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RAF squadron standards and battle honours are part of theheraldry of theRoyal Air Force and are used to express asquadron's heritage and achievements. Squadron standards are ceremonial flags that are granted to squadrons on meeting certain criteria. Battle honours are awarded to commemorate notable battles, actions, or engagements in which squadron personnel have taken part.

ThroughoutBritish history, military leaders have employed ceremonial flags for the purposes of identified rally points for troops during battle, these flags being known as 'standards'. The positions of the standards on abattlefield would provide an indication of how the battle was progressing.^[1]

The history of squadron standards in the Royal Air Force can be traced back to theSecond World War, when on the 25th anniversary of the RAF in 1943,King George VI declared his plan to grant standards to operational squadrons. For a standard to be awarded, the squadron had to qualify by either completing 25 years of service in the RAF;Royal Auxiliary Air Force;Royal Naval Air Service; orRoyal Flying Corps; or be recognised by the monarch for outstanding merit during operations.^[1]

The first standards were awarded in the 1950s, with thirty squadrons qualifying for their length of service, whereasNo. 617 Squadron was awarded in recognition of its role inOperation Chastise in May 1943, otherwise known as the 'Dambuster Raid'.^[1]

Squadron standards measure 4 feet (120 cm) x 2 feet 8 inches (81.2 cm). They hand-made in light-bluesilk, with blue and goldfringes andtassels.^[1] Around the border are embroideredroses,thistles,shamrocks andleeks, national emblems of theconstituent countries of the United Kingdom.^[2] The centre of the standard featuresembroidery of the squadron's approvedheraldic badge andscrolls identifying up to ten battle honours which the squadron has been awarded.^[1]

Standards are typically mounted on an 8 feet 1 inch (246.3 cm)flagstaff featuring a gold eagle with elevated wings.^[2]

The practice of awarding battle honours was inherited by the RAF from itsArmy andNavy predecessors upon its creation in 1918. Several squadrons therefore carry honors awarded when they were a part of theRoyal Flying Corps orRoyal Naval Air Service. Battle honors are not awarded for every operation conducted by British forces and not every squadron taking part in an operation is entitled to emblazon the honor on their standard, only those involved in contact with the enemy.^{[citation needed]}

In 1943,King George VI approved the award of a Standard to RAF squadrons who have 25 years of service in either the RAF,Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Naval Air Service or Royal Flying Corps. Standards can also be awarded to units which have "earned the King's appreciation for outstanding operations". A squadron can embroider the names of up to 10 battle honors on its standard, known as "emblazoning the honor".^{[citation needed]}

Below is lists of battle honors which may be claimed by RAF squadrons.^{[citation needed]}

• Amiens
• Arras, 1917
• Cambrai, 1917
• East Africa, 1916–18
• Egypt, 1915–17
• Gaza
• Hindenburg Line
• Home Defence, 1916–1918
• Italian Front & Adriatic, 1917–18
• Loos
• Lys
• Mesopotamia, 1915–1918
• Messines, 1917
• Mons
• Neuve Chappelle
• North West Frontier, 1916–1918
• Somme, 1916
• Somme, 1918
• Western Front, 1916–17
• Western Front, 1917–18
• Ypres, 1917
• Megiddo 1918

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• Aden 1928
• Aden 1929
• Aden 1934
• Afghanistan 1919–1920
• Burma 1930–1932
• Iraq 1919–1920
• Iraq 1923–1925
• Iraq 1928–1929
• Kurdistan 1919
• Kurdistan 1922–1924
• Kurdistan 1930–1931
• Mahsud 1919–1920
• Mohmand 1927
• Mohmand 1933
• Northern Kurdistan 1932
• Northern Russia 1918–1919
• North West Frontier 1930–1931
• North West Frontier 1935–1939
• North WestPersia 1920
• Palestine 1936–1939
• Somaliland 1920
• South Persia 1918–1919
• South Russia 1919–1920
• Sudan 1920
• Transjordan 1924
• Waziristan 1919–1925

• Anzio andNettuno.

For operations in support of the Allied landings inItaly 9–16 September 1943.

• Arakan 1942–1944.

For operations by fighter, bomber and transport squadrons in support of theFirst andSecondArakan Offensives, November 1942 to February 1943 and November 1943 to March 1944.

• Arctic 1940–1945.

For operations over the Arctic by squadrons of Coastal Command based inIceland,Russia andShetland.

• Arnhem 1944.

For squadrons participating in the operations of the Allied Airborne Army, 17–26 September 1944.

• Atlantic 1939–1945.

For operations by aircraft ofCoastal Command and others employed in the coastal role over the Atlantic Ocean from the outbreak of war toVE Day.

• Baltic 1939–1945. For operations over theBaltic and its approaches by squadrons ofBomber and Coastal Commands from the outbreak of war to VE Day.
• Battle of Britain 1940.

For interception operations by fighter squadrons over Britain, August to October 1940.

• Berlin 1940–1945.

For bombardment of Berlin by aircraft ofBomber Command.

• Biscay 1940–1945.

For operations over theBay of Biscay by aircraft of Coastal and Fighter Commands, and of Bomber Command loaned to Coastal Command between the fall of France and VE Day, 25 June 1940 to 8 May 1945.

• Biscay Ports 1940–1945. For operations over the Bay of Biscay ports from thefall of France to VE Day.
• Bismarck. For operations by aircraft of Coastal command associated with the action against theBismarck, 24–29 May 1941.
• Burma 1944–1945. For operations during the14th Army's advance from Imphal toRangoon, the coastalamphibious assaults, and the Battle ofPegu Yomas, August 1944 to August 1945.
• Ceylon 1942. For operations against Japanese aircraft and naval units by squadrons based inCeylon during the Japanese attacks of April 1942.
• Channel AndNorth Sea 1939–1945. For ship attack,anti-submarine andmining operations over the English Channel and North Sea from the outbreak of war to VE Day.
• Dieppe.

For squadrons participating in theCombined OperationsDieppe Raid (Dieppe, France) on 19 August 1942.

• Dunkirk.

For operations covering the evacuation of theBritish Expeditionary Force and the French fromDunkirk (Operation Dynamo), 26 May to 4 June 1940.

• East Africa 1940–1941. For operations overKenya, theSudan,Abyssinia,Italian Somaliland,British Somaliland,Eritrea and theRed Sea during the campaign which resulted in the conquest ofItalian East Africa, 10 June 1940 to 27 November 1941.
• Eastern Waters 1941–1945. For operations over waters east of theMediterranean andRed Sea including theIndian Ocean,Bay of Bengal,Java Sea andSouth China Sea throughout the war with Japan.
• Egypt AndLibya 1942–1943. For operations in thedefence of Egypt and the conquest of Libya, from the outbreak of war against Italy to the retreat of the Axis Forces intoTunisia 10 June 1940 to 6 February 1943.
• El Alamen. For operations during the retreat to El Alamein and subsequent actions, June to November 1942.
• El Hamma. For operations at El Hamma in support of theBattle of the Mareth Line by squadrons operationally controlled byAir Headquarters, Western Desert, 20–24 March 1943.
• Fortress Europe 1940–1944. For operations by aircraft based in theBritish Isles against targets inGermany,Italy and enemy-occupied Europe, from the fall of France to theinvasion of Normandy.
• France AndGermany 1944–1945. For operations over France,Belgium, theNetherlands and Germany during the liberation of north-west Europe and the advance into Germany, from the start of air action preparatory to the invasion of France toVE Day, April 1944 to 8 May 1945.
• France AndLow Countries 1939–1940. For operations in France and theLow Countries between the outbreak of war and the fall of France, 3 September 1939 to 25 June 1940.
• German Ports 1940–1945. For bombardment of the German ports by aircraft of Bomber and Coastal Commands.
• Greece 1940–1941. For operations overAlbania and Greece during the Italian and German invasion, whether carried out by squadrons based in Greece or operating from external bases, 28 October 1940 to 30 April 1941.
• Gothic Line. For operations in support of the breaching of theGothic Line, August to September 1944.
• Gustav Line. For squadrons participating in the operations against theGustav Line, May 1944.
• Habbaniya. For units engaged in the defence ofRAF Habbaniya, 30 April to 6 May 1941.
• Home Defence 1940–1945. For interception operations after theBattle of Britain, in defence of Great Britain and Northern Ireland against enemy aircraft and flying bombs, November 1940 to 1945.
• Invasion Ports 1940. For bombing operations against German-occupied Channel ports, to dislocate enemy preparations for the invasion of England.
• Iraq 1941. For operations in the defeat ofRashid Ali's rebellion, 2–31 May 1941.
• Italy 1943–1945. For operations over Italy.
• Madagascar 1942. For operations by squadrons of the South African Air Force during and after the landings inMadagascar.
• Malaya 1941–1942. For operations against the Japanese inMalaya,Sumatra andJava from 8 December 1941 to 12 March 1942.
• Malta 1940–1942. For squadrons participating in defensive, offensive andreconnaissance operations from Malta during the period of enemy action against the island, 10 June 1940 to 31 December 1942.
• Manipur 1944. For operations in support of the besieged forces atImphal, March to July 1944.
• Mediterranean 1940–1943. For operations over Italy, Sicily and theMediterranean andAegean Seas by aircraft based in the Mediterranean area between 10 June 1940 and 30 June 1943.
• Meuse Bridges. For squadrons participating in bombing operations against crossings of theMeuse during the German breakthrough betweenSedan andDinant, 12–14 May 1940.
• Normandy 1944. For operations supporting the Allied landings inNormandy, the establishment of the lodgement area and the subsequent breakthrough, June to August 1944.
• North Africa 1942–1943. For operations in connection with the campaign in French North Africa from the initial landings in Algeria to the expulsion of the Axis Powers fromTunisia, 8 November 1942 to 13 May 1943.
• North Burma 1943–1944. For the supply by air of General Wingate's first long-range penetration into North Burma, February to June 1943; and for the air supply and support of his second expedition, 5 March to 26 June 1944.
• Norway 1940. For operations overNorway during the German invasion, 9 April to 9 June 1940. Applicable to squadrons based in Norway and those operating from home bases.
• Pacific 1941–1945. For operations against the Japanese in the Pacific theatre throughout the war with Japan, 8 December 1941 to 15 August 1945.
• Rhine. For operations in support of the battle for theRhine crossing, 8 February to 24 March 1945.
• Ruhr 1940–1945. For bombardment of theRuhr Area by aircraft of Bomber Command.
• Russia 1941–1945. For operations from Russian bases.
• Salerno. For operations in support of the Allied landings in Italy, 9–16 September 1943.
• Sicily 1943. For operations in furtherance of the conquest ofSicily by aircraft based in Africa,Malta and Sicily, 1 July to 17 August 1943.
• South East Europe 1942–1945. For operations over Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.
• Special Operations. For operations by squadrons regularly assigned to special duties, i.e. the succour of resistance movements in enemy-occupied countries by dropping supplies and by introducing and evacuating personnel by air from the formation of the first special duty flight (20 August 1940), after the fall of France, to VE and VJ Days respectively.
• Syria 1941. For operations overSyria during the campaign against theVichy French, 8 June to 12 July 1941.
• The Dams. For squadrons participating in the operations for breaching the Mohne, Eder, Serpe and Kembs Dams, May 1943 to October 1944. SeeOperation Chastise.
• Tirpitz. For operations resulting in the sinking ofTirpitz.
• Walcheren. For operations in support of the capture of the island ofWalcheren, 3 October to 9 November 1944.

• Korea 1950–1953.

Limited to the threeRAF Sunderland flying boat squadrons which flew patrols during theKorean War but were not involved in confrontation with the enemy. Not authorized to be emblazoned.

• South Atlantic 1982.

For service in latitudes between 35° and 60° South during the period 2 April to 14 June 1982. Three of the RAF squadrons involved (Nos.1,18 Squadrons and 63 SquadronRAF Regiment) have the right of emblazonment. SeeFalklands War.

• Gulf 1991.

For operations against Iraqi invasion forces inKuwait January–March 1991. SeeGulf War

• Bosnia 1995.

RAF participation in, or direct support to, the allied air campaign over theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia. NosIV(AC) and6 Squadrons have the right to emblazonment.^[3]

• Kosovo.

RAF participation in, or direct support to, the allied air campaign over theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia during the period 24 March to 20 June 1999. Nos1,9,14 and31 Squadrons have the right to emblazonment, Nos7,8,23,51,101 and216 Squadrons do not.

• Sierra Leone 2000.

RAF support of UK military intervention inSierra Leone. No7 Squadron has the right to emblazonment.^[4]

• Iraq 2003.

RAF support of Invasion of Iraq. SeeOperation Telic

• Afghanistan 2001-2014.

RAF support to operations in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick).^[5]

• Ashworth, Chris.Encyclopaedia of Modern Royal Aircraft Squadrons. Wellingborough, UK:PSL, 1989.ISBN 1-85260-013-6.
• RAF website

• Battle honours
• Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom
• Royal Air Force
• History of the Royal Air Force

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