303 Squadron Badge

[Heartbreak Writhe]

US. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander takes a photo with recent graduates from the AMC Squadron Leadership Course at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, June 30, 2023. After attending approximately 40 hours of training, attendees leave the class with a badge certification showcasing to Airmen, mission partners and industry that they have acquired the experience and resources to lead in a squadron command leadership or spouse role. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Sansano)

Hundreds of squadron commanders and their spouses throughout Air Mobility Command will now be awarded with a digital badge following graduation from the AMC Squadron Leadership Course at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

After attending approximately 40 hours of training, attendees leave the class with a badge certification showcasing to Airmen, mission partners and industry that they have acquired the experience and resources to thrive in a squadron command leadership or spouse role.

This badge was my grandfather's. You'll find him on the rolls of the 103rd - McQuilkin. He joined the Squadron in October of 1918. It seems to bear the character of the fine pieces shared by "Escadrille" in a thread from last year. I saw on one of the forum threads here that someone had found a reference that identified some badges were enameled as is my grandfather's.

I have a portrait of him immediately upon returning home. He is wearing his French Fourragere and what I assume is one of his two badges, again the badge is blurry since the photograph focuses on the left breast with wings and ribbons, not the right. Yes, he had the silver version as well, according to my mother. Apparently, another of my relatives inherited that badge, I have never seen it. She and her sister wore those badges while escorting my grandfather during many WWI Overseas Flier Conventions in the 1970s and 1980s. That's the story I heard.

I think its interesting that the gardille pins always seem to be poorly finished on the reverse and most are made of brass, not silver. Additionally, one tends to presume that cast pins are fake, yet gardille pins ARE cast.

I have not seen one with paint applied; I think that's pretty cool. There are presumed original examples that are enameled. However, the only enameled badges I have seen are WW2 era french ones, not WW1 US. That is not to say that they do not exist, it is just that no one has posted one here, nor on the internet. Further, in the pictures I have seen of pilots with the 103rd pin, I have not seen an enameled one.

Vision: Develop combat-ready intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance professionals and promote an innovative squadron culture and identity unmatched across the United States Air Force.

The 315th Training Squadron has over 220 permanent party members training more than 3,300 students annually for global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions including Air Force officer and enlisted students, as well as, civilian and joint service students. The squadron is responsible for 250,000 square feet of secure facilities, advanced modeling and simulation, and ISR systems-of-record in excess of $24 million.

Not sure but maybe \swf\il2\squadrons\ so swf.gtp. Under the squadrons folder there is a collection of numeric folders which I think are named the same as the internal id for the squadron. There are pngs and jpgs which look like squadron insignia.

eg: in scg\22\squadrons2.cfg for squadron 103007 I see that this is a Spitfire Vb sqd based on Thorney Island in June 1944 and was named VCS-7, looking at folder 103007 under swf\il2\squadrons I see the insignia (dds file pngs are smaller and just the insignia itself so the RAF on is just the center bit in the png):

NOTE: The Insignia and Lineage in the above community listings are fore CURRENTLY ACTIVE NAVY SQUADRONS. A complete listing of all Navy squadrons and their insignia have not been compiled at this time due to the extensive nature of this listing.

Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force are the insignia of certain commands, squadrons, units, wings, groups, branches and stations within the Royal Air Force. They are also commonly known as crests, especially by serving members of the Royal Air Force, but officially they are badges. Each badge must be approved by the reigning monarch of the time, and as such will either have a King's or Queen's Crown upon the top of the badge, dependent upon which monarch granted approval and the disbandment date of the unit.[note 1][3] The approval process involves a member of the College of Arms (the Inspector of RAF Badges) who acts as an advisory on all matters pertaining to the design and suitability of the insignia and motto.

Some badges that have been approved by either King Edward VIII or George VI will have simply adopted the Queen's Crown after her accession in 1952. The number of badges that King Edward VIII signed is limited due to his short time on the throne.

The first badge adopted by the RAF was the official Royal Air Force Badge, and was instituted on 1 August 1918, some four months after the formation of the Royal Air Force.[4] Afterwards, units and squadrons adopted their own insignia and used them in a way similar to a regimental colour. For some squadrons, their unofficial badges would pre-date the formation of the RAF. Most Royal Flying Corps squadrons during the First World War would paint their squadron emblem (or device) upon a shield to hang up in the mess or squadron bar. They often viewed themselves as 'knights of the air' and the badge helped foster a sense of identity on and with the squadron.[5]

In the case of 100 Squadron, their badge incorporated a skull and crossbones insignia that had been liberated from a French "house of ill-repute" in 1918.[6] Some mascots were back formations from the badge rather than supplying the idea for the badge. No. 234 Squadron had "..a dragon rampant, with flames issuing from the mouth.." approved by King George VI in August 1940.[7] By 1956, the squadron were at RAF Geilenkirchen in Germany and were looking for a suitable mascot for their squadron based on its dragon insignia; they reportedly would settle for an iguana.[8][9]

Until the early 1930s, squadrons and units would use their own informal badges and insignia.[10] In 1935, the process of formalising the badges was undertaken whereby an official heraldic approval would be granted by the ruling monarch of the time. The whole design process would ultimately rest with the Chester Herald as the Inspector of RAF Badges. This has changed over the years and has been filled by Clarenceux King of Arms and by the Surrey Herald of Arms Extraordinary.[11] The Inspector of RAF Badges would liaise with squadrons and units to finalise designs that would reflect already adopted insignia or to utilise something suitable to recognise the squadron or unit.[note 2][12][13] An Air Ministry Order (A.8/1936) was issued in January 1936 and detailed the criteria for badges and their ultimate approval via the Chester Herald and the king.[14] In June of the same year, King Edward VIII approved the first raft of badges for numbers 4, 15, 18, 19, 22, 33, 201, 207, 216 and 604 Squadrons.[15]

When a new badge is granted an approval by the reigning monarch, the unit or squadron is presented with the original goatskin painting signed by the monarch and copies will be made and drawn to the standard set by the original.[13] The Inspector of RAF badges keeps copies which are registered in large albums known as "The inspectors ordinary copies".[16] A badge is 'ensigned' on the top with either a King's or a Queen's Crown; this depends on which particular monarch was ruling at the time.[17] For Edward VIII and George VI, a King's (or Tudor Crown) is used.[18] The number of badges approved by Edward VIII are small in number; the period between his accession to the throne and his abdication lasted only eleven months. As the first batch of badges for the approvals process was completed in July 1936, most badges were approved by his two successors (King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II).[19] The granting of a badge is a personal honour between the monarch and unit that has been awarded the badge, and is not conferred upon the RAF as a whole.[5]

Any serving unit could apply for a badge and some did, whereas others did not or had their application thwarted by time; in the case of No. 273 Squadron, their badge was still awaiting final approval after several re-submissions when it had been rejected by Air Command South-East Asia and by the Inspector of Badges. This hinged upon the proposed use of an Asian Fylfot, which strongly resembles a Swastika. The squadron was disbanded in 1945 before being issued a badge due to uncertainty on a design or motto.[20] A campaign in 1996 to have the badge issued for the veterans of No. 273 Squadron was unsuccessful despite the backing of several MP's, and it was finally awarded to the squadron association in principle.[21] If a unit could not adhere to the qualifying heraldic criteria, then a badge would not be issued. Where badges had not been issued or even applied for, a badge of a higher authority could be used instead (RAF Cowden in East Yorkshire used the Strike Command badge as it was an air weapons range,[17] RAF Bridgnorth used the badge of No. 7 School of Recruit Training as that was the station's reason for existence).[22] The rules regarding badges were changed over the years and since 1992, public funds could be used to pay for the badge design where previously money had to be raised by the squadron or unit to pay for the process. Additionally, a unit must have been in existence for five years (and expect to be in existence for another five years) and also have a personnel strength of more than 75.[23][24]

Under certain circumstances, badges from defunct units have been resurrected when new units or wings have been formed, but squadron badges are not usually reassigned as normally the squadron just assumes an old number and accepts that badge and motto. When the Force Generation Wing (FGW) from No. 90 Signals Unit at RAF Leeming was re-formed as the Operational Information Services Wing (OISW), it was approved for a close copy version of the former No. 60 Group (Signals) badge; the only difference being the name of the unit was changed, and the indentations where the unit number used to be on the main badge, were removed.[25]

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