| No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAuxAF | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 14 October 1925 – 26 December 1944 10 January – 15 August 1945 10 May 1946 – 10 March 1957 1 October 1999 – present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Auxiliary Air Force |
| Role | Force Protection/RAF Police and RAF Regiment |
| Part of | No. 5 Force Protection Wing |
| Headquarters | Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh |
| Nickname(s) | City of Edinburgh |
| Motto(s) | Scots: Gin ye daur ("If you dare")[1][2] |
| Battle honours | Home Defence, 1940–42* Battle of Britain, 1940* Channel & North Sea, 1941* Fortress Europe, 1941* Malta, 1942* Mediterranean, 1943* Sicily, 1943* South-East Europe, 1943–44* France & Germany 1945 Honours marked with an asterisk* are those emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Sqn Ldr Derek Read RAuxAF |
| Honorary Air Commodore | Air Marshal Sir David Allan Walker, KCVO, OBE, DL |
| Notable commanders | Queen Elizabeth II was the Royal Honorary Air Commodore until her death on 8 September 2022 George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk Lord David Douglas-Hamilton Christopher Foxley-Norris |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge heraldry | On a rock a triple-towered castle, flying therefrom to the sinister a pennon The castle in the badge is similar to that in the Arms of the City of Edinburgh[1][2] |
| Squadron Codes | RL (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[3] XT (Sep 1939 – Apr 1942, Jan 1945 – Aug 1945, 1949 – Apr 1951)[4] RAJ (May 1946 – 1949)[5] |
No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. On reforming on 1 October 1999, the primary role of 603 Squadron was as a Survive to Operate squadron, as well as providing force protection.
603 Sqn re-roled to become a reserve RAF Police unit from 1 April 2013. The Squadron retains a squadron's complement of RAF Regiment as part of its overall contribution to Force Protection and it still operates from a magnificent Victorian Town Mansion close to Edinburgh's city centre, as it has since the Town Headquarters was bought for the squadron in 1925.
Queen Elizabeth II is the Honorary Air Commodore to the Squadron, with those duties routinely carried out by Air Marshal Sir David Walker.[6]
- ^ a b Moyes 1976, p. 274.
- ^ a b Rawlings 1976, p. 480.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 14.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 115.
- ^ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 138.
- ^ David Walker (RAF administrative officer)