bobdina
09-26-2009, 11:58 AM
A History and Honour news article
23 Sep 09
Veterans and serving personnel gathered together at RAF Marham this weekend to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the famous IX (Bomber) Squadron and bless a new standard for the unit.
It was an especially poignant moment for many serving members of IX (B) Squadron who will join NATO forces in Afghanistan over the coming months and make their own history, as Marham squadrons take turns providing air support to ground troops fighting the Taliban.
Wing Commander Nick Hay, Officer Commanding IX (B) Squadron, was presented with a new standard by Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.
The standard, hand-made in silk, is embroidered with 10 battle honours ranging from the First World War battlefields of the Western Front and the sinking of the German battleship 'Tirpitz' to the more modern-day conflicts in Kosovo and Iraq.
As a mark of respect the mighty AVRO Lancaster from the RAF Coningsby Battle of Britain Memorial Flight roared into the sky and soared above the crowds in a tribute flypast.
Reverend Air Vice Marshal Peter Mills
Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, who commanded IX (B) Squadron from 1994-96, told those on parade:
"The RAF, as a fighting Service, is defined by its squadrons and those squadrons are defined by their battle honours. Please guard this standard, please cherish the honours that have gone before, and as you prepare for your own operational journey to Afghanistan please bear in mind the fighting spirit of this squadron you represent."
After a blessing by the RAF Chaplain-in-Chief, Reverend Air Vice Marshal Peter Mills, the standard was paraded by squadron personnel with music provided by the Band of the RAF College, RAF Cranwell.
Ex-Service members of IX (B) Squadron travelled from around the globe to celebrate the event with veterans from Canada, the USA and Australia gathering to remember and share memories of days gone by on Norfolk's many wartime airfields.
As Flight Sergeant Sel Stephens from Canada, now 86, stood in front of the mighty Lancaster Bomber, he recalled the 33 missions he had flown as a young man:
"I was 21 when I was up there in 1944," he said, pointing to the cramped position of the bomb aimer's seat.
"I was a bomb aimer and front gunner. We're all dealt a different deck of cards and some of us were lucky. Some of us are still here to remember some of us who didn't come back."
The squadron can trace its history back to 1914 when it was formed to develop the use of radio for reconnaissance missions. After being disbanded and reformed several times it first took on a bombing role in 1924.
Since then the squadron has amassed many battle honours and has become an expert unit for bombing operations. It is particularly famous for the sinking of the German battleship 'Tirpitz', larger sister ship of 'Bismarck', on 12 November 1944.
The squadron was also the world's first operational Tornado squadron with the Tornado GR1 in 1982, and took the accolade again in 1999 with the GR4.
IX (B) Squadron also forms part of 11 Light Brigade which will replace 19 Light Brigade in Afghanistan this autumn.
23 Sep 09
Veterans and serving personnel gathered together at RAF Marham this weekend to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the famous IX (Bomber) Squadron and bless a new standard for the unit.
It was an especially poignant moment for many serving members of IX (B) Squadron who will join NATO forces in Afghanistan over the coming months and make their own history, as Marham squadrons take turns providing air support to ground troops fighting the Taliban.
Wing Commander Nick Hay, Officer Commanding IX (B) Squadron, was presented with a new standard by Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.
The standard, hand-made in silk, is embroidered with 10 battle honours ranging from the First World War battlefields of the Western Front and the sinking of the German battleship 'Tirpitz' to the more modern-day conflicts in Kosovo and Iraq.
As a mark of respect the mighty AVRO Lancaster from the RAF Coningsby Battle of Britain Memorial Flight roared into the sky and soared above the crowds in a tribute flypast.
Reverend Air Vice Marshal Peter Mills
Air Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, who commanded IX (B) Squadron from 1994-96, told those on parade:
"The RAF, as a fighting Service, is defined by its squadrons and those squadrons are defined by their battle honours. Please guard this standard, please cherish the honours that have gone before, and as you prepare for your own operational journey to Afghanistan please bear in mind the fighting spirit of this squadron you represent."
After a blessing by the RAF Chaplain-in-Chief, Reverend Air Vice Marshal Peter Mills, the standard was paraded by squadron personnel with music provided by the Band of the RAF College, RAF Cranwell.
Ex-Service members of IX (B) Squadron travelled from around the globe to celebrate the event with veterans from Canada, the USA and Australia gathering to remember and share memories of days gone by on Norfolk's many wartime airfields.
As Flight Sergeant Sel Stephens from Canada, now 86, stood in front of the mighty Lancaster Bomber, he recalled the 33 missions he had flown as a young man:
"I was 21 when I was up there in 1944," he said, pointing to the cramped position of the bomb aimer's seat.
"I was a bomb aimer and front gunner. We're all dealt a different deck of cards and some of us were lucky. Some of us are still here to remember some of us who didn't come back."
The squadron can trace its history back to 1914 when it was formed to develop the use of radio for reconnaissance missions. After being disbanded and reformed several times it first took on a bombing role in 1924.
Since then the squadron has amassed many battle honours and has become an expert unit for bombing operations. It is particularly famous for the sinking of the German battleship 'Tirpitz', larger sister ship of 'Bismarck', on 12 November 1944.
The squadron was also the world's first operational Tornado squadron with the Tornado GR1 in 1982, and took the accolade again in 1999 with the GR4.
IX (B) Squadron also forms part of 11 Light Brigade which will replace 19 Light Brigade in Afghanistan this autumn.