No. 103 Squadron RAF

No. 103 Squadron RAF
No. 103 Squadron badge
Active1 Sep 1917 - 1 Oct 1919
10 Aug 1936 - 26 Nov 1945
30 Nov 1954 - 1 Aug 1956
1 Aug 1959 - 31 Jul 1963
1 Aug 1963 - 31 Jul 1975[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
Nickname(s)"Swindon's 'own' Squadron" (unofficial)[2]
Motto(s)Latin: Noli me tangere[2][3]
(Translation: "Touch me not" or more modern: "Don't touch me")
Battle honoursWestern Front, 1918*
Hindenburg Line*
France & Low Countries, 1939-40*
Invasion Ports, 1940*
Fortress Europe, 1940-44*
Biscay Ports, 1941-43
Berlin, 1941-44*
German Ports, 1941-45
Baltic, 1941-45
Ruhr, 1941-45*
France & Germany, 1944-45*
The honours marked with an asterisk(*) are those emblazoned on the squadron standard.
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldryA swan, wings elevated and addorsed[3]
A swan was chosen because this bird is very strong on the wing and also well able to defend itself[2]
Squadron CodesGV (Apr 1939 - Sep 1939)[4][5]
PM (Sep 1939 - Nov 1945)[6][7]

No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.

  1. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 57.
  2. ^ a b c Moyes 1976, p. 142.
  3. ^ a b Halley 1988, p. 177.
  4. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 13.
  5. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 50.
  6. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 82.
  7. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 97.