This is definitely not their finest hour. Winston Churchill is probably rolling in his grave.That’s because an historic RAF squadron will be forced to change its name for being offensive to Muslims.England’s 14 Squadron earned the name the ‘Crusaders’ for flying sorties over Palestine in the First World War.But the Daily Mail reported Sunday that the squadron has been forced to remove any reference to the name around their hangar after an RAF crewman filed a grievance insisting the term is “insulting.”The complainant has remained anonymous as per Ministry of Defence rules..Formed in 1915, 14 Squadron has connections to the Middle East during both world wars. The squadron's motto, “I spread my wings and keep my promise” is taken from the Koran and appears in Arabic on its royal crest.In the First World War, it flew Bristol scout planes. More recently it flew in the first Gulf War in 1991, Kosovo in 1999 and in Afghanistan. In the Second World War, it patrolled the Red Sea and participated in bombing raids on Italy.Over the decades aircraft flown included the Mosquito, P-51 Mustang and iconic Sea Vampire.It is presently based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire where it flies the Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft..According to an official RAF statement, the branch has launched a wider review of ‘historical assets’ and terminology to avoid taking further offence to minorities.“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,” it said.“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.”.But flight members were distraught.Furious aviators told Britain’s Ministry of Supply: 'We have to take down every mention of Crusaders from our base… it is like we've been cancelled. Somehow, now, in 2024, ‘Crusaders’ is an offensive term. 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,” it said.“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.”
