No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment

No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force. Its mission is protection of RAF bases from ground attack. It is currently based at RAF Honington.

History

It is a unit with a long history having its origin on 22 December 1921, when "Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF" was formed at Heliopolis in Egypt. After undergoing many expansions and contractions No.1 Armoured Car Company was merged with No. 2701 Squadron RAF Regiment, and then on 25 Feb 1947 was re-named No. 1 (Armoured Car) Squadron RAF Regiment. The Squadron initially retained its armoured car role, but lost this in 1953 when it assumed the dismounted field squadron role. The Squadron was re-roled to a Light Anti-Aircraft unit in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was then re-roled as a light armoured squadron, equipped initially with Saracen Armoured Personnel Carriers, and subsequently with the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance series of vehicles, including Scorpion, Spartan, Sultan and Samson. In 1992, the RAF Regiment withdrew the CVR(T) from service and No. 1 Squadron reverted to the field role, in which it has remained since.

During the Cold War the squadron was predominately based in Germany. It took part in the Berlin Airlift and numerous exercises. After a number of moves it found a more permanent home at RAF Laarbruch.At the end of 1998 the squadron was re-located to the UK, based at RAF St. Mawgan in Cornwall. In the aftermath of the Cold War the...
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