South Africa Patch Sqn SAAF South African Air Force b 17 Squadron VIP 1990s Oryx

SAAF Patch South African Air Force 17 Squadron Patch Badge Oryx helicopters VIP Transport 1990s Embroidered on twill 80mm by 65mm three and three sixteenth inches by two and nine sixteenth inches.

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History 1939 – 2013

Motto: – Pro Re Nata – As the Occasion Arises

17 Squadron SAAF was formed on 1 September 1939 as part of the Airways Wing at Swartkop Air Base equipped with ex-South African Airways Junkers Ju-52/3m airliners for transport duties. 17 Squadron inactivated on 1 December 1939 when it was merged with 18 and 19 Squadrons to form 50 Squadron.

The Squadron reactivated on 8 October 1942 at Zwartkop Air Base for general reconnaissance missions. The Squadron relocated to Aden in January 1943 equipping with Blenheim V light bombers to carry out anti-submarine patrols and moved to Egypt in May 1943 disbanding with its aircraft and crews distributed to other units. The Squadron reformed in Palestine in August 1943 with Ventura GR V patrol aircraft and in October 1943 moved to St Jean and Ramat David in Palestine for convoy escort duties and anti-submarine patrols. In April 1944 the Squadron moved operations to the western Mediterranean initially based at Gibraltar and then Bone Algeria to carry out anti-shipping patrols off the southern
French and northern Italian coasts and bombing raids on coastal targets. In July 1944 17 Squadron moved to Sardinia before relocating to North Africa in late 1944. In January 1945 the Squadrons ground echelon moved to Algeria and Aircrews and Venturas moved to Egypt becoming non-operational for conversion to Wellingtons and Warwick GR Vs but the war ended prior to completion of the conversion. The Squadron left the aircraft in Egypt and returned to Brooklyn now Ysterplaat South Africa in September 1945 with Ventura PV-1 disbanding on 31 March 1946.

The squadron reformed in Cape Town on 1 June 1947 with Venturas and Harvards and disbanded in 1955. 17 Squadron reformed at Langebaanweg on 1 December 1957 with three Sikorsky S-55s and one S-51 for air-sea rescue duties. In December 1960 Alouette IIs were received and in mid-1961 the Squadron moved to Ysterplaat. Alouette IIIs came in 1962 with A flight stationed in Pretoria and B Flight at Bloemfontein with C Flight and Training Flight remaining at Ysterplaat.

In 1971 16 Squadron was reformed from C Flight 17 Squadron at Ysterplaat while the rest of 17 Squadron and its two Flights moved to Swartkop for VIP transport. A Puma flight was added in 1992 which began to receive the new Oryx helicopters in 1994 with the last two Pumas retiring in
1997. In 1994 17 Squadron acquired the SA 365N Dauphin formerly of the Bophuthatswana Defence Force for VIP duties before being disposed of. The  squadron moved to Waterkloof Air Force Base and currently operates the A109 LUH and Oryx helicopters for VIP transport.

This patch dates from 1990s