RAF Patch b 12 Squadron Royal Air Force Crest Buccaneer S2B a

RAF Patch 12 Squadron Royal Air Force Bomber Crest Flying Suit Patch 1985 Buccaneer RAF Lossiemouth Maritime Nuclear Strike Applique embroidered on wool cut edge 110mm by 77mm four and five sixteenth inches by three inches.

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Squadron history

12 Squadron was reactivated in 1962 with Vulcan V Bombers initially at RAF Coningsby then RAF Cottesmore and role for the delivery of Yellow Sun one megaton free fall strategic nuclear bombs for medium to high altitude release. The advent of effective Soviet SAMs made high flying bombers vulnerable and in late 1966 the Squadron took delivery of WE 177B strategic nuclear laydown bombs for low level penetration missions and were assigned to SACEUR as part of the UK strategic nuclear forces deployed as a temporary stop gap until the UK Polaris force began to take over the strategic nuclear delivery role. The Squadron was disbanded at the end of 1967.

12 squadron reformed at RAF Honington in October 1969 equipped with Buccaneer S2B bombers assigned to SACLANT in the anti shipping role equipped with WE 177 nuclear bombs and free falling conventional HE bombs and from 1974 with Martel missiles for non nuclear strike. The Squadron relocated to RAF Lossiemouth in 1980. With its Buccaneers the only RAF aircraft capable of carrying the Pave Spike pod 12 Squadron together with 208 Squadron were hastily deployed to the Persian Gulf in February 1991 to support strike operations in buddy packages to provide an airborne laser designator for Paveway Laser Guided Bombs dropped from Tornado GR1 aircraft. 12 Squadron was disbanded in 1993.

12 Squadron reactivated at RAF Marham in September 1993 equipped with Tornado GR1 aircraft and WE 177 nuclear weapons on the disbandment of 27 Squadron and relocated to RAF Lossiemouth.

During December 1998 the Squadron took part in Operation Desert Fox the four day air campaign against Iraq. Deployments to the Gulf continued and in 2001 the Squadron upgraded to Tornado GR4 and included major contributions in 2003 as part of Operation Telic as well as supporting the first free elections in Iraq for 50 years in January 2005. In 2006 and again in 2008 the Squadron provided armed over watch for UK and US ground operations in Iraq. Shortly afterwards as British troops withdrew from the country the Tornado fleet based in the region returned to the UK.

The Squadron deployed to Kandahar AB Afghanistan in June 2009 to undertake the first Tornado GR4 operations in Afghanistan replacing the Harrier GR9 Detachment providing Close Air Support CAS for British American Canadian ISAF and Afghan troops in all parts of the country. On the 16 October 2009 12 Bomber Squadron returned to RAF Lossiemouth replaced by a RAF Marham based GR4 squadron.

Between 2011 Op Herrick deployments 12 B Squadron was deployed to Gioia del Colle in support Operation Ellamy the military intervention in Libya carrying out Storm Shadow raids on hardened targets in Libya.

This patch dates from the 1980s.