No. 202 Squadron, currently based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales, serves as the maritime and mountains training unit for the Royal Air Force's helicopter crews. Throughout much of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the squadron was famously known as a premier Search and Rescue (SAR) unit, flying yellow Sea King helicopters to save thousands of lives from sinking ships and treacherous mountain peaks. Formed in 1914 as No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) before transferring to the newly formed RAF in 1918, it has a long maritime heritage, having flown flying boats like the Catalina and Sunderland on anti-submarine patrols during World War II. Its badge features a Mallard duck alighting—symbolizing its amphibious history—and its motto, Semper vigilate ("Be always vigilant"), remains a fitting tribute to its decades of lifesaving watchfulness.
