No. 603 Squadron RAF

No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAuxAF
Active14 October 1925 – 26 December 1944
10 January – 15 August 1945
10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957
1 October 1999 – present
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Auxiliary Air Force
RoleForce Protection/RAF Police and RAF Regiment
Part ofNo. 5 Force Protection Wing
HeadquartersLearmonth Terrace, Edinburgh
Nickname(s)City of Edinburgh
Motto(s)Scots: Gin ye daur
("If you dare")[1][2]
Battle honoursHome Defence, 1940–42*
Battle of Britain, 1940*
Channel & North Sea, 1941*
Fortress Europe, 1941*
Malta, 1942*
Mediterranean, 1943*
Sicily, 1943*
South-East Europe, 1943–44*
France & Germany 1945
Honours marked with an asterisk* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Commanders
Current
commander
Sqn Ldr Derek Read RAuxAF
Honorary Air CommodoreAir Marshal Sir David Allan Walker, KCVO, OBE, DL
Notable
commanders
Queen Elizabeth II was the Royal Honorary Air Commodore until her death on 8 September 2022
George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk
Lord David Douglas-Hamilton
Christopher Foxley-Norris
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryOn a rock a triple-towered castle, flying therefrom to the sinister a pennon
The castle in the badge is similar to that in the Arms of the City of Edinburgh[1][2]
Squadron CodesRL (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[3]
XT (Sep 1939 – Apr 1942, Jan 1945 – Aug 1945, 1949 – Apr 1951)[4]
RAJ (May 1946 – 1949)[5]

No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. On reforming on 1 October 1999, the primary role of 603 Squadron was as a Survive to Operate squadron, as well as providing force protection.

603 Sqn re-roled to become a reserve RAF Police unit from 1 April 2013. The Squadron retains a squadron's complement of RAF Regiment as part of its overall contribution to Force Protection and it still operates from a magnificent Victorian Town Mansion close to Edinburgh's city centre, as it has since the Town Headquarters was bought for the squadron in 1925.

Queen Elizabeth II is the Honorary Air Commodore to the Squadron, with those duties routinely carried out by Air Marshal Sir David Walker.[6]