Wing Commander Moose Poole - Signed Aviation Art

Hereward - Guardian of the Army

2 Squadron was formed at Farnborough, Hampshire on 13 May 1912, . It was formed from a detachment of No. 2 (Aeroplane) Company of the Royal Engineers Air Battalion. Both 2 Squadron and 3 Squadron were equipped with fixed wing aeroplanes, while 1 Squadron was equipped with airships. The squadron's first commander was Major C J Burke. The squadron was equipped with a mixture of aircraft types, including the prototype Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2. The squadron was the first to fly the English Channel into France at the start of the First World War.[6] Starting a role which continues to this day, the squadron spent the war on reconnaissance duties in France flying, amongst other aircraft, the B.E.2. From 26 February 1913 the squadron was based at Montrose, the first operational Royal Flying Corps base in the UK located just outside Montrose, Angus. This was established on the instructions of the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill to protect the Royal Navy. At Montrose the ghost story of Desmond Arthur spread around the flying corps. On its return to the UK, II(AC) Squadron was soon conducting Army Cooperation activities in Ireland and in 1927 it deployed to China where it operated the Bristol F2.B fighter from Shanghai racecourse. In 1931, the Hereward knot was approved for use on the Squadron crest symbolising its close relationship to the Army. At the outbreak of World War II, II(AC) Squadron was operating the Lysander aircraft in a reconnaissance role as well as performing supply drops and inserting Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents into occupied France. In August 1941 it was equipped with the Tomahawk as the Lysander had become inadequate in the reconnaissance role and the Squadron proved the utility of fighter aircraft as a photo-reconnaissance platform. In 1942 II(AC) Squadron was re-equipped with the P-51 Mustang which it operated in tactical reconnaissance sorties in the D-Day landings in 1944. The Squadron flew 36 sorties on D-Day and it was a II(AC) Squadron aircraft that brought back the first aerial photographic images of the landings. II(AC) Squadron supported the Canadian Army as they advanced through Europe and saw out the war with later marks of the Spitfire. The squadron spent much of the Cold War in Germany as part of RAF Germany, flying various fighter types, including latterly Phantoms and then Jaguars. Elements of the squadron were deployed to the Gulf War. Along with much of the RAF, II (AC) Sqn withdrew from Germany after returning from the Gulf War – moving to RAF Marham in Norfolk with its Tornado GR1As. These were upgraded to the latest GR4 standard, with which the squadron deployed at part of Operation Telic over Iraq in 2003. The squadron has deployed on several occasions to maintain the Tornado GR4 detachment in Afghanistan, and saw action over Libya during Operation Ellamy/Operation Unified Protector. 2 Sqn. are currently operating eight aircraft from RAF Akrotiri as part of Operation Shader - The coalition strikes against the extremist group, ISIS.

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