Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 A discussion in the Harrier STGB has prompted this train of thought. Squadron in the RAF tend to have nicknames. Some are official, others not so much. Some are used with pride by members of the squadron. Others are used as a term of friendly abuse by other squadrons. Here are some that I remember: 1(F) Sqn: "The Mighty If" - used disparagingly by members of other Harrier squadrons, due to the fact that 1 Sqn got all the best detachments. II(AC) Sqn: Shiny Two. Pretty much an official nickname. 3(F) Sqn - Cementheads - used disparagingly by members of Happy Four. IV(AC) Sqn - Happy Four IX Sqn - TABS This was used at Honington in the early 80s by the groundcrew and stood for "There's always bluddy something"! Their badge was a lemon and a corkscrew - bitter and twisted. XV Sqn - The Saints. Again, pretty much an official nickname. Any more? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaw Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 111 Squadron - the Tremblers but do not know the reason why! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Wash your mouth out Enzo! 'The Saints' were 16 Sqn. (XVI in Roman Numerals) Cheers, Brian PS: 617 Sqn we knew as six foot seven, if it helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troffa Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 56 Sqn- "Shifty-Fix" or "Chicken in a basket" Sqn. 617- "The hole in the wall gang" or "The Dumbas***ds" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 100 Sqn - Tatty Ton 14 Sqn - Crusaders 43 Sqn - Fighting Cocks 31 Sqn - Goldstars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 6 Squadron -The Flying Canopeners 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorth Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 A couple I've heard: 13 - The Stabbed Cats (a reference to their unit badge I think) 64 - Scarabs (another unit badge reference) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV107 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Nicknames come and go, of course, and their circulation can be limited, so that people will go 'Uh? Who? What? Nah, never' if they weren't around at the time (which may have been a short one!) However, ones which I have either heard in use, or have been told about by those who used them: 3 - Cock on a Rock/Cocks on a Rock (based on the cockatrice standing on a monolith) 17 - Black Knights 74 - Ginger Toms 19 - Dolphins (from the badge) 45 - [Flying] Camels (ditto) 92 Cobras (ditto) Because 70 Squadron use the Roman numeral format - thus LXX - they have been known as 'Love and Kisses' When the F3 OCU renumbered from 65 to 56, it was referred to in certain quarters as '65 (Reverse) [sic] Squadron'; 56 has also been referred to as 'the Oven Ready Chickens'; there are many of my acquaintance who refer to them as 'Shifty Fix' 18 - My Little Pony squadron (based on the badge) 27 - The Bunsters (because elephants - the badge - are keen on buns); they were once led by someone who rejoiced in the nickname of Tojo, and the engineers referred to the squadron as 'Tenko' - run by Tojo and no prospect of escape... 99 - Mr Whippy or The Flying Flakes 13 are, indeed, the stabbed cats. 64 also rejoiced in the nickname 'the dung beetles' (an alternative interpretation of the badge) The Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment = Thomas The Tank Engine Squadron. They went to the extent of having a dayglo Thomas zap which was attached to road signs, vehicles, passing cats, etc, etc, etc. And finally, 120 Squadron were known as 'Big Badge' by some - they had 'CXX' painted on the squadron office roof in very large letters. Then one night, after the bar closed, someone climbed on top of the roof and painted 'TS' after the 'CXX' in an equally large font). http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/exshack37/120SqnRoof.jpg Perhaps I'd best stop there... 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLC1966 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) Love the 120Sqn dit, needed the picture, but Christ on a bike, that is an absolute classic, would have been proud to have been in on that. 19(F) Sqn - Dolphins, when I was there 87-90 folklore put the nickname down to 19(F) being the first to get the Sopwith Dolphin. The beastie on the Crest was generally referred to as a Chinese (Siamese) fighting fish. Look at the crest, its no Dolphin !! 92(East India) Sqn did refer to themselves as Cobra's. However, in the back end of the 80's British Gas was being sold off, and if anybody is old enough to remember, there was a Snake on the TV advertising the sale, Hissing Sid. It did not take long for that name to be brought into regular use on Wildenrath. 31 Sqn, Goldstars, unless you weren't on the Sqn then they were Brown Stars. Nothing to do with the badge 18 Sqn, at Odiham were referred to as Cowboys generally by most who dealt with them. And that was nothing to do with the badge either !! Edited June 1, 2014 by PLC1966 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHREAK Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 85 squadron (1960s) target facilities @ RAF Binbrook were known as 'Sunshine Airways' because they never flew at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV107 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Didn't 31's 'alternative' nickname stem from Jag days and the er... unfortunate incident involving the sort of activity which led to 206 branding themselves '206 (Hetrosexual) Squadron RAF' to make clear that [the remainder of this sentence has been censored since the author cannot find a way of expressing it without breaking at least three of the board rules]? 19's badge, heraldically (is that a word?) speaking is a dolphin, in the same way that heraldry holds that lions are leopards. But by heck, it looks more like something you catch with rod and line rather than something which David Attenborough enthuses about... (the badge does, indeed, stem from operating the Dolphin). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary West Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 230 Sqn - The Tigers 72 Sqn - The Swifts 29 Sqn - XXX (Triple X) 23 Sqn - Red Eagles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phartycr0c Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Having visited 29 Squadron 18 months ago, their history is a long and rich one as displayed in the main hallway of their hangar at Coningsby. The tradition around its naming XXX (30 in Roman numerals) is embedded in a misinterpretation of instruction. legend has it that the night before an inspection by a senior officer, a member of ground crew was instructed to paint 29 in Roman numerals on the top wing of one of the Squadron Grebe's ( I think). Asking what does that mean, he was told An EX EX and ONE X the following morning the aircraft was wheeled out with XXX across the top wing. The mistake went unnoticed by senior officers and the symbology stuck. Another legend relates to the squadron being nicknamed "Super Strength" with the XXX moniker coming from the markings brewers use to stamp barrels containing super strength brews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 216 SQN. "Two 'N Six" SQN, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Talking of 'Zaps', (as we used to call them in my day), when 617 Sqn went to Goose Bay for the first time with Tornadoes, 'someone' had altered the famous badge. (They had all of the participating RAF Sqn Badges painted along the walls of the crew area). He must have been an artist because what he did was to make it appear as if the Dams were not breached. Our Wingco nearly had a heart attack - until he found it was only a stick-on over the breach! Cheers, Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Wash your mouth out Enzo! 'The Saints' were 16 Sqn. (XVI in Roman Numerals) Doh! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viscount806x Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Well, I can't hope to join in this thread legally but I can add a couple of airline nicknames: Astraeus - Ashtrays 'R' Us Air 2000 - Air Two Bob JMC - Jiggle My .........We'd better leave that one. Aer Turas - Air Tear Ar$e (when I typed the full word the program replaced it with 'Tear Bottom') Dan Air - Desperate Dans' (not fair, it was a good company according to ex employees I know) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 39 Sqn when at RAF Wyton used to have a sign outside their HQ saying "Harry's Mob". I don't know if that was an "Official" nickname or just a local one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 111 Squadron- "Tremblers" (oops , sorry John, Just noticed you already mention this one!) 11 Squadron- 'Fly united' ( something to do with the two eagles flying rather close in the unit emblem) 12 Squadron- Flying Foxes Airlines: well I always knew Dan Air as Dan Dare!! I do believe there was a thread dealing withairline nicknames some time ago!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Love the thread so far....especially the 120 Squadron story! Did 54 Squadron have a nickname? I'm not sure I've heard of one before. Regards; Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 45 Sqdn. - Flying Camels 14 Sqdn- I think the Crusaders,- based on the badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Didn't 31's 'alternative' nickname stem from Jag days and the er... unfortunate incident involving the sort of activity which led to 206 branding themselves '206 (Hetrosexual) Squadron RAF' to make clear that [the remainder of this sentence has been censored since the author cannot find a way of expressing it without breaking at least three of the board rules]? Can you PM me an explanation? I'm not clever enough to figure it out for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismac60 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 230 Sqn - The Tigers 72 Sqn - The Swifts 29 Sqn - XXX (Triple X) 23 Sqn - Red Eagles Sorry Gary, served at Wattisham on 56 Sqn, 23 Sqn wern't known as Red Eagles but as 'the Crows!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickers McFunbus Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Wash your mouth out Enzo! 'The Saints' were 16 Sqn. (XVI in Roman Numerals) Wash your mouth out Brian! 16 Sqn are the Saints. (Formed in Feb 1915 at St Omer. Conveniently someone then produced a 60's TV show, and hence one of the Sqn formation callsigns is Templar) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV107 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Can you PM me an explanation? I'm not clever enough to figure it out for myself. In the days when one had to be strictly heterosexual - or you'd be kicked out of the service - there was an incident involving someone from 31, which led to much mirth and ribaldry and rude comments about gentlemen's bottoms... I don't know the exact detail (too polite to ask), and this generated the alternative nickname mentioned above. Again, I don't know the details exactly, but AIUI, there was a similar... er... incident which involved personnel from 120 and 201 Sqns; 206 adopted the 'heterosexual' to disclaim all involvement in these activities. The problem is that the story changes in the telling, even down to which squadron adopted the non-PC name. The caveat that some people will go 'Eh? No, that's not true', or have a different version of the story applies, and I have never quite ascertained the actual details*. (Do you realise how close I came to ending that sentence with 'never quite got to the bottom of it'? Tsk!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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