RAF Squadron nicknames

[wasacop]

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...

That's me back in therapy again!! I'd tried to forget about that idiot!!!

Way back when 617 were still getting to grips with its new Tornados we used to answer the crewroom phone as "Kings Lynn Flying Club"! The squadron feeder was also in the phone book as "Ni@@ers Bone".

[wasacop]

Whilst at Laarbruch 16 were known as "The Twigpickers" by all and sundry. 20 Sqn were "Still all bitter and twisted" not 9 as posted earlier.

[Brian G]

WASACOP,

I've sent you a personal message.

Cheers, Brain

[Selwyn]

When on 4(AC) sqn at Gutersloh 80-82, due to the busy activities of the Sqn lineys "obtaining exhibits" for the crewroom walls, the squadron were refered to as the "Hydraulics", as they would lift anything..............................!

Selwyn

[John Aero]

35 Sqn (Flying Horse badge) were known as "Foot and Mouth". 12 Sqn were always "Shiney Twelve" (from the Fox biplanes). and 1.F Sqn were 'F' Troop.

John

[Roland Pulfrew]

206 adopted the 'heterosexual' to disclaim all involvement in these activities.

I can confirm that 206 did proclaim themselves as the Hetero Sqn even going to the extent if getting pens made with the proclamation. Unfortunately they conveniently forgot about their mini-adj, but she wasn't aircrew so didn't count. Also forgetting that several of those "caught" had all been on 206 in their early years.

I think the only true Hetero Sqn was 42 (Third Division South) Sqn but they had just been disbanded so we might never know.

[Plumber]

41 Sqdn ( Jags ) were called the Kodak Kids by 6 & 54. We called 6 Sh**ty and 54 were the Fighting Newts.

9 Sqdn were often called the Squashed Frogs.

On 208 and 617 we called 12 the Dog Squad. Aircrew were Dog Handlers and groundcrew Kennel Maids.

17 Sqdn were the Blackhand Gang.

2 Sqdn were called Tatty Two, Second to Nine.

I was on 9, 41, 208 and 617

Happy days

Scoots

[jimble28]

I don't know any "nice" appellations, but when 6 Squadron came up from Egypt to do gunnery training off the coast of Cyprus at Xeres, it was generally known as Sh one, 2t's and a y 6. Does that get past the censor? 213 Squadron also visited but did not seem to have a nickname one way or the other. I have a photo of, I think a MK 5, Tempest of 6 Squadron that I took in 1949-50 in Cyprus. All silver at that time so possibly 1950. Serial number NX204, JV-X. I was an Engine Fitter on Spit XVIII's caring for 32 and 208's aircraft until 208 went to Egypt and 32 re-equipped with Vampire IIIs in late 1948.

Edited September 2, 2014 by jimble28

[marty_hopkirk]

6 Squadron -The Flying Canopeners

When my father worked on 6 Sqn, it was always the shiney 6. Semantics perhaps. but it was the "Flying Tin Openers", not Can Openers.

Marty...

[Graham Boak]

re 19 Sq: I'd certainly understood it was from their time on the Sopwith Dolphin. However, my fish identity isn't great. The badge certainly doesn't show the marine mammal Dolphin, but there is a fish of the same name caught in Far Eastern waters and eaten by the Japanese (at least) - which has lead to some confusion in the past.

[Troffa]

Nice to hear from a veteran of Jimble28's vintage on the board- I may be asking you some questions about 208 Spitfires and their colour schemes at the time, but that's for another thread.

[Jonny]

Weren't 43 Squadron known as the Fighting Cocks?

[Truro Model Builder]

Yes indeed, and I suspect that if the squadron ever reforms (which is increasingly unlikely) that appellation will be swept under the carpet.

By the way, where did the Tremblers name for No.111 Squadron come from? I never heard it until a few years ago, and suddenly it was all over the place.

[Troffa]

Whilst wiping the coffee from my keyboard after reading the above rather rash speculation regarding the stirring appellation "The Fighting Cocks" and its potential utility if the Royal Air Force's finest fighter squadron ever were to be asked to take up its Standard once more, emblazoned as it is with battles from the very pages of the history of air warfare, I managed to recall the usage of the nick name "Tremblers" from my days working on the North side of the Kingdom of Fife's erstwhile fighter station, RAF Leuchars in the 1980's and 90's.

The etymology as I recall it was: 111 Sqn= Treble-one Squadron = Tremble-One squadron= Tremblers.

Regards, and Cock a doodle doo from this former Punchy-Poulet, battling bantam and indeed, a FIGHTING COCK!

Gloria Finis.

[tonyot]

So if the aircrew on 43 Sqn actually did the fighting,.......what does that make the ground crew? Just a tongue in cheek thought!

Cheers

Tony

[stuartp]

19's dolphin is an heraldic dolphin, the official description of their badge is "Between wings elevated and conjioned in base, a dolphin heads downward"

Heraldic things don't necessarily have to look much like the real ones, compare the lions on an England shirt with the lions wandering around Longleat, for example.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/19squadron.cfm

Edited September 6, 2014 by stuartp

[Fritag]

When my father worked on 6 Sqn, it was always the shiney 6. Semantics perhaps. but it was the "Flying Tin Openers", not Can Openers.

Marty...

I've seen both. P'raps it morphed over time. In the mid to late 80's when i was on 6 with Jags it was always Can Openers and never Tin Openers - at least to those serving on 6 at the time.

[pigsty]

I think the only true Hetero Sqn was 42 (Third Division South) Sqn but they had just been disbanded so we might never know.

But, of course, the Hermes figure on their crest was always known as The Poof With The Handbag, so it might not have been as certain as all that ...

[Rhino]

_{I've heard 208 Sqn referred to as Navy 8, and I have heard a story about 6 Squadron resulting in a far less pleasant nickname. I won't go into details but I'm sure other ex RAF types know what I mean.}

[Procopius]

_{I've heard 208 Sqn referred to as Navy 8, and I have heard a story about 6 Squadron resulting in a far less pleasant nickname. I won't go into details but I'm sure other ex RAF types know what I mean.}

This sort of vagueness is, I can only assume, a maddening byproduct of your strict libel laws.

[XV107]

Simple rule of thumb - if a squadron is known as 'Shiny something or other' by its members and veterans, you can guarantee that the 'Shiny' will be turned to a slightly more er... excremental word by almost everyone else.

Thus 'Sh***y Six'. Indeed, I've even heard this further abused as 'The Sh***y Sticks', but that was after a dining in night, so 'sticks' might have been a slightly fuddled pronunciation of 'six' by someone who then rolled backwards down a flight of stairs without injury or even noticing that the person he'd been talking to was a now a floor above him wondering where his mate had suddenly disappeared to.

Since the last and current bosses are mates, I shall refrain from any further badinage along those lines...

Edited September 11, 2014 by XV107

[Doddsy2978]

Dad (22 Sqn for bloody years) always referred to 202 Sqn (Sister SAR Sqn) as the Mucky Ducks. 111 Sqn were called Tremblers, to answer an earlier question, because  - TREBLE One. Back in the day 23, 43, 56, 111 and the relevant Muck Mover Tomb Sqn’s ground crews were called Phantom Phixers with a ‘Spy vs Spy’ type avatar. 
 

As an side, whilst working on 56, we had an exchange with a German F104 unit. My mate and I spent the latter part of an evening shift with some yellow paint and a stencil and placed a fiery chicken in the middle of the fuselage crosses. Didn’t half get a roasting from Norman, the Line Sgt. He told us their A/CS were too pretty.  We said they would do something similar but he would not have it. Gave us some crappy jobs for a day or two. 
 

When our cabs returned from Deutschland, they had bloody great multi-coloured, fin height anchors painted on the fins. We didn’t half give Norman some ‘I chuffing told you so!’ looks!

[Doddsy2978]

On 9/9/2014 at 4:10 PM, Rhino said:

_{I've heard 208 Sqn referred to as Navy 8, and I have heard a story about 6 Squadron resulting in a far less pleasant nickname. I won't go into details but I'm sure other ex RAF types know what I mean.}

Yes!  Kinda makes sense as this would have been No 8 Sqn RNAS at the amalgamation to form the RAF. 

 

[Doddsy2978]

On 9/9/2014 at 12:38 PM, Fritag said:

I've seen both. P'raps it morphed over time. In the mid to late 80's when i was on 6 with Jags it was always Can Openers and never Tin Openers - at least to those serving on 6 at the time.

Can Openers makes sense as the ‘Can’ refers to armour. Refers to its Ground Attack role. 

[Doddsy2978]

On 9/6/2014 at 12:19 PM, tonyot said:

So if the aircrew on 43 Sqn actually did the fighting,.......what does that make the ground crew? Just a tongue in cheek thought!

Cheers

Tony

Yeah, and I have NEVER heard that theory expounded in a NAAFI bar😁