The air force, formed at a time when pilots were seen as knights and gentlemen fighting to rule the skies, has been stripped of its historic moniker over concerns it might offend the Muslim community.
No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was forced to drop its Crusader designation after formal complaints were filed against the unit.
One complaint sparked a campaign against the nickname, according to news reports. Pilots and crew were told to remove any mention of the name from around the hangar.
One pilot told the Daily Mail: “We have to remove any reference to the Crusaders from our bases.”
“The squadron association has to be renamed. It’s like we were cancelled,” he continued. “Somehow, now, in 2024, ‘crusader’ is an offensive word. Before, no one was offended.
It is speculated that the complaint was made by a disgruntled and seemingly vengeful member of the RAF.
Regardless of how the complaint arose, the impact will result in a radical change in the squadron’s identity and a major blow to the unit’s esprit de corps.
The pilot told the Daily Mail: “Had they consulted with squadron members rather than ordering this change, almost everyone would be in favor of keeping the ‘Crusader’ as it is part of our history.”
British patriot and “father of Brexit” Nigel Farage strongly opposed this decision, calling it “woke surrender”.
“No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force fought in two world wars and is now busy with intelligence and reconnaissance,” Farage said on Facebook after the decision was announced. “Their nickname is the Crusaders. But a senior RAF leader decided The name must now be abandoned as it may offend Muslims.
“I wonder if in Saudi Arabia they have succumbed to our culture and way of life,” Farage continued. “I’d rather know why we cave in on almost everything.”
It gets worse when the awakening affects a 100-year legacy.
No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, known as the Crusaders, was established in 1915 and participated in operations in Iraq and Palestine during World War I.
Since World War II and Iraq
Wake up to complaints that the name Crusader insults Muslims.
Stop mentioning names, wake up and win. pic.twitter.com/dnbalxXZQ6– Get Brexit done. (@Trev_Forrester) August 1, 2024
The history of the No. 14 Squadron Association shows that it has been involved in activities well beyond the First and Second World Wars.
It lists the unit’s creation date as late 1914 to strengthen the RAF. Due to shortages of trained pilots, aircraft and equipment, the new force was composed of experienced and semi-trained pilots.
The squadron fought in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, and even made contributions in the Arabian Peninsula, aiding the efforts of Colonel Thomas Lawrence (better known as “Lawrence of Arabia”) and his Arab rebels.
The unit continued to fight until the surrender of the Ottoman Empire in 1918.
In honor of these men’s desperate battles in the Middle East, the unit was given the nickname “The Crusaders” and the squadron’s aircraft were adorned with Winged Crusaders insignia.
In World War II, the unit once again assumed the role of a desert combat unit, fighting Axis forces in North Africa and Abyssinia. The squadron also assisted in the Mediterranean theater when the Allies invaded fascist Italy.
The combat capabilities of the 14th Squadron were also demonstrated during the 1999 Kosovo War, when pilots conducted flying attacks against Serbs and their military infrastructure. In later years, the unit would also assist British military operations in Iraq.
In 2011, the original squadron was disbanded, and its license plates and logos were inherited by the newly formed intelligence and reconnaissance force.
This article originally appeared in Western Daily News.
