One of the RAF‘s most historic squadrons will no longer be called ‘The Crusaders’ after claims the name is offensive to Muslims.
14 Squadron got its nickname after its airmen flew sorties over Gaza and Palestine during World War I. But The Mail on Sunday has learned an RAF crew member filed a formal complaint with top brass insisting the term was insulting.
To the dismay of many, senior officers upheld the grievance. Now crews have been ordered to remove any references to ‘Crusaders’ around their hangar.
The Crusades were religious wars between Christians and Muslims in the medieval times to secure control of holy sites in the Middle East.
14 Squadron has connections to the region dating back to both world wars. The squadron’s motto ‘I spread my wings and keep my promise’ is taken from the Koran and even appears in Arabic on its royal crest.
14 Squadron got its nickname after its airmen flew sorties over Gaza and Palestine during World War I. A complaint made against the moniker has since been upheld
Yet despite these historic associations dating back many decades, just a single complaint from a disgruntled member of RAF crew convinced service commanders to ‘cancel’ the name. And last night, furious aviators told the MoS: ‘We have to take down every mention of Crusaders from our base.
‘Squadron associations will have to be renamed, it is like we’ve been cancelled. Somehow, now, in 2024, “Crusaders” is an offensive term. Previously, nobody was offended.
‘If they’d have asked members of the squadron, rather than dictating this change, almost everyone would have been in favour of retaining “Crusaders”, because it is so much part of our history.
‘There was never any prejudice or malice in the name. Every squadron, every regiment has a past. But if that past doesn’t suit current thinking it will be erased.’
RAF officials confirmed the move last night, stressing the service had to change with the times. The complainant’s identity remains a secret as Service Complaints (SCs) are strictly confidential. 14 Squadron is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. Its role has evolved since its inception in 1915.
During World War I its aircrews pitted themselves in aerial combat against German fighters in Bristol Scout biplanes. Today they are surveillance specialists flying Shadow R1 aircraft.
It is one of the RAF’s most senior and longest-serving squadrons.
The squadron spent the first 30 years of its operational life in the Middle East, initially as part of the Royal Flying Corps.
‘There was never any prejudice or malice in the name. Every squadron, every regiment has a past. But if that past doesn’t suit current thinking it will be erased,’ furious aviators told MoS
More recently its pilots were involved in the first Gulf War in 1991, in Kosovo in 1999 and in Afghanistan.
The RAF has also launched a wider review of historical assets and terminology in a bid to prevent offence being taken, the MoS has learned.
Sources said ‘further changes’ could be ordered, pending its findings.
The RAF said last night: ‘As a modern and diverse Service, our focus must be on not giving prominence to any offensive term that goes against the values of the Royal Air Force. Therefore, 14 Squadron have ceased using their historic unofficial nickname.
‘The traditions and informal nicknames used by the RAF in the earlier days have a place in our history. However, some are no longer appropriate in the 21st Century.’
