RAF Patch b 55 Squadron Royal Air Force Crest Victor Tanker

RAF Patch 55 Squadron Royal Air Force Crest Patch 1990s Victor Tanker Air Refuelling Embroidered on twill cut edge 102mm by 75mm four inches by three inches.

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Squadron History

55 Squadron re activated on 1 September 1960 at RAF Honington joining the RAFs V bomber force equipping with Victor B.1As. When metal fatigue grounded the RAFs Vickers Valiant aircraft the RAF lost its aerial refueling tanker force and a rush programme was launched to convert Victor B.1s to fill the tanker gap. 55 Squadron moved to RAF Marham in May 1965 receiving six interim two-point Victor BK.1A tanker conversions allowing the Squadron to become operational in the tanker role in August 1965. Victor K.1 and K.1A three-point tankers replaced the interim BK.1As by December 1966 and in 1975 the Squadron received the more powerful Victor K.2.

55 Squadron provided tanker support during the Falklands War in 1982 including participating in the Operation Black Buck raids refueling Vulcan bombers enabling them to complete bombing raids from Ascension Island to the Falkland Islands. In 1991 55 Squadron Victors deployed to the Gulf as part of Operation Granby following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and provided refueling for coalition aircraft during Operation Desert Storm the air and ground offensive. The last operator of the Victor the Squadron disbanded on 15 October 1993.

55 (Reserve) Squadron re-activated on the same day 15 October 1993 on the renumbering of 241 Operational Conversion Unit OCU at RAF Brize Norton and took responsibility for training VC10 and TriStar crews although it had no aircraft of its own. 55 R Squadron disbanded again on 31 March 1996 and was reformed at RAF Cranwell on 1 November 1996 when the Navigation Squadron of 3 Flying Training School flying Dominies was renamed 55 Reserve Squadron to provide Weapon Systems Officer and Weapon System Operators training. The Dominie was withdrawn from service when WSO and WSOp training ended on 20 January 2011 and the Squadron disbanded.

This patch dates from the early 1990s.