End of 201 Squadron is a sad loss

Wednesday 20th October 2010, 2:40PM BST.

FOR many islanders, the savagery with which the UK is trying to tackle its debt problems came home yesterday with the announcement that ‘Guernsey’s Own’ 201 Squadron is expected to be a casualty of that financial battle.

What was originally formed as No. 1 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service in 1914 and then was reformed in 1929 as the 201 Flying Boat Squadron has been affiliated with this island since 1939 and there has been much pride and affection in that relationship ever since.

Indeed, that was one reason why in 1994, as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations, the squadron was granted The Privilege of Guernsey. That was the first award in the island’s history of this ancient military honour, which bestows the right to march with colours flying, drums beating and bayonets fixed.

The other accolade that 201 had was that it was the last such remaining RAF affiliation, which is commemorated in the special museum at Castle Cornet which, after a major refurbishment, was reopened by the Queen in 2001.

In short, there is tremendous history attached to 201, actually the oldest maritime squadron in the world and, from yesterday’s Commons statement, that is now about to come to an end.

While no one has explicitly said that the squadron will be disbanded, the defence review stated that with the withdrawal of the Nimrod MRA4 and other savings, RAF Kinloss will no longer be required as a base.

So unless 201 is relocated elsewhere in the country, its proud years of service and many battle honours come to an end.

The consequences for jobs and an entire community in Scotland are profound because so much of the economy is dependent on the service base there.

And there are many in Guernsey who will also be affected by this news because of the relationships that have been built up with 201 over the years and also because of the charitable work the squadron unfailingly undertook while visiting here.

Whatever the reasons for the defence cuts and no matter how compelling they might appear on paper, the UK government has taken the axe to some of Guernsey’s closest friends.

View more: 201 Squadron news, Defence Cuts news.

1
Faith Simpson

October 23, 2010 at 4:03 pm

I lived and worked in Guernsey for over 10 years and have very close connections with the island. I left to go and live beside RAF Kinloss with my husband who was based there and was working on the Nimrods up until Tuesday of this week.
This news is devastating to the economy in Morayshire as there is now talk of closing RAF Lossiemouth which is located 12 miles from the axed RAF Kinloss – the loss of both bases is the equivalent of losing 700,000 jobs in London.
The closure of RAF Kinloss not only jepordises the defence of our “island nation” but also has serious economic consequences for the local communities.

I would urge everyone in Guernsey to get behind the campaigns for saving RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth.

Please go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-RAF-Kinloss/165380433487708?ref=ts#!/pages/Save-RAF-Kinloss/165380433487708

and join our campaign.

thank you.

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2
CD

October 25, 2010 at 5:11 pm

While I agree with the attempts to cut UK spending, the cuts in military expenditure baffle me.

Are we or are we not fighting a war in Afghanistan (to say nothing of military commitments elsewhere in the world)?

Have we or have we not been told time and time again that the UK government is failing to provide adequate resources for our troops?

You can’t haver it both ways – you either commit to military action and pay for it, or you pull out altogether. Cutting the military budget is an affront to the troops who are putting their lives on the line for us.

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