No 43 (F) Squadron - Disbandment Parade - 13th July 2009 – RAF Leuchars

Reviewing Officer's Speech:

Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger Palin KCB OBE MA FRAeS FIPM RAF Rtd

It is a great honour to be here with you on parade today as your Reviewing Officer, both as President of the 43 Sqn Association and as one who had the privilege of Commanding this great Squadron some 30 or more years ago. This feeling of pleasure is of course tinged with sadness that this is a Disbandment Parade and that the Standard of this proud Squadron will shortly be laid up at Cranwell. There is also the added sadness, which we all share, that the Squadron has suffered a double fatality only a week ago, so close to this disbandment W/E; I am sure all of us here join me in sending our most heartfelt condolences to the families. Over the course of our 93 year history, many Squadron personnel, both air and ground crew, have died in the service of their country. The flypast which will end the parade will be a missing man formation as a tribute to all those who have made that final sacrifice while serving on the Squadron.

I expect there will be a mix of emotions felt by everyone here, whether on parade or spectating, whether a member of the Association, or whether a friend of the Squadron, or here in an official capacity. Some of you may be feeling a twinge of excitement at the prospect of a new posting or pastures new; for some this parade may well be marking the end of their RAF career and the prospect of retirement or starting a new career in civilian life. But everyone I suspect will feel sadness that our Squadron, one of the Royal Air Force's finest and which only a few short months ago had an assured and exciting future here at Leuchars, has suddenly been called upon to disband.

That said, let me remind everyone that this is not the first, and hopefully will not be the last, time that 43 Sqn will have disbanded. Three times in the 93 years since the sqn was formed under the command of Sholto Douglas on the fields below Stirling Castle some 40 miles from here, has the squadron disbanded, each time to be reformed with a new aircraft, new personnel, and often in a new role; the last time was 40 years ago here at Leuchars with the Phantom. Current thinking I understand is that the sqn will reform as the 3rd Typhoon sqn, again here at Leuchars in the not too distant future. Let us all hope that despite the country's economic and financial woes this reformation will indeed take place.

Despite the uncertainty that attaches to the Squadron’s future all of us who have an association with 43 can be supremely proud of what the Squadron has achieved in its 93 years. Few Squadrons can match 43's brilliant history. First to undertake ground attack operations in WW1; tied together formation aerobatics at the Hendon Air Pageants in the 1920's; (six enemy kills in one day in both WWs); first to shoot an enemy a/c down over England in WW2; first to fly the Hawker Fury, the Hunter, and the Phantom FG1 in the land based maritime air defence role; first to win the Aberporth and Dacre trophies in the same year, a feat repeated many years later by no 43 Squadron; first sqn to receive its Squadron Standard from Her Majesty in person; first front line fighter sqn to be honoured with the Freedom of a city, a unique honour bestowed upon the Squadron by the City of Stirling four years ago. From the Western Front in WW1, the Battle of Britain, North Africa, Sicily and Italy and then France and Germany in WW2, and the Middle East in the 1960s and again in more recent decades, the Squadron has distinguished itself in many operational theatres around the world, many of which are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard on parade today.                          

The Squadron’s most recent history has been every bit as brilliant. The Tornado era, which comes to an end with this parade, has seen more operational commitments overseas than any other peacetime era: the 1st Gulf War, operations Deny Flight, Bolton, Telic; the Balkans, as well is the continuing commitment to the Falklands. You have developed the aircraft from its simple beginnings some 20 years ago into a formidable AD fighter, respected worldwide. You have operated in many hostile environments, proving not only the aircraft's worth but more importantly the outstanding skill and commitment of all the personnel who have served on the Squadron in this era, aircrew and groundcrew alike. Over the past year you have also taken on the training / conversion role for the whole Tornado force. Your performance stands comparison with all previous eras. Phantom, Hunter, Meteor, WW2 Hurricane and Spitfire, where names such as Caesar Hull, Tom Morgan, Peter Townsend, Jim Hallowes, Frank Carey, Fred Rosier and many others became legendary. Yours is a distinguished record second to none and all of you on parade today, and all those who have served on the Squadron during the recent past, can take great pride in the chapter, you have written in the Squadron 's history.

And so, as this Disbandment Parade draws to a close and as our Squadron Standard, received from Her Majesty herself here at Leuchars 21 years ago, is marched off for the last time for now, I wish all of you, individually and collectively. God Speed in your new endeavours, and we all await the day when the Fighting Cock resumes its natural status as Cock o' the North.

Gloria Finis.