Originally Posted by
Melchett01
At the risk of being controversial - not without precedent. How many Bloodhound squadrons carried the number plate of a former flying squadron?
I suppose it could be a way of packing out the numbers, but equally it’s also a way of keeping Sqns going and contemporary rather than them disappearing into the history books.
All of them. The Bloodhound had an airframe, jet engines, electronics and a warhead (plus a few other explosive items). The only aircraft trades never employed on it were Aircraft Electrical / Air Comms / Flight Systems and the Safety Equipment (that is after the Guided Weapon Fitter trade was canned). One of the original Bloodhound Mk 1 Squadron commanders did note in his unit's ORB that giving the Air Defence Missile (SAM after June 1961) squadrons number plates of former flying units had been a very good idea as regards maintenance of morale and esprit de corps. However the SAM squadrons could and would have engaged the enemy without external support with a winged flying machine (Both Marks of Bloodhound system could search for and engage targets by themselves). Radar units should be called Signals Units, of which there are number plates and badges for a lot of them.