Squadron of the Royal Air Force
No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAuxAF
|
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Active
| 12 September 1925 ? 15 July 1945
10 May 1946 ? 10 March 1957
1 July 2006 ? present
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Country
| United Kingdom
|
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Branch
| Royal Auxiliary Air Force
|
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Role
| General Service Support Squadron
|
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Part of
| No. 1 Group RAF
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Headquarters
| Kings Park, Glasgow (present)
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Nickname(s)
| City of Glasgow
"Glasgow's Own"
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Motto(s)
| Latin
:
Cave leonem cruciatum
(Translation: "Beware the crossed lion")
[1]
[2]
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Colours
| Grey Douglas tartan
|
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Battle honours
| Home Defence, 1940?1945
Battle of Britain
, 1940
Fortress Europe
, 1940?1944
Channel and North Sea, 1940?1943
Dieppe
France and Germany, 1944?1945
Normandy
,1944
These honours are those emblazoned on the squadron standard.
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Current
commander
| Sqn Ldr C Loughlin RAF
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Honorary Air Commodore
(HAC)
| Charles Berry BSc MSc DEng
|
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Notable
commanders
| Sandy Johnstone
,
Al Deere
,
Paddy Finucane
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|
Squadron Badge
| In front of a
saltire
, a lion
rampant
[3]
The lion was adopted in view of the squadron's association with Scotland and the saltire to represent the cross of St Andrew, being fimbriated to show it as a white saltire on a blue background.
[1]
[2]
[4]
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Squadron Codes
| ZT
(May 1939 ? Sep 1939)
[5]
LO
(Jan 1939 ? May 1939
[6]
Sep 1939 ? May 1945,
[7]
1949 ? 1953)
[8]
RAI
(May 1946 ? 1949)
[9]
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Military unit
602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron
is a
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
squadron.
[10]
Originally formed in 1925 as a light bomber squadron, its role changed in 1938 to army co-operation and in 1939 to that of a fighter squadron.
During the
Second World War
, the squadron flew
Spitfires
and took part in the
Battle of Britain
. After the war, the squadron was reinstated as a fighter squadron within the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
, until all these units disbanded in March 1957.
Reformed on 1 July 2006, the Squadron assumed the
ISTAR
mission support role formerly held by the Mission Support Element (MSE) of
603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron
. In this role the squadron provided flight operations and intelligence support to the RAF at home and overseas, first from Edinburgh before returning to its home city of Glasgow in August 2008.
The squadron underwent a transformation between 2012 and 2014 as it took on more diverse branches and trades and moved under the command of AOC 1 Group, reporting through the UK Joint Force Air Component and Headquarters 1 Group Reserves. At the end of 2014 the squadron moved its headquarters to the Reserve Centre in the King's Park area on the south side of Glasgow. It was later confirmed as a 1 Group General Service Support (GSS) Squadron and, along with the other 1 Group GSS Squadrons, moved from auspices of the UK Joint Force Air Component to sit under the 1* Commandant Air & Space Warfare Centre.
Formation and early years
[
edit
]
The squadron was formed at
RAF Renfrew
on 15 September 1925 as a light bomber squadron in the Auxiliary Air Force, and initially equipped with
Airco DH.9
As. These were replaced by
Fairey Fawns
in 1927,
Westland Wapitis
in 1929,
Hawker Harts
in 1934 and finally
Hawker Hinds
in 1936.
The squadron continued in the light bomber role until 1 November 1938 when it was redesignated as an Army Co-operation unit. This did not last long, and on 14 January 1939 the squadron became a fighter squadron. It received
Hawker Hectors
in November, but was re-equipped with
Gloster Gauntlets
on conversion to a fighter role. These were short-lived, as
Spitfires
arrived in May 1939.
[11]
Second World War
[
edit
]
Like
603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron
, 602 Squadron spent the early part of the war and
Battle of Britain
on defensive duties in Scotland. In August 1940, it moved south to join the battle, returning to Scotland in December. It moved south again in July 1941, remaining for a year before returning north. Another move came in January 1943, this time to the southwest, where in April it joined the newly forming
2nd Tactical Air Force
. It briefly returned to Scotland from January to March 1944, when it returned south prior to taking part in the invasion of Europe.
From the end of June 1944, it operated from
advance airfields
in Normandy following the Army's advance into Belgium until September, when it returned from
Antwerp
to the UK. From
RAF Coltishall
flying Spitfire XVIs it carried out operations against
V2 sites
in the Netherlands over an area ranging from
The Hook
to
Den Helder
, until disbanding on 15 May 1945 at Coltishall.
Among No. 602's pilots was
Raymond Baxter
, later to become well known on television as a presenter of the BBC TV series
Tomorrow's World
.
Pierre Clostermann
served as a
pilot officer
in the squadron in 1943 and 1944.
[12]
-
'Paddy' Finucane on top of his Spitfire Mk Vb (BM124) LO-W, "QUEEN of SALOTE", while in command of No.602 Squadron at RAF Redhill, early 1942.
Post-war
[
edit
]
With the reactivation of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, No 602 was reformed on 10 May 1946 at
RAF Abbotsinch
as a day fighter squadron. It was initially equipped with
Spitfire F.14s
and later with F.21s and F.22s, until January 1951 when
Vampire FB.5s
were received. It also acquired some F.3s in August 1953, which it flew alongside the FB.5s until February 1954. FB.9s arrived in November 1954 and the squadron continued to fly both types (FB.5 and FB.9s) until, along with all the flying units of the RAuxAF, it was disbanded on 10 March 1957.
Present role
[
edit
]
As part of the new Royal Air Force Reserves umbrella organisation encompassing both the RAuxAF and RAFR, No 602 Squadron was reformed on 1 July 2006 when the mission support element of
603 (City of Edinburgh) Sqn
was separated to form a new unit. As detailed above, it first provided operational support to the RAF Air Traffic Management Force, in the UK as well as to other deployed locations as needed before transforming as part of No 1 Group to become a General Service Support Squadron with approximately 20 branches and trades. The Squadron Mission is to generate, develop, sustain and retain trained volunteer Reservists prepared to deploy within the UK and overseas in support of the RAF. Since 2012 some 39 individual deployments have included support to the RAF as far north as RAF Lossiemouth and as far south as the National Air Traffic Control Centre Swanwick as well as many other units in the UK. Additionally, personnel have deployed to Cyprus, Iraq, Qatar, the Falkland Islands, Malaysia and Singapore, Gibraltar and Oman.
The Squadron trains ab initio recruits in the basics of RAF service before they go on to specialise in their chosen branch or trade. The Squadron also recruits ex-Regular Subject Matter Experts (SME) who bring a huge range of skills which can be deployed in support of the Whole Force with little or no additional training.
Moray Flight of No. 602 Squadron was established in 2013 at
RAF Lossiemouth
and staffed entirely with SMEs to support NATO maritime patrol aircraft and the UK Maritime Air Operations Centre when deployed to the airfield. The unit is also supporting the introduction of the
Boeing P-8A Poseidon
at Lossiemouth.
[13]
Moray Flight detach from 602 Squadron and become part of RAF Lossiemouth over late 2020 and early 2021.
Aircraft operated
[
edit
]
Aircraft operated by No 602 Squadron RAF
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
-
From
|
To
|
Aircraft
|
Version
|
October 1925
|
January 1928
|
Airco DH.9
|
DH.9A
|
September 1927
|
September 1929
|
Fairey Fawn
|
|
July 1929
|
April 1934
|
Westland Wapiti
|
Mk.IIa
|
February 1934
|
June 1936
|
Hawker Hart
|
|
June 1936
|
January 1939
|
Hawker Hind
|
|
November 1938
|
January 1939
|
Hawker Hector
|
Mk.I
|
January 1939
|
May 1939
|
Gloster Gauntlet
|
Mk.II
|
May 1939
|
June 1941
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.I
|
May 1941
|
August 1941
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.IIa
|
August 1941
|
September 1943
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.Vb
|
September 1942
|
October 1942
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.Va
|
September 1942
|
October 1942
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.VI
|
October 1942
|
April 1943
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.Vc
|
September 1943
|
January 1944
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.IXb
|
January 1944
|
March 1944
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
LF.Vb
|
March 1944
|
August 1944
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.IXb
|
August 1944
|
September 1944
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.IXe
|
September 1944
|
November 1944
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk.IXb
|
November 1944
|
May 1945
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
Mk. XVI
|
August 1946
|
August 1947
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
F.14
|
April 1947
|
May 1951
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
F.21
|
June 1948
|
January 1951
|
Supermarine Spitfire
|
F.22
|
January 1951
|
March 1957
|
de Havilland Vampire
|
FB.5
|
August 1953
|
February 1954
|
de Havilland Vampire
|
F.3
|
November 1954
|
March 1957
|
de Havilland Vampire
|
FB.9
|
Commanding officers
[
edit
]
Officers Commanding No 602 Squadron RAF
[18]
From
|
To
|
Name
|
September 1925
|
February 1926
|
Sqn Ldr
C.N. Lowe
,
MC
,
DFC
|
February 1926
|
May 1928
|
Sqn Ldr
J.D. Latta
, MC
|
May 1928
[19]
|
June 1931
|
Sqn Ldr J. Fullerton
|
June 1931
|
June 1936
|
Sqn Ldr
Lord Clydesdale
, AFC
|
June 1936
[20]
|
October 1937
|
Sqn Ldr D.F. McIntyre,
AFC
|
October 1937
[21]
|
March 1940
|
Sqn Ldr A.D. Farquhar, DFC
|
March 1940
|
July 1940
|
Sqn Ldr G. Pinkerton, DFC
|
July 1940
|
June 1941
|
Sqn Ldr
A.V.R. Johnstone
, DFC
|
June 1941
|
August 1941
|
Sqn Ldr P.E. Meagher
|
August 1941
|
January 1942
|
Sqn Ldr
A.C. Deere
, DFC &
Bar
|
January 1942
|
June 1942
|
Sqn Ldr
B.E. Finucane
,
DSO
, DFC & Bar
|
June 1942
|
October 1942
|
Sqn Ldr
P.M. Brothers
, DFC
|
October 1942
|
October 1943
|
Sqn Ldr M.F. Beytagh, DFC
|
October 1943
|
July 1944
|
Sqn Ldr R.A. Sutherland
|
July 1944
|
August 1944
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Sqn Ldr J.J. Le Roux, DFC & 2 Bars
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August 1944
|
September 1944
|
Sqn Ldr A.R. Stewart
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September 1944
|
May 1945
|
Sqn Ldr R.A. Sutherland, DFC
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May 1946
|
1950
|
Sqn Ldr M. Robinson, AFC
|
1950
|
1952
|
Sqn Ldr H.M. Stephen, DSO, DFC
|
1952
|
December 1953
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Sqn Ldr J.A. Forrest
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December 1953
|
1956
|
Sqn Ldr R.B. Davidson, DFC
|
1956
|
March 1957
|
Sqn Ldr C.D. Bartman
|
2006
|
2012
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Sqn Ldr G. Lyall AE
|
2012
|
2020
|
Sqn Ldr A McCallum
|
2020
|
Present
|
Sqn Ldr C Loughlin
|
Squadron airfields
[
edit
]
Airfields used by No 602 Squadron RAF, data from
[14]
[16]
[17]
[22]
From
|
To
|
Station
|
12 September 1925
|
20 January 1933
|
RAF Renfrew
,
Renfrewshire
,
Scotland
|
20 January 1933
|
7 October 1939
|
RAF Abbotsinch
, Renfrewshire, Scotland
|
7 October 1939
|
13 October 1939
|
RAF Grangemouth
,
Stirlingshire
, Scotland
|
13 October 1939
|
14 April 1940
|
RAF Drem
,
East Lothian
, Scotland
|
14 April 1940
|
28 May 1940
|
RAF Dyce
,
Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
|
28 May 1940
|
13 August 1940
|
RAF Drem, East Lothian, Scotland
|
13 August 1940
|
17 December 1940
|
RAF Westhampnett
,
West Sussex
|
17 December 1940
|
15 April 1941
|
RAF Prestwick
,
Ayrshire
, Scotland
|
15 April 1941
|
10 July 1941
|
RAF Ayr
, Ayrshire, Scotland
|
10 July 1941
|
14 January 1942
|
RAF Kenley
,
Surrey
|
14 January 1942
|
4 March 1942
|
RAF Redhill
, Surrey
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4 March 1942
|
13 May 1942
|
RAF Kenley, Surrey
|
13 May 1942
|
17 July 1942
|
RAF Redhill, Surrey
|
17 July 1942
|
16 August 1942
|
RAF Peterhead
, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
|
16 August 1942
|
20 August 1942
|
RAF Biggin Hill
,
Kent
|
20 August 1942
|
10 September 1942
|
RAF Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
|
10 September 1942
|
20 January 1943
|
RAF Skaebrae,
Orkney Islands
, Scotland
|
20 January 1943
|
14 April 1943
|
RAF Perranporth
,
Cornwall
|
14 April 1943
|
29 April 1943
|
RAF Lasham
,
Hampshire
|
29 April 1943
|
1 June 1943
|
RAF Fairlop
,
Essex
|
1 June 1943
|
1 July 1943
|
RAF Bognor
, West Sussex
|
1 July 1943
|
13 August 1943
|
RAF Kingsnorth
, Kent
|
13 August 1943
|
12 October 1943
|
RAF Newchurch
, Kent
|
12 October 1943
|
18 January 1944
|
RAF Detling
, Kent
|
18 January 1944
|
12 March 1944
|
RAF Skeabrae, Orkney Islands, Scotland
|
|
From
|
To
|
Base
|
12 March 1944
|
13 March 1944
|
RAF Detling, Kent
|
13 March 1944
|
20 March 1944
|
RAF Llanbedr
,
Gwynedd
,
Wales
|
20 March 1944
|
18 April 1944
|
RAF Detling, Kent
|
18 April 1944
|
25 June 1944
|
RAF Ford
, West Sussex
|
25 June 1944
|
13 August 1944
|
B.11/Longues-sur-Mer
,
France
|
13 August 1944
|
2 September 1944
|
B.19/Lingevres
, France
|
2 September 1944
|
5 September 1944
|
B.40/Nivillers
, France
|
5 September 1944
|
17 September 1944
|
B.52/Douai
, France
|
17 September 1944
|
29 September 1944
|
B.70/Deurne
,
Belgium
|
29 September 1944
|
18 October 1944
|
RAF Coltishall
,
Norfolk
|
18 October 1944
|
20 November 1944
|
RAF Matlaske
, Norfolk
|
20 November 1944
|
19 February 1945
|
RAF Swannington
, Norfolk
|
19 February 1945
|
23 February 1945
|
RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
|
23 February 1945
|
5 April 1945
|
RAF Ludham
, Norfolk
|
5 April 1945
|
15 May 1945
|
RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
|
10 May 1946
|
30 July 1949
|
RAF Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, Scotland
|
30 July 1949
|
15 April 1951
|
RAF Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland
|
15 April 1951
|
14 July 1951
|
RAF Leuchars
,
Fife
, Scotland
|
14 July 1951
|
15 April 1952
|
RAF Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, Scotland
|
15 April 1952
|
18 June 1954
|
RAF Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland
|
18 June 1954
|
10 March 1957
|
RAF Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, Scotland
|
1 July 2006
|
27 October 2007
|
Combined HQ with 603 Sqn, Edinburgh, Scotland
|
27 October 2007
|
November 2014
|
Avenuepark Street, Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland
|
November 2014
|
Present
|
Kings Park, Glasgow, Scotland
|
|
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Moyes 1976
, p. 273.
- ^
a
b
Rawlings 1978
, p. 477.
- ^
Halley 1988
, p. 418.
- ^
"602 Squadron"
.
Royal Air Force
. 2015. Archived from
the original
on 3 March 2016
. Retrieved
9 October
2015
.
- ^
Bowyer & Rawlings 1979
, p. 14.
- ^
Flintham & Thomas 2003
, p. 50.
- ^
Bowyer & Rawlings 1979
, p. 68.
- ^
Flintham & Thomas 2003
, p. 153.
- ^
Bowyer & Rawlings 1979
, p. 138.
- ^
Barrass, M. B. (2015).
"No. 600?604 Squadron Histories"
.
Air of Authority ? A History of RAF Organisation
. Retrieved
9 October
2015
.
- ^
Nancarrow 1942
, p. 11.
- ^
Clostermann, Pierre.
The Big Show
. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004.
ISBN
0-297-84619-1
.
- ^
"602 Sqn ? Moray Flight, Kipper Corner"
.
Lossie Lighthouse
. Forces and Corporate Publishing Ltd. April 2017. p. 40. Archived from
the original
on 30 July 2017
. Retrieved
22 July
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Moyes 1976
, p. 274.
- ^
Rawlings 1978
, pp. 479?480.
- ^
a
b
Halley 1988
, p. 419.
- ^
a
b
Jefford 2001
, p. 99.
- ^
Rawlings 1978
, p. 480.
- ^
McRoberts 1985
, p. 24.
- ^
Hunt 1972
, pp. 20?21.
- ^
McRoberts 1985
, pp. 44?45.
- ^
Rawlings 1978
, p. 479.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979).
Squadron Codes, 1937?56
. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd.
ISBN
0-85059-364-6
.
- Cameron, Dugald (1987).
Glasgow's own: History of 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron
. Glasgow, Scotland: Squadron Prints.
- Deere, Alan
(1959).
Nine Lives
. London: Hodder.
(republished in 1969 by Coronet, 1991 by Wingham Press and last in 2004 by Crecy Publishing; Autobiographical 1941?43).
- Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003).
Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938
. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd.
ISBN
1-84037-281-8
.
- Halley, James J. (1988).
The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918?1988
. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.
ISBN
0-85130-164-9
.
- Hunt, Leslie (1972).
Twenty-One Squadrons: The History of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1925?1957
. London: Garnstone Press.
ISBN
0-85511-110-0
.
- Jefford, C.G. (2001).
RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912
(2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd.
ISBN
1-85310-053-6
.
- Johnstone, Air Vice Marshal A.V.R. "Sandy"
(1979) [1976].
Enemy in the Sky
. Presidio press.
ISBN
0-89141-086-4
.
- McRoberts, Douglas (1985).
Lions Rampant: the Story of 602 Spitfire squadron
. London: William Kimber.
ISBN
0-7183-0572-8
.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976).
Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft
. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd.
ISBN
0-354-01027-1
.
- Nancarrow, F.G. (1942).
Glasgow's fighter squadron: 602 Squadron RAF
. London and Glasgow: Collins.
- Rawlings, John D.R. (1982).
Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft
. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd.
ISBN
0-7106-0187-5
.
- Rawlings, John (1978) [1969].
Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft
(Revised ed.). London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd.
ISBN
0-354-01028-X
.
- Robinson, Anthony (1999) [1987].
RAF Squadrons in the Battle of Britain
. London: Brockhampton Press.
ISBN
1-86019-907-0
.
- Rowland, David (2000).
Spitfires over Sussex: The Exploits of 602 Squadron
. Finsbury Publishing.
ISBN
0-9539392-0-0
.
- Smith, Richard C. (2003).
Al Deere: Wartime Fighter Pilot, Peacetime Commander: The Authorised Biography
. London: Grub Street.
ISBN
1-904010-48-2
.
- Stokes, Doug (1992) [1983].
Paddy Finucane, Fighter Ace: A Biography of Wing Commander Brendan E. Finucane, D.S.O., D.F.C. and Two Bars
. Somerton, Somerset: Crecy Publishing.
ISBN
0-947554-22-X
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
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|
formations
and units
| |
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branches and
components
| |
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reserve forces
| |
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equipment
| |
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personnel
| |
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appointments
| |
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symbols and uniform
| |
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associated civil
organisations
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|