RAF Patch j 47 Squadron Royal Air Force SF Flight C 130 b

RAF Patch 47 Squadron Royal Air Force SF Flight Tac Flag C 130 Hercules Tactical Covert Transport 1980s Woven 47mm by 78mm one and thirteen sixteenth inches by three and one sixteenth inches.

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Badge – In front of a fountain a demoiselle cranes head erased approved by King George VI in November 1938. The unofficial badge had been a sun rising over a pyramid but tours in Russia and Sudan inspired the use of a crane found in both countries which when navigating flies high like a bomber. The fountain commemorates the amphibious role when seaplanes were flown off the Nile.

Motto – Latin Nili nomen roboris omen The name of the Nile is an omen of our strength

Squadron History

On 1 September 1946 the 47 Squadron was re-formed at RAF Qastina in Palestine when 644 Squadron was renumbered providing air transport with converted Halifax bombers relocating to RAF Fairford in the Army support role. The Squadron moved to RAF Disforth in September 1948 becoming the first RAF Squadron to receive the Hastings transport aircraft and immediately deployed to Schleswigland West Germany to support the Berlin Airlift on 1 November 1948 where it carryed out 3,000 trips to Berlin with 22,000 tons of supplies mainly coal. With the blockade ended the Squadron returned to RAF Topcliffe on 22 August 1949 operating in support of airborne forces and relocated to RAF Abingdon in May 1953.

In May 1956 the squadron became the first to re-equip with the Blackburn Beverley heavy-lift transport for Transport Command trooping and freight transport supporting operations in Cyprus Kuwait and East Africa and carried out mercy flights related to floods droughts and natural disasters. The Beverley was withdrawn and the squadron disbanded on 31 October 1967.

47 Squadron was re-activated at RAF Fairford on 25 February 1968 with C 130 Hercules moving to RAF Lyneham in September 1971. During the Falklands war the squadron airlifted supplies to Ascension Island and later air dropped men and supplies directly into the South Atlantic. To make the trip from Ascension to the Falklands several Hercules were given additional fuel tanks and fitted with refuelling probes. The Squadron regularly deployed worldwide and has been involved in almost every RAF operation since including the Balkans Africa Afghanistan and Iraq. On 1 July 2011 the Squadron relocated to RAF Brize Norton with the other Hercules Squadrons to concentrate the RAFs transport and tanker fleets at one base. The Hercules fleet is due to be replaced by 25 Airbus A400Ms.

Since the 1970s Special Forces tactics equipment and operations have become much more sophisticated requiring specialist support from associated units. Following the Falklands War 47 Squadrons Special Forces Flight has provided dedicated long range clandestine transport capability for UK Special Forces with specially modified C 130s equipped with terrain following systems that enable extreme low flying in all weather day and night together with a comprehensive aircraft missile defence package for airlift and re supply using specially selected and screened aircrew who train and work directly with Special Forces troops.

This patch dates from the 1980s.