No. 52 Squadron RAF

No. 52 Squadron RAF
Active15 May 1916 (RFC),
1 April 1918 (RAF) – 23 Oct 1919
18 January 1937 – 8 April 1940
1 July 1941 – 31 March 1944
1 July 1944 –25 April 1966
1 Dec 1966 – 31 December 1969
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
Motto(s)Latin: Sudore quam sanguine
("By sweat and blood")
Battle honoursWorld War I
Western Front 1916–1918
Ypres, 1917
Messines, 1917
World War II
• Mediterranean, 1943
• Sicily, 1943
• Pacific 1944–45
• Burma, 1945
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA lion rampant guardant holding in the forepaws a flash of lightning.
The personnel of this squadron were originally recruited from the district of Hounslow, Heston and Isleworth, so the lion has been introduced which appears in the arms of Heston and Isleworth and in those which were used by Hounslow Abbey. The flash of lightning refers to the marking used by this squadron during the First World War.
Squadron codesMB Apr 1939 – Sep 1939
ZE Sep 1939 – Apr 1940

No. 52 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both World War I and World War II.