RAF Patch j 78 Squadron Royal Air Force Chinook Sea King Lion a

RAF Patch 78 Squadron Royal Air Force Chinook Sea King SAR Helicopters RAF Mount Pleasant Falkland Islands 1986 Emb on twill cut edge 90mm three and nine sixteenth inches diameter.

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Badge  A heraldic tiger rampant and double queued – based on the Squadrons aircraft in 1937 when approved the Whitley which had Tiger engines and twin tails

Motto   Nemo non paratus Nobody unprepared 

78 Squadron transferred from Bomber Command to Transport Command in May 1945 re-equipped with Dakota transport aircraft and relocated to Cairo in September 1945 providing transport operations around the Middle East and Air Sea Rescue patrols over the Eastern Mediterranean. The Squadron converted to Valetta transport aircraft in April 1950 and disbanded at RAF Fayid in Egypt on 30 September 1954.

The squadron was reformed on 24 April 1956 at RAF Khormaksar Aden equipped with Pioneer single engine STOL transport aircraft upgrading to the larger twin engine Twin Pioneers in November 1958. The Squadrons Twin Pioneers were transferred to 21 Squadron in 1965 and reequipped with Wessex helicopters to provide army support and Search and Rescue cover. 78 Sqn relocated to RAF Sharjah in 1967 disbanding in 1971.

78 Squadron reactivated on 22 May 1986 at RAF Mount Pleasant Falkland Islands equipped with Chinook transport and Sea King HAR 3 SAR helicopters on the merging of 1310 Flight and 1564 Flight. The Squadron was inactivated on being renamed 1564 Flight in December 2007.

78 Squadron was formed at RAF Benson in December 2007 equipped with Merlin HC3 and HC3A helicopters as part of the Joint Helicopter Command. With RAF Benson based 28 AC Squadron 78 Sqn provided detachments to support UK Forces wold wide including Iraq and Afghanistan. 78 Squadron was disbanded on 30 September 2014 following the transfer of its Merlins to the Fleet Air Arm.

This patch dates from 1986.