RAF rescuers to mark seven decades of lifesaving service

The service was born out of the Battle of Britain and the need to form a combined and effective rescue service for downed Allied aircrew who were being lost at an alarming rate in the seas.

It was launched as the Directorate of Air Sea Rescue (ASR) at the HQ of RAF Coastal Command in 1941, and since then its men and women have saved tens of thousands of people, operating in marine craft, fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.

They have been ably assisted by HM Coastguard since 1971.

To celebrate the fleet of yellow RAF Sea King helicopters will be decorated with a specially designed 70th anniversary emblem, which will also appear on a set of first day cover stamps for the Falkland and Ascension Islands.

In Yorkshire, RAF Leconfield, near Beverley, is home to the two Sea Kings of E Flight 202 Squadron, which is responsible for an area ranging from south of the Wash to north of Teesside and part of the Lake District.

Crews at Leconfield have taken part in 6,499 operational call-outs, including 4,414 lifesaving rescues, since 1960. The base will host a celebration in summer.