The 56th have made quite a number of patches since moving from Iceland to England & then Italy. I'm listing all of the RAF Lakenheath patches here that I know of & will try to put them in chronological order.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
2009
(USAF Photo/ SnA David Dobrydney)
This is the first Jolly Green Giant patches made when the Squadron moved from Iceland to RAF Lakenheath in the UK. This patch was obtained directly from the unit at an American Air Day at Duxford during 2009 & is one of three designs sold that day, the other two being shown below as the desert subdued & the union flag. The design of the patch was made by one of the crew on the Squadron Maj. Mark Deaton who had the patches manufactured for the Squadron.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Desert Subdued Colour
2009
This is second version from the 2009 American Air Day at Duxford, again it was designed & manufactured by Maj Mark Deaton.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edged, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2009
This is third version from the 2009 American Air Day at Duxford, again it was designed & manufactured by Maj Mark Deaton.
Seen being worn by a crewman in 2010.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in sinister.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
RAF Crest
Full Colour
2009
This is one of the first designs the Squadron adopted when the came from Iceland to RAF Lakenheath, UK, & sold them at the American Air Day at Duxford in 2009 & seen being worn in 2010. The Squadron adopted using the RAF crest with this patch which works really nicely.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the giant in sinister.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
2010
This patch was worn c.2013 as this photo was taken while supporting Humanitarian Assistance Survey Teams (HAST) & Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams (FAST) in Liberia.
(USAF National Archives)
This patch dates back to c.2010 & is an early patch worn by the crew when based at RAF Lakenheath. This patch was obtained off the Squadron during RIAT in 2010. The picture clearly shows it still being worn during a deployment in 2013.
Partly embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
The 56th RQS adopted the LN code the same as the resident F-15 units.
(Photo by Mark Seabrook)
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2012
A patch definitely used by the Squadron & one that was mass produced & this was obtained directly off the Squadron in 2012. It features the UK flag, & was used when it was based at RAF Lakenheath.
Partly embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in sinister.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
RAF Crest
Full Colour
2012
This was made by the Squadron in the middle of their time at RAF Lakenheath, and is the second variation of the crest patch they wore.
Fully embroidered with a green merrowed edge, backed with hook and loop with the giant in Dexter.
From the pilots seat, a pair of Pavehawks low fly down Loch Ness on a training flight through Scotland. I've known a few Americans over the years & any one of them that flew & was based in the UK always wanted to fly down Loch Ness.
(Photo by Chris Obranovich)
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
c.2013
This patch was made locally to RAF Lakenheath & was made in very limited numbers (its been reported as low as 15 patches) but in a couple of batches at different times. It was made at the hobby shop on base at RAF Lakenheath, & can be identified as the embroidery is lacking the finesse of mass produced patches. This actually gives it some character in my opinion which only adds to the patch & the 56th history. I suspect this was one of the first Jolly Green Giant shields made at the on base hobby shop for the 56th RQS. This one dates back to c.2103.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
Jolly 22 Memorial
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
2014
If you have one of these patches you'd be willing to sell, trade or donate, please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
c.2014
This patch is slightly different as the the letting in the scroll are vertical rather than following the curve of the scroll.
Partly embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Desert Subdued Colour
c.2014
This photo was taken during a 2014 deployment to RAF Leeming.
(USAF Photo/SSgt. Emerson Nunez)
This patch dates to c.2014, as the photo (below the patch) shows a crewman wearing the patch when the Squadron were deployed to RAF Leeming so they could work on the electronic warfare range at nearby RAF Spadeadam. Spadeadam offers realistic threats that crews will encounter when deployed on real life operations.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2015
A patch that goes back to RAF Lakenheath c.2015 & has all of the hallmarks of a patch manufactured on RAF Lakenheath's on base hobby shop. From only seeing this one I suspect not many were made, and it is a typical patch that the on base hobby shop made patches like these, sometimes in very low numbers (as low as half a dozen).
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter, and the union jack of the Great Britain flag in the background.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2015
This patch is another version made locally by the squadron, with the Giant facing Dexter & is the only version with the Union Jack, the other versions are all in sinister. Fully embroidered with a selvedge edge & backed with fabric. Made at the on base hobby shop at RAF Lakenheath during 2015 making it a early version.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
c.2015
This is a patch that was made c.2015 from the on base hobby shop at RAF Lakenheath.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with a white fabric with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
RAF Crest
Full Colour
2015
This patch was the third version of the four versions of the RAF crest made, two others are green merrowed edged & there is a blue merrowed edged patch with a slimmer Jolly Green Giant in sinister. Manufactured c. 2015 with only 50 patches being made.
Fully embroidered with a blue merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the giant in Dexter.
This is one of the first HH-60G's being unloaded from a C-17 after the short flight from Keflavik in Iceland, to RAF Lakenheath, England. The tail code is still IS which would be later changed to LN which is sported by the F-15C/D/E's with the 48th FW.
(USAF Photo)
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2016
There are a few variations of the 56th RQS patches, this one was obtained off the Squadrons in 2016, & was certainly worn by the Squadron while operating in the UK.
Partly embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2016
This patch dates back to 2016 when it was sold by the Squadron while at a Families day at nearby RAF Marham. PVC patches seem to have come into fashion with USAF units around this time & more & more have been made by units since then.
A Pavehawk hovers in front of one of the many Hardened Aircraft Shelters that house the 48th FW's F-15C/D/E's. You can also see the model F-15 in the background used for the fire department for training exercises.
(USAF Photo/A1C Christopher S. Sparks)
56th Rescue Squadron
Combat Ready Crew
RAF Lakenheath, England
Desert Subdued Colour
2017
This patch is one that was presented to combat ready crews by the Squadron Commander & was made c. 2017, while the crews were based at RAF Lakenheath. The picture below looks like the patch made it to Italy when the Squadron moved there in 2018.
Embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
A crew member watches as a pair of HH-60's take off from Aviano AB. From the patch he's wearing this is a qualified combat ready crew.
(USAF photo/Senior Airman Cory Bush)
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
OCP Colour
2017
This patch dates to Nov 2017 & was made on the on base hobby shop at RAF Lakenheath, & there were only 50 made. The squadron initially wanted a green giant, however they selected the first OCP subdued version. Unusually it’s not fully embroidered, as most versions on the base hobby shop were, but this is embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop, with the Giant in sinister.
56th Rescue Squadron
I LIKE TO PARTY
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
2017
This version was made c.2017 again on the on base hobby shop.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
c.2018
This patch was obtained off the Squadron in February 2018 so is one of the last versions that the Squadron had made. It is the only patch I've seen with 56th RESCUE SQ on, as all of the other 56th patches just have RESCUE on them. Its also a little bit odd as the boots are slightly different colours, its either a flaw, they ran out of green thread or it was added after being made.
Embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge & backed with hook & loop, with the giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2018
These are two lesser known patches made for the squadron. These were found as the Squadron were leaving Lakenheath in April 2018 for Aviano. Not the best design & both differ in size, one slightly smaller than the other, you'd not really to be able to see the difference if the weren't photographed together. Made at the hobby shop at RAF Lakenheath.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge with the giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Union Jack
Full Colour
2018
This is a late made patches that the squadron used. Manufactured by Aviation Gear & obtained from Flightline Insignia.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in sinister.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Full Colour
unknown date
The 56th RQS certainly have a wide variety of variations on Jolly Green patches, & this is a fully embroidered version.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge & paper fabric backing with the pigtail glued & the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
PVC
OCP colour
2018
This patch was made in spring 2018 for the move from RAF Lakenheath to Aviano, & crews were seen wearing them at both bases. The picture of a crewman wearing one was taken at Aviano with the delivery of the first HH-60G. Not an easy patch to find & a great variation to the PVC patches.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
Tricolore Flag
Full colour
2018
This patch is a little odd as it was made at RAF Lakenheath just before to the move to Aviano AB, Italy. Made on the on base Hobby Shop, which you can tell by the type of embroidery.
Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
56th Rescue Squadron
RAF Lakenheath, England
RAF Crest
Full Colour
2018
This patch is the last of the four versions that the squadron had made when based at RAF Lakenheath, & was worn c. April 2018. The yellow wreath around the patch has less detail than the second version & is an easy identify feature of this patch.
Fully embroidered with a green merrowed edge, backed with hook & loop with the Giant in Dexter.
A HH-60G flies over its new home at Aviano AB, Italy the move starting in April 2018.
(USAF photo by Senior Airman Cory Bush)
If you have any additional information about this patch please contact me & I´ll get back to you.
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