| No. 57 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 8 June 1916 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 31 Dec 1919 (RAF) 20 Oct 1931 – 25 November 1945 26 Nov 1945 – 9 December 1957 1 January 1959 – 30 June 1986 1 July 1992 – 14 March 2002 1 October 2008 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying squadron |
| Role | Elementary Flying Training |
| Part of | No. 3 Flying Training School |
| Home station | RAF Cranwell |
| Motto(s) | Corpus non animum muto (Latin for 'I change my body not my spirit')[1] |
| Aircraft | Grob Prefect T1 |
| Battle honours | Western Front (1916–1918)*, Amiens*, France and Low Countries (1939–1940)*, Norway (1940)*, Channel & North Sea (1940)*, Ruhr (1941–1943)*, Fortress Europe (1941–1944), Berlin 1941–1943*, Walcheren, France & Germany (1944–1945)*, South Atlantic (1982) * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | Issuant from two logs fesse-wise in saltire a phoenix, commemorating that on one occasion during the First World War the whole of the flying personnel became casualties within a few days, but the squadron remained in action with new personnel. Approved by King George VI in December 1936. |
| Squadron codes | EQ (Nov 1938 – Sep 1939)[2] DX (Apr 1940 – Apr 1951)[2] QT (1944 – Nov 1945, 'C' Flt)[2] |
Number 57 Squadron, also known as No. LVII Squadron, is a Royal Air Force flying training squadron, operating the Grob Prefect T1 from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire.
It was formed in 1916 during World War I as part of the RFC, moving to France as a fighter-reconnaissance unit, and changing to a bomber-reconnaissance unit in 1917. Disbanded in 1919, it reformed in 1931 with light biplane bombers, before receiving the more modern Bristol Blenheim bomber in time for World War II. No. 57 squadron served in France in support of the British Expeditionary Force until the fall of France and withdrawal back to England. They re-equipped with Wellingtons, and later with Lancaster heavy bombers, flying over five thousand sorties from 1939 – 1945.
Post-war, No. 57 continued as a bomber squadron for many years through changes of personnel, home base, and aircraft type, including over 27 years as an element of Britain's V-bomber force. After another disbandment in 1986, and reformation in 1992, the squadron flew the C-130 Hercules for ten years. It's current reincarnation commenced in 2008 as a training unit flying the Grob Tutor at RAF Cranwell.
- ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 40. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ a b c "No 57 Squadron History". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 16 August 2015.