighter (1920) *

(1929) *

Hawker Audax The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...

(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 name ...

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

(2015 – present)

Battle honours

The

battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

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 maj ...

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 department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre 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 Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

1944 *

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

* Walchern *

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

* France and Germany 1944–1945 *

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

1991 *

2003 *

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

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 Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

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 Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

from 1 March 1940) *

P 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 Officer (armed forces)#Commissioned officers, commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) RAF officer ranks, system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. I ...

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

, during a raid on

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larg ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

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 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

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